Ukraine had been saying for a while that August would be a key month. I thought a major counteroffensive in Kherson was a better than 50/50 chance. So what happened? Russia decided to move a lot of troops there presumably in order to stop it. That may have worked. However the problem for them is that they now have a much bigger army in a vulnerable position west of the Dnieper who will be difficult to supply.
August has been spent by Ukraine using HIMARS to deadly effect. The Russians are lobbing 80,000 shells a day into Ukraine, but the Ukrainian spirit hasn't broken. On the other hand, the Ukrainians have used what, a dozen HIMARS? With those, they have smashed strategic bridges so that they will be unusable for reinforcement/resupply. And dropped shells on a sixpence on ammo dumps, command centres, barracks. But perhaps the biggest event in August has been to show that not only is Crimea not a safe haven - Ukraine is determined to see its return. You could perhaps down the line see a possible settlement where Ukraine gets Crimea, Russia gets the Donbas. But for Putin to lose 70,000 troops whilst losing Crimea would be a huge defeat. Which is what is needed. It also makes Russians ask "If we haven't got Crimea, why do we need to lose tens of thousands more for the southern land bridge to it?
That Russia has moved most of its jets out of Crimea is a huge win this month for Ukraine. For the big push southwards, that retreat plus the inability of the Russians to resupply Kherson - they really couldn't have asked for more.
Putin’s brinkmanship over the Zap nuke power plant does suggest a certain desperation on the Russian side
Fingers x’d you’re right
Apparently China's weighed in on the Zap plant issue:
It doesn’t happen very often, so well done China for that intervention.
An unstable Putin, with his finger on the big red button, helps absolutely no-one else in the world.
Yes. Hahaha Putin. Slapped down by China. Humiliating
But nothing he can do. He is totally reliant on China for Russia’s economic future, now he has alienated all of the West
Russia will become a client state of China. A resource rich protectorate. A satrapy
Exactly the opposite of the Great Russia that Putin envisaged
It's striking how Russian talking heads seem to be in denial about this and will talk about how they are in a battle with the Anglosphere for world domination as if China doesn't exist.
Russian talking heads are required to tout the Putin line if they wish to remain Russian talking heads.
Turkey will possibly end up stronger than Russia at the conclusion of this war
Erdogan's intervention that under international law, Crimea belongs to Ukraine was a canny comment.
Much as he might piss off the US, he can still see how to play them...
He's worse than Putin, and Turkey is occupying Cyprus, and has invaded Syria to get to the Kurds.
"Turkey is occupying Cyprus"
The history of Cyprus, and the political situation there, is much more complex than "Turkey is occupying Cyprus." It runs into issues of self-determination, terrorism, coups, juntas and strongmen, and invasions.
It's an ongoing tragedy that the Greek Cypriots did not accept Annan's peace plan in the early 2000s.
Wow.
You do realise you just put a match to all your moral posturing over Ukraine right?
Jeez.
Why? I did not say Turkey was in the right *at all* wrt Cyprus - just that it's a massively complex situation. I'm a fairly firm supporter of *fair* self-determination - in Scotland, Catalonia, or elsewhere. But it has to be *fair*, and that's where the complications in Cyprus, Crimea, the Donbass or East Timor occur.
Why don't you just go back to believing the Ukrainians shot down MH17?
Do you now agree with the official Dutch report, or are you still shilling for Russia?
It’s a bit more complex than that petal.
Then please tell us about your latest MH17 theory. I daresay PB could do with a laugh.
Because you don't have a capital owning class stealing surplus value. Basic Marxism.
Which has never worked whenever it has been tried.
Mainly because those in power do much more stealing - and then run the interests incompetently.
Petrol is 45p/L in Iran. NIOC is 100% state owned.
Iran's economy and society is perhaps not the most optimal model for us to follow.
@hyufd would probably be impressed by the strong religious compliance.
Iran is a full on religious state, like Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan and the Vatican City no doubt
Just trying to remember which other state has senior clerics in its legislature as an absolutely full on and basic element of its constitution. I think they might even speak English as a first language, so it can't be Thailand.
Church of England Bishops are less than 5% of the membership of the House of Lords. We do not directly base our laws on the Bible as the Vatican City does or the Koran as Iran, Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan do
How odd. I rather thought the Tories were keen on Christian morality. And wasn't Ms Dorries rather keen on bringing back laws on blasphemy, or does memory serve me wrong?
Does the Vatican City find laws for parking in the NT or OT, then?
Ukraine had been saying for a while that August would be a key month. I thought a major counteroffensive in Kherson was a better than 50/50 chance. So what happened? Russia decided to move a lot of troops there presumably in order to stop it. That may have worked. However the problem for them is that they now have a much bigger army in a vulnerable position west of the Dnieper who will be difficult to supply.
August has been spent by Ukraine using HIMARS to deadly effect. The Russians are lobbing 80,000 shells a day into Ukraine, but the Ukrainian spirit hasn't broken. On the other hand, the Ukrainians have used what, a dozen HIMARS? With those, they have smashed strategic bridges so that they will be unusable for reinforcement/resupply. And dropped shells on a sixpence on ammo dumps, command centres, barracks. But perhaps the biggest event in August has been to show that not only is Crimea not a safe haven - Ukraine is determined to see its return. You could perhaps down the line see a possible settlement where Ukraine gets Crimea, Russia gets the Donbas. But for Putin to lose 70,000 troops whilst losing Crimea would be a huge defeat. Which is what is needed. It also makes Russians ask "If we haven't got Crimea, why do we need to lose tens of thousands more for the southern land bridge to it?
That Russia has moved most of its jets out of Crimea is a huge win this month for Ukraine. For the big push southwards, that retreat plus the inability of the Russians to resupply Kherson - they really couldn't have asked for more.
Putin’s brinkmanship over the Zap nuke power plant does suggest a certain desperation on the Russian side
Fingers x’d you’re right
This bit is one of the most fanciful things I have read so far on the war:
"You could perhaps down the line see a possible settlement where Ukraine gets Crimea, Russia gets the Donbas."
No way that's going to happen. Much of the Donbas has been a warzone for 8 years. The Crimea isn't even a warzone now, despite there having been a few attacks. Another important fact is that there's a base called Sevastopol at the bottom of the Crimea. Sevastopol is not going to become exclusively a Ukrainian naval base in any possible future with p>10^-6. It's never been exclusively a Ukrainian naval base at any time.
Peacefully telling the Azov Regiment they're now in the DPR and LPR and if they don't like it they can leave...while the Russians smile as they move out of Crimea and Sevastopol. Seriously, what am I reading here?
What's the probability that it's Russia shelling the Zap plant? I'd put it about p = 0.1. It's far more likely to be Ukraine doing it.
You do see why you get called a troll I hope. Shelling Zap would be an insane act of military violence. So is the unprovoked invasion of a neighbour. Being invaded is not. So your unsupported assertion in your final sentence looks a tiny bit suspect.
I don't understand how the geography of the plant works - it's large and sprawling I am sure. But the Russians occupy it. So there are two Russian forces, one occupying the plant, one shelling it? Do the ones inside not object? And the best motive anyone can find for this act of nuclear self-obliteration, is to make a show of Russian ruthlessness and strength... by blaming it on the Ukrainians. This surely stretches credulity to breaking point.
This is the bunch that are *still* conducting recon by sending a single tank, unsupported by infantry, up the road to get shot at.
The British Army worked out that this was stupid *before* the battle of Cambrai. In 1917.
I agree that they're stupid. I think worse than that, hiding your artillery (probably because the dumps keep being blown up) in a nuclear power plant is criminally dangerous. Worse than using a hospital or school, by orders of magnitude. However, let's not tie ourselves in absolute knots to imply that they're shelling themselves in there.
The latest problem related to a forest fire. Given the number of shorts, failed launches etc we have seen from *Russian sources* from their rocket artillery, it’s not too hard to imagine an oppsie….
A couple of months back, a talking heads said that Russia's interior was having much more serious forest fires than usual. Not due to the weather, but due to the fact the troops who were normally deployed to help deal with the fires were occupied (or occupiers...) elsewhere.
As for the Zap plant: from what I've read, there are four independent power lines coming in to it. Three are down, and the fourth got damaged.
Turkey will possibly end up stronger than Russia at the conclusion of this war
Erdogan's intervention that under international law, Crimea belongs to Ukraine was a canny comment.
Much as he might piss off the US, he can still see how to play them...
He's worse than Putin, and Turkey is occupying Cyprus, and has invaded Syria to get to the Kurds.
"Turkey is occupying Cyprus"
The history of Cyprus, and the political situation there, is much more complex than "Turkey is occupying Cyprus." It runs into issues of self-determination, terrorism, coups, juntas and strongmen, and invasions.
It's an ongoing tragedy that the Greek Cypriots did not accept Annan's peace plan in the early 2000s.
The tragedy is the interference by the USA and the duplicity of the UK government in 1974. Turkey continues to occupy over a third of the island and used a similar playbook to Russia to try and legitimize its invasion in 1974.
I believe there is approximately eight trillion quid of housing wealth in this country.
5% of that is £400bn.
A government can do a lot with that with the money to be recouped when property is sold.
It might not be popular with many but neither are price rises and tax rises.
The problem with taxing when people move is that it harms mobility and does nothing to raise money from people who buy homes to let etc
A 1% annual tax on housing wealth would at that level raise approximately £80bn at that level. Enough to abolish Council Tax and Stamp Duty with tens of billions more leftover.
It would also mean that if people inflate their housing value, eg by NIMBYism, then their tax goes up automatically accordingly. If house prices remain affordable, then taxes go down accordingly. Since NIMBYism etc is an externality this is an entirely appropriate tax mechanism, just like taxing pollution.
I think a 1% property wealth tax would be significantly higher than council tax.
The advantage of taking the tax on the sale is that the seller has at that point the means to pay it.
Of course it would be possible to have an annual property wealth tax on all property owned apart from a single personal home.
On a personal level or a nationwide one? Nationally it would be which is why I said could abolish Council Tax, Stamp Duty and more if done. On an individual level, people with portfolios certainly would pay more, people who don't own a property wouldn't pay anything, and people with cheap properties would pay about the same.
If it were up to me I'd abolish Council Tax, Stamp Duty and National Insurance (both forms) and merge things into 1x Land Tax and 1x Income Tax.
Taxing land is better than taxing employment.
The thing about this site is that you and I can be at hammer and tongs on one subject one day and then in total agreement on something else on another day.
That house seems to be another case of wealth not equating to taste. Odd for a restaurateur, though ...
As an aside, I once stayed with some of the people working on rebuilding Cameron Mackintosh's gaff in west Scotland after it caught afire after 'local' disputes...
"UK science superpower claim is ‘bollocks’, says Kate Bingham" "The leader of Britain’s successful Covid vaccination programme has accused health officials of dismantling a critically important database, set up to aid Covid vaccine trials, when it could be used for other vital medical research programmes.
“All this talk about the UK becoming a serious science superpower is bollocks,” Dame Kate Bingham told the Observer. “These people don’t actually care. If you really want to make our clinical research strong, you don’t start dismantling what’s been put in place.”"
That's where there's awkward echoes of Russia in the UK's situation. Not in terms of utter evil, but a country that's not as big as it thinks.
Exhibit one, from today's FT:
And from Matt Chorley in the Times:
They're not wrong, are they?
We got Brexit done. We left the EU. It is specious Remainer drivel to pretend otherwise. Chorley is a crazed Remoaner
Yes there are ongoing issues with the huge trading bloc on our doorstep, and there always will be. But we definitely Brexited
Everything else is basically true, but a lot of other countries are in the same boat. It’s been a rough few years
Incidentally, I didn’t realise the UK had overtaken France in GDP, but so it is (they keep swapping places). By some rankings France has fallen to 7th, behind the UK and India
Michael Sallah @MikeSallah7 · Aug 26 EXCLUSIVE: A 33-year-old Russian-speaking immigrant posing as Anna de Rothschild -- a member of the European banking dynasty -- infiltrated Mar-a-Lago and Trump's entourage. Said one guest: "How did they allow it?"
Old grievance but it pisses me off royally the amount it costs in this country to have a Sports subscription, and we don't get all the fixtures, but people who pirate or people overseas do while not paying what we pay.
Missing games like this almost makes me tempted to cancel the sports subscription and find alternative means so can watch every game.
I cannot possibly match @Leon's lunch with a billionaire .
But here are some Herdwick sheep being judged at the Millom & Broughton Agricultural Show, the first since 2019. There were also some lovely goats, lots of other sheep breeds and some fine cows. Plus tractors, of course.
Lunch was delicious hog roast and ice cream on a blistering hot day.
Tomorrow I have to write my first paid article for publication.
I believe there is approximately eight trillion quid of housing wealth in this country.
5% of that is £400bn.
A government can do a lot with that with the money to be recouped when property is sold.
It might not be popular with many but neither are price rises and tax rises.
The problem with taxing when people move is that it harms mobility and does nothing to raise money from people who buy homes to let etc
A 1% annual tax on housing wealth would at that level raise approximately £80bn at that level. Enough to abolish Council Tax and Stamp Duty with tens of billions more leftover.
It would also mean that if people inflate their housing value, eg by NIMBYism, then their tax goes up automatically accordingly. If house prices remain affordable, then taxes go down accordingly. Since NIMBYism etc is an externality this is an entirely appropriate tax mechanism, just like taxing pollution.
I think a 1% property wealth tax would be significantly higher than council tax.
The advantage of taking the tax on the sale is that the seller has at that point the means to pay it.
Of course it would be possible to have an annual property wealth tax on all property owned apart from a single personal home.
On a personal level or a nationwide one? Nationally it would be which is why I said could abolish Council Tax, Stamp Duty and more if done. On an individual level, people with portfolios certainly would pay more, people who don't own a property wouldn't pay anything, and people with cheap properties would pay about the same.
If it were up to me I'd abolish Council Tax, Stamp Duty and National Insurance (both forms) and merge things into 1x Land Tax and 1x Income Tax.
Taxing land is better than taxing employment.
The thing about this site is that you and I can be at hammer and tongs on one subject one day and then in total agreement on something else on another day.
Absolutely, that's what is great about here. Most people think things through and don't just take a partisan script. So people find agreements on some things more than on more partisan sites where everyone takes the party line on every issue.
Anyway, the grim winter ahead has been cheered up for me with news of series 4 of Babylon Berlin, a tale of hyper inflation, street fighting, and the rise of Fascism.
I believe there is approximately eight trillion quid of housing wealth in this country.
5% of that is £400bn.
A government can do a lot with that with the money to be recouped when property is sold.
It might not be popular with many but neither are price rises and tax rises.
The problem with taxing when people move is that it harms mobility and does nothing to raise money from people who buy homes to let etc
A 1% annual tax on housing wealth would at that level raise approximately £80bn at that level. Enough to abolish Council Tax and Stamp Duty with tens of billions more leftover.
It would also mean that if people inflate their housing value, eg by NIMBYism, then their tax goes up automatically accordingly. If house prices remain affordable, then taxes go down accordingly. Since NIMBYism etc is an externality this is an entirely appropriate tax mechanism, just like taxing pollution.
I think a 1% property wealth tax would be significantly higher than council tax.
The advantage of taking the tax on the sale is that the seller has at that point the means to pay it.
Of course it would be possible to have an annual property wealth tax on all property owned apart from a single personal home.
On a personal level or a nationwide one? Nationally it would be which is why I said could abolish Council Tax, Stamp Duty and more if done. On an individual level, people with portfolios certainly would pay more, people who don't own a property wouldn't pay anything, and people with cheap properties would pay about the same.
If it were up to me I'd abolish Council Tax, Stamp Duty and National Insurance (both forms) and merge things into 1x Land Tax and 1x Income Tax.
Taxing land is better than taxing employment.
The thing about this site is that you and I can be at hammer and tongs on one subject one day and then in total agreement on something else on another day.
Absolutely, that's what is great about here. Most people think things through and don't just take a partisan script. So people find agreements on some things more than on more partisan sites where everyone takes the party line on every issue.
I find most of your views detestable and ludicrous, but I agree with you on this
Old grievance but it pisses me off royally the amount it costs in this country to have a Sports subscription, and we don't get all the fixtures, but people who pirate or people overseas do while not paying what we pay.
Missing games like this almost makes me tempted to cancel the sports subscription and find alternative means so can watch every game.
It really ought to be sorted out.
Yes, I could have watched it in my local pub this afternoon.
The 3pm blackout is somewhat anachronistic in the modern era, and they’re never going to be able stop the streams shown live in the rest of the world.
Michael Sallah @MikeSallah7 · Aug 26 EXCLUSIVE: A 33-year-old Russian-speaking immigrant posing as Anna de Rothschild -- a member of the European banking dynasty -- infiltrated Mar-a-Lago and Trump's entourage. Said one guest: "How did they allow it?"
Incidentally, voting has already been taking place all week. Not just postal voting, but actual physical voting. The local library was busy this morning.
If the Swedish Democrats overtake the Moderates next month, then Sweden will join Italy and France as western European nations where the main centre right party has been overtaken by a populist right/far right party
Incidentally, voting has already been taking place all week. Not just postal voting, but actual physical voting. The local library was busy this morning.
If the Swedish Democrats overtake the Moderates next month, then Sweden will join Italy and France as western European nations where the main centre right party has been overtaken by a populist right/far right party
… and England.
The ethnonationalist Nordic model seems to have more appeal in Scotland.
Incidentally, voting has already been taking place all week. Not just postal voting, but actual physical voting. The local library was busy this morning.
If the Swedish Democrats overtake the Moderates next month, then Sweden will join Italy and France as western European nations where the main centre right party has been overtaken by a populist right/far right party
… and England.
Provided you can have populism without popularity, maybe.
I cannot possibly match @Leon's lunch with a billionaire .
But here are some Herdwick sheep being judged at the Millom & Broughton Agricultural Show, the first since 2019. There were also some lovely goats, lots of other sheep breeds and some fine cows. Plus tractors, of course.
Lunch was delicious hog roast and ice cream on a blistering hot day.
Tomorrow I have to write my first paid article for publication.
I cannot possibly match @Leon's lunch with a billionaire .
But here are some Herdwick sheep being judged at the Millom & Broughton Agricultural Show, the first since 2019. There were also some lovely goats, lots of other sheep breeds and some fine cows. Plus tractors, of course.
Lunch was delicious hog roast and ice cream on a blistering hot day.
Tomorrow I have to write my first paid article for publication.
And on Monday: it's a day at Cartmel races.
It's all go here, you know.
That looks beautiful. Happy for you!
Did you get the same dissonance as me? How can we be headed for a winter of hell, when everything seems so pleasant?
I’m feeling it now. I’m typing this in a sunny pub in Marylebone. Everyone is happy and relaxed. People drink Aperol spritz in the warm afternoon sun, at the beginning of a long lazy weekend
London has rarely seemed more prosperous and contented. And yet… ahead of us….
Old grievance but it pisses me off royally the amount it costs in this country to have a Sports subscription, and we don't get all the fixtures, but people who pirate or people overseas do while not paying what we pay.
Missing games like this almost makes me tempted to cancel the sports subscription and find alternative means so can watch every game.
It really ought to be sorted out.
Yes, I could have watched it in my local pub this afternoon.
The 3pm blackout is somewhat anachronistic in the modern era, and they’re never going to be able stop the streams shown live in the rest of the world.
Would decimate non-league football though. Just been to an FA Vase game. Unlikely I would have done so had there been a choice of a handful of PL games on TV.
I cannot possibly match @Leon's lunch with a billionaire .
But here are some Herdwick sheep being judged at the Millom & Broughton Agricultural Show, the first since 2019. There were also some lovely goats, lots of other sheep breeds and some fine cows. Plus tractors, of course.
Lunch was delicious hog roast and ice cream on a blistering hot day.
Tomorrow I have to write my first paid article for publication.
And on Monday: it's a day at Cartmel races.
It's all go here, you know.
That looks beautiful. Happy for you!
Did you get the same dissonance as me? How can we be headed for a winter of hell, when everything seems so pleasant?
I’m feeling it now. I’m typing this in a sunny pub in Marylebone. Everyone is happy and relaxed. People drink Aperol spritz in the warm afternoon sun, at the beginning of a long lazy weekend
London has rarely seemed more prosperous and contented. And yet… ahead of us….
I cannot possibly match @Leon's lunch with a billionaire .
But here are some Herdwick sheep being judged at the Millom & Broughton Agricultural Show, the first since 2019. There were also some lovely goats, lots of other sheep breeds and some fine cows. Plus tractors, of course.
Lunch was delicious hog roast and ice cream on a blistering hot day.
Tomorrow I have to write my first paid article for publication.
And on Monday: it's a day at Cartmel races.
It's all go here, you know.
That looks beautiful. Happy for you!
Did you get the same dissonance as me? How can we be headed for a winter of hell, when everything seems so pleasant?
I’m feeling it now. I’m typing this in a sunny pub in Marylebone. Everyone is happy and relaxed. People drink Aperol spritz in the warm afternoon sun, at the beginning of a long lazy weekend
London has rarely seemed more prosperous and contented. And yet… ahead of us….
Like the warm Edwardian summers pre-1914.
Exactly so
And they really happened. I checked the stats. Britain enjoyed several notably warm, dry summers between 1904 and 1914
Old grievance but it pisses me off royally the amount it costs in this country to have a Sports subscription, and we don't get all the fixtures, but people who pirate or people overseas do while not paying what we pay.
Missing games like this almost makes me tempted to cancel the sports subscription and find alternative means so can watch every game.
It really ought to be sorted out.
Yes, I could have watched it in my local pub this afternoon.
The 3pm blackout is somewhat anachronistic in the modern era, and they’re never going to be able stop the streams shown live in the rest of the world.
Would decimate non-league football though. Just been to an FA Vase game. Unlikely I would have done so had there been a choice of a handful of PL games on TV.
Yes, the difficulty is trying to work out the impact on the lower league attendances.
What’s the alternative, don’t play PL matches at 3pm on Saturdays?
Old grievance but it pisses me off royally the amount it costs in this country to have a Sports subscription, and we don't get all the fixtures, but people who pirate or people overseas do while not paying what we pay.
Missing games like this almost makes me tempted to cancel the sports subscription and find alternative means so can watch every game.
It really ought to be sorted out.
Yes, I could have watched it in my local pub this afternoon.
The 3pm blackout is somewhat anachronistic in the modern era, and they’re never going to be able stop the streams shown live in the rest of the world.
Would decimate non-league football though. Just been to an FA Vase game. Unlikely I would have done so had there been a choice of a handful of PL games on TV.
The simple alternative is to not have any PL games played during the blackout window, and to simultaneously broadcast multiple PL games at other times.
The problem is the PL insists upon only showing 1 fixture on TV at a time, why not have a choice? Why only have Arsenal v Fulham on now?
You could have all 10 fixtures a weekend televised by showing no more than 2 at a time - and many pubs are capable of showing 2 different channels at the same time (often used for Champions League etc), so many pubs then would be capable of legally showing every single PL game, without ever breaching the blackout window.
The Champions League is capable of having 2 games featuring English teams playing simultaneously with every single game televised, so why can't the PL?
Loved the comment by Mark Butcher. "Are 40 year olds turning out for club cricket inspired by Jimmy or destroyed by him?"
I fear the latter. No excuses.
We forget how much modern cricketers are genuine athletes, same with F1 drivers. Watching 40-year-olds Jimmy and Fernando this afternoon makes me feel very old.
Makes you wonder if the privacy campaigners did have a point after all.
"It added that those receiving data are prohibited from using it to re-identify individuals and are required to report breaches, with no such incidents reported to date."
So... its all ok because the Chinese are 'prohibited' from using the data to identify individuals and have a duty to report breaches. Nothing at all to worry about then!
I cannot possibly match @Leon's lunch with a billionaire .
But here are some Herdwick sheep being judged at the Millom & Broughton Agricultural Show, the first since 2019. There were also some lovely goats, lots of other sheep breeds and some fine cows. Plus tractors, of course.
Lunch was delicious hog roast and ice cream on a blistering hot day.
Tomorrow I have to write my first paid article for publication.
And on Monday: it's a day at Cartmel races.
It's all go here, you know.
That looks beautiful. Happy for you!
Did you get the same dissonance as me? How can we be headed for a winter of hell, when everything seems so pleasant?
I’m feeling it now. I’m typing this in a sunny pub in Marylebone. Everyone is happy and relaxed. People drink Aperol spritz in the warm afternoon sun, at the beginning of a long lazy weekend
London has rarely seemed more prosperous and contented. And yet… ahead of us….
Well, some people were chatting about energy prices. It's on everyone's mind.
We are lucky in that we have 2 stoves which pretty much heat the main house and lots of free wood around the place as well as the stuff we buy. But, yes, I look around me and life is good at the moment - but a bad winter and it could all look very different in a few months.
Incidentally, before Daughter gave up her lease at the pub she had negotiated a 3-year fixed rate for her energy costs, clever old thing. She has quite the entrepreneurial brain.
If test cricket carries on like this tickets for days 4 and 5 are going to be a hard sell. And the tendency to have the later days on the weekend is going to come under question too.
Incidentally, voting has already been taking place all week. Not just postal voting, but actual physical voting. The local library was busy this morning.
If the Swedish Democrats overtake the Moderates next month, then Sweden will join Italy and France as western European nations where the main centre right party has been overtaken by a populist right/far right party
… and England.
I have observed the situation in Sweden from afar. The rise of the Sweden Democrats seems to be a positive thing. They have moderated their unsavoury views to get more popular appeal and are no longer ostracised from mainstream political culture. It is how things should work in a mature democracy.
If test cricket carries on like this tickets for days 4 and 5 are going to be a hard sell. And the tendency to have the later days on the weekend is going to come under question too.
Yes, they need to start on Fridays
Who needs T20 when you have Test cricket as exciting as this?
The start to the season hasn't been ideal but its incredible now that after only winning one of four games so far, Liverpool have the joint-highest Goal Difference in the League.
What's even more surprising is that Liverpool lost at Old Trafford, yet have a net Goal Difference 11 goals superior.
These 3 day test matches are very concerning for the future of the game.
Why? Just make Test matches shorter, with optional extra days if needed. These games are much more exciting than watching Geoff Boycott grind out a slow century over 3 days
it was inevitable that the skills and mindsets instilled by T20 would eventually infect the longer format. The mad aggressive shots, the brutal bowling. It’s brilliantly watchable and might actually SAVE Test cricket
Its amusing that old expression about the toss - "have a think about it, then bat", hasn't exactly worked this summer.
Once we take one more wicket, that will be the fifth out of five Tests won this summer by the team that bowled first, I believe.
Do you think there's any possible explanation for such a thing?
Edit: actually can I amend the question to read 'plausible'
I think that in this era of crash bang cricket where the ethos of the IPL is so dominant teams are finding it very hard to pace the first innings, generally being too aggressive rather than grinding out the runs. The second innings is easier to pace because you know what your target is and where you are in the game. Also wickets just don't deterioate to the same extent any more so batting 4th is no big deal.
These 3 day test matches are very concerning for the future of the game.
Why? Just make Test matches shorter, with optional extra days if needed. These games are much more exciting than watching Geoff Boycott grind out a slow century over 3 days
it was inevitable that the skills and mindsets instilled by T20 would eventually infect the longer format. The mad aggressive shots, the brutal bowling. It’s brilliantly watchable and might actually SAVE Test cricket
No need to slow the Tests down, its going great as it is.
Have people already forgotten the Day 5 chases earlier this summer?
Loved the comment by Mark Butcher. "Are 40 year olds turning out for club cricket inspired by Jimmy or destroyed by him?"
I fear the latter. No excuses.
We forget how much modern cricketers are genuine athletes, same with F1 drivers. Watching 40-year-olds Jimmy and Fernando this afternoon makes me feel very old.
Give Fernando a seat in either Red Bull or Ferrari, and he'd win his third World Championship. Genuinely believe that. He can out-drive almost any car you give him, even now.
Incidentally, voting has already been taking place all week. Not just postal voting, but actual physical voting. The local library was busy this morning.
If the Swedish Democrats overtake the Moderates next month, then Sweden will join Italy and France as western European nations where the main centre right party has been overtaken by a populist right/far right party
… and England.
RefUK and UKIP have not overtaken the Tories no, even if the Brexit Party did so briefly in Spring 2019
I cannot possibly match @Leon's lunch with a billionaire .
But here are some Herdwick sheep being judged at the Millom & Broughton Agricultural Show, the first since 2019. There were also some lovely goats, lots of other sheep breeds and some fine cows. Plus tractors, of course.
Lunch was delicious hog roast and ice cream on a blistering hot day.
Tomorrow I have to write my first paid article for publication.
And on Monday: it's a day at Cartmel races.
It's all go here, you know.
"Grey day for the Show, but cars jam the narrow lanes.
Inside, on the field, judging has started: dogs
(Set their legs back, hold out their tails) and ponies (manes
Repeatedly smoothed, to calm heads); over there, sheep
(Cheviot and Blackface); by the hedge, squealing logs
(Chain Saw Competition). Each has its own keen crowd."
EXCLUSIVE: People no longer believe the NHS will treat them quickly if they fall ill, according to new polling showing wide dissatisfaction about the state of the health service
This, of course, is half right. In large swathes of the country, if you want to access a GP surgery, or a dentist, or mental health services, the NHS won't treat you at all.
I cannot possibly match @Leon's lunch with a billionaire .
But here are some Herdwick sheep being judged at the Millom & Broughton Agricultural Show, the first since 2019. There were also some lovely goats, lots of other sheep breeds and some fine cows. Plus tractors, of course.
Lunch was delicious hog roast and ice cream on a blistering hot day.
Tomorrow I have to write my first paid article for publication.
And on Monday: it's a day at Cartmel races.
It's all go here, you know.
"Grey day for the Show, but cars jam the narrow lanes.
Inside, on the field, judging has started: dogs
(Set their legs back, hold out their tails) and ponies (manes
Repeatedly smoothed, to calm heads); over there, sheep
(Cheviot and Blackface); by the hedge, squealing logs
(Chain Saw Competition). Each has its own keen crowd."
Larkin 1973
Not here. All the cars are parked on the adjacent hilly field.
I have always loved these sorts of shows. My father used to bring me to them regularly.
He definitely said he was going. I hope it was today, I fear it is slated for tomorrow
Hope he saw the win today!
That’s another two or three million in ticket sales lost for the ECB though, plus at least a million more in lost revenue for caterers. Again.
However they must be getting good TV viewing figures, as these games are so compelling. This is maybe the best overall summer of cricket I can remember since 2005
I cannot possibly match @Leon's lunch with a billionaire .
But here are some Herdwick sheep being judged at the Millom & Broughton Agricultural Show, the first since 2019. There were also some lovely goats, lots of other sheep breeds and some fine cows. Plus tractors, of course.
Lunch was delicious hog roast and ice cream on a blistering hot day.
Tomorrow I have to write my first paid article for publication.
And on Monday: it's a day at Cartmel races.
It's all go here, you know.
"Grey day for the Show, but cars jam the narrow lanes.
Inside, on the field, judging has started: dogs
(Set their legs back, hold out their tails) and ponies (manes
Repeatedly smoothed, to calm heads); over there, sheep
(Cheviot and Blackface); by the hedge, squealing logs
(Chain Saw Competition). Each has its own keen crowd."
Larkin 1973
Not here. All the cars are parked on the adjacent hilly field.
I have always loved these sorts of shows. My father used to bring me to them regularly.
Better to be than get all poetical I think. Larkin's a good substitute though.
He definitely said he was going. I hope it was today, I fear it is slated for tomorrow
Hope he saw the win today!
That’s another two or three million in ticket sales lost for the ECB though, plus at least a million more in lost revenue for caterers. Again.
However they must be getting good TV viewing figures, as these games are so compelling. This is maybe the best overall summer of cricket I can remember since 2005
The main difference being that the 2005 Ashes were on Channel 4 rather than Sky, so the audience will be a small fraction of what it was that glorious summer.
I cannot possibly match @Leon's lunch with a billionaire .
But here are some Herdwick sheep being judged at the Millom & Broughton Agricultural Show, the first since 2019. There were also some lovely goats, lots of other sheep breeds and some fine cows. Plus tractors, of course.
Lunch was delicious hog roast and ice cream on a blistering hot day.
Tomorrow I have to write my first paid article for publication.
And on Monday: it's a day at Cartmel races.
It's all go here, you know.
Congratulations on the journalist work, that's awesome!
If you want a pair of fresh eyes on it before it goes off, let me know. I am sure you have plenty of people who'll do that for you, but the offer is there.
I hereby RESILE from my critique of Ebeneezer Goode by the Shamen, which I have just listened to for the first time in decades
That’s a fun, catchy pop song, which rather captures the “innocent” glee of the 1990s. Happy days
It also uses the word “salmon” as rhyming slang for tobacco, a term I have only otherwise heard in prison
They also got away with getting up on stage, beaning their nuts off, shouting "'eezer good" for five minutes on national TV.
One of the better bits of early 90s music's more transgressive moments, along with Nirvana's TOTP "Smells Like Teen Spirit" performance, and that Brit awards where the KLF fired blanks from a machine gun into the audience.
This announcement is old news, which I missed until a piece on Mail online today about Dale Vince's ideas for the energy cap:
"Dr Dale Vince OBE – the green industrialist, founder of Ecotricity, inventor of the Sky Diamond, and Chairman of Forest Green Rovers, has today announced he’s looking to find a new owner for Ecotricity – the world’s first green energy company, as he considers a move in a very different direction – into the world of politics.
In a message to the company’s staff, later shared on social media, Dale said the move was to “clear the decks for some new frontiers” including the next general election , which he described as the “most important of our lives”. "
I seem to recall there was some discussion a few weeks back about some kind of climate change party standing at next GE. Is this what he is hinting at?
It seems John Redwood is looking for answers to the Winter crisis from his blog commentors - perhaps if he joins the Government they may filter through!
'The immediate need is a further package of measures to cut the cost of energy by reducing energy taxes, and to provide some offset to the loss of spending power from the increase in gas and electricity prices. It needs to ensure those on low incomes are looked after. What would you like to see in that announcement?' https://johnredwoodsdiary.com/2022/08/27/paying-for-energy/#comments
This is Reform UK's Winter policy, and I think it's probably the nearest to my own thoughts for now:
He definitely said he was going. I hope it was today, I fear it is slated for tomorrow
Hope he saw the win today!
That’s another two or three million in ticket sales lost for the ECB though, plus at least a million more in lost revenue for caterers. Again.
However they must be getting good TV viewing figures, as these games are so compelling. This is maybe the best overall summer of cricket I can remember since 2005
The main difference being that the 2005 Ashes were on Channel 4 rather than Sky, so the audience will be a small fraction of what it was that glorious summer.
But in general cricket is thriving. The Indian Premier League is one of the richest, and most watched sports leagues in the world. I’ve just been reading the stats. Incredible sums
It can only be good for cricket that money is flooding in. Yes it will change the sport but this means sport will survive and prosper and attract young kids, creating the stars of the future
Eg I’ve realised that the IPL money could save West Indian cricket. As we know windies cricket has been on a long downwards slope and many Caribbean boys are playing basketball and looking at the NBA
With the money you can now make in cricket (without having to be 7 foot tall) they will surely return to their first native sport: cricket
The money means cricket will expand globally, as well
I hereby RESILE from my critique of Ebeneezer Goode by the Shamen, which I have just listened to for the first time in decades
That’s a fun, catchy pop song, which rather captures the “innocent” glee of the 1990s. Happy days
It also uses the word “salmon” as rhyming slang for tobacco, a term I have only otherwise heard in prison
They also got away with getting up on stage, beaning their nuts off, shouting "'eezer good" for five minutes on national TV.
One of the better bits of early 90s music's more transgressive moments, along with Nirvana's TOTP "Smells Like Teen Spirit" performance, and that Brit awards where the KLF fired blanks from a machine gun into the audience.
It was rather amusing that Ebeneezer Goode went to #1 at exactly the same time Radio 1 did a drugs awareness week.
They’d run their news piece about the dangers of drugs, then back to the music and “Es are good, Es are good…”
My 14-year-old self found that highly amusing in 1992.
Old grievance but it pisses me off royally the amount it costs in this country to have a Sports subscription, and we don't get all the fixtures, but people who pirate or people overseas do while not paying what we pay.
Missing games like this almost makes me tempted to cancel the sports subscription and find alternative means so can watch every game.
It really ought to be sorted out.
Yes, I could have watched it in my local pub this afternoon.
The 3pm blackout is somewhat anachronistic in the modern era, and they’re never going to be able stop the streams shown live in the rest of the world.
Attendances in the lower leagues seem to be quite healthy. Is there much evidence they would suffer if games were televised at 3pm on Saturday?
Comments
RLB wasn't a Corbynite either.
Does the Vatican City find laws for parking in the NT or OT, then?
https://www.theguardian.com/news/2022/aug/27/billionaire-closes-main-road-in-south-kensington-for-gardening-work
As for the Zap plant: from what I've read, there are four independent power lines coming in to it. Three are down, and the fourth got damaged.
Interestingly, Erdogan - who'd very much lined up with Putin in the past - has been inching increasingly Westward as the conflict has continued.
As an aside, I once stayed with some of the people working on rebuilding Cameron Mackintosh's gaff in west Scotland after it caught afire after 'local' disputes...
https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2000/nov/05/stuartmillar.theobserver
Yes there are ongoing issues with the huge trading bloc on our doorstep, and there always will be. But we definitely Brexited
Everything else is basically true, but a lot of other countries are in the same boat. It’s been a rough few years
Incidentally, I didn’t realise the UK had overtaken France in GDP, but so it is (they keep swapping places). By some rankings France has fallen to 7th, behind the UK and India
Michael Sallah
@MikeSallah7
·
Aug 26
EXCLUSIVE: A 33-year-old Russian-speaking immigrant posing as Anna de Rothschild -- a member of the European banking dynasty -- infiltrated Mar-a-Lago and Trump's entourage. Said one guest: "How did they allow it?"
@PittsburghPG and @OCCRP
https://twitter.com/MikeSallah7/status/1563175012978159616
But what a shame the fixture wasn't televised.
Old grievance but it pisses me off royally the amount it costs in this country to have a Sports subscription, and we don't get all the fixtures, but people who pirate or people overseas do while not paying what we pay.
Missing games like this almost makes me tempted to cancel the sports subscription and find alternative means so can watch every game.
It really ought to be sorted out.
But here are some Herdwick sheep being judged at the Millom & Broughton Agricultural Show, the first since 2019. There were also some lovely goats, lots of other sheep breeds and some fine cows. Plus tractors, of course.
Lunch was delicious hog roast and ice cream on a blistering hot day.
Tomorrow I have to write my first paid article for publication.
And on Monday: it's a day at Cartmel races.
It's all go here, you know.
That’s as far as I can go in identifying him
Meanwhile Putin is ending up friendless with his Potemkin military shown for the sham it is. Defeat is existential for him, but unavoidable too.
The 3pm blackout is somewhat anachronistic in the modern era, and they’re never going to be able stop the streams shown live in the rest of the world.
"Socialite, Widow, Jeweller, Spy: How a GRU Agent Charmed Her Way Into NATO Circles in Italy"
https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2022/08/25/socialite-widow-jeweller-spy-how-a-gru-agent-charmed-her-way-into-nato-circles-in-italy/
Did you get the same dissonance as me? How can we be headed for a winter of hell, when everything seems so pleasant?
I’m feeling it now. I’m typing this in a sunny pub in Marylebone. Everyone is happy and relaxed. People drink Aperol spritz in the warm afternoon sun, at the beginning of a long lazy weekend
London has rarely seemed more prosperous and contented. And yet… ahead of us….
Just been to an FA Vase game.
Unlikely I would have done so had there been a choice of a handful of PL games on TV.
And they really happened. I checked the stats. Britain enjoyed several notably warm, dry summers between 1904 and 1914
Brace!
What’s the alternative, don’t play PL matches at 3pm on Saturdays?
The problem is the PL insists upon only showing 1 fixture on TV at a time, why not have a choice? Why only have Arsenal v Fulham on now?
You could have all 10 fixtures a weekend televised by showing no more than 2 at a time - and many pubs are capable of showing 2 different channels at the same time (often used for Champions League etc), so many pubs then would be capable of legally showing every single PL game, without ever breaching the blackout window.
The Champions League is capable of having 2 games featuring English teams playing simultaneously with every single game televised, so why can't the PL?
I fear the latter. No excuses.
Once we take one more wicket, that will be the fifth out of five Tests won this summer by the team that bowled first, I believe.
So... its all ok because the Chinese are 'prohibited' from using the data to identify individuals and have a duty to report breaches. Nothing at all to worry about then!
We are lucky in that we have 2 stoves which pretty much heat the main house and lots of free wood around the place as well as the stuff we buy. But, yes, I look around me and life is good at the moment - but a bad winter and it could all look very different in a few months.
Incidentally, before Daughter gave up her lease at the pub she had negotiated a 3-year fixed rate for her energy costs, clever old thing. She has quite the entrepreneurial brain.
Who needs T20 when you have Test cricket as exciting as this?
What's even more surprising is that Liverpool lost at Old Trafford, yet have a net Goal Difference 11 goals superior.
Strange start to the season.
it was inevitable that the skills and mindsets instilled by T20 would eventually infect the longer format. The mad aggressive shots, the brutal bowling. It’s brilliantly watchable and might actually SAVE Test cricket
Have people already forgotten the Day 5 chases earlier this summer?
"Grey day for the Show, but cars jam the narrow lanes.
Inside, on the field, judging has started: dogs
(Set their legs back, hold out their tails) and ponies (manes
Repeatedly smoothed, to calm heads); over there, sheep
(Cheviot and Blackface); by the hedge, squealing logs
(Chain Saw Competition). Each has its own keen crowd."
Larkin 1973
EXCLUSIVE: People no longer believe the NHS will treat them quickly if they fall ill, according to new polling showing wide dissatisfaction about the state of the health service
This, of course, is half right. In large swathes of the country, if you want to access a GP surgery, or a dentist, or mental health services, the NHS won't treat you at all.
That’s another two or three million in ticket sales lost for the ECB though, plus at least a million more in lost revenue for caterers. Again.
Which definitely wasn’t about the joys of drug taking.
Video features a recently in the news controversial comedian. https://youtube.com/watch?v=YFJdUJg4wOk
I have always loved these sorts of shows. My father used to bring me to them regularly.
Tech has changed much more than music...
That’s a fun, catchy pop song, which rather captures the “innocent” glee of the 1990s. Happy days
It also uses the word “salmon” as rhyming slang for tobacco, a term I have only otherwise heard in prison
If you want a pair of fresh eyes on it before it goes off, let me know. I am sure you have plenty of people who'll do that for you, but the offer is there.
'A man that's on the run - is a dirty son of a gun'
etc.
Betfair next prime minister
1.05 Liz Truss 95%
19 Rishi Sunak 5%
Next Conservative leader
1.05 Liz Truss 95%
19 Rishi Sunak 5%
One of the better bits of early 90s music's more transgressive moments, along with Nirvana's TOTP "Smells Like Teen Spirit" performance, and that Brit awards where the KLF fired blanks from a machine gun into the audience.
"Dr Dale Vince OBE – the green industrialist, founder of Ecotricity, inventor of the Sky Diamond, and Chairman of Forest Green Rovers, has today announced he’s looking to find a new owner for Ecotricity – the world’s first green energy company, as he considers a move in a very different direction – into the world of politics.
In a message to the company’s staff, later shared on social media, Dale said the move was to “clear the decks for some new frontiers” including the next general election , which he described as the “most important of our lives”. "
https://www.ecotricity.co.uk/our-news/2022/dale-vince-to-leave-ecotricity
I seem to recall there was some discussion a few weeks back about some kind of climate change party standing at next GE. Is this what he is hinting at?
It can only be good for cricket that money is flooding in. Yes it will change the sport but this means sport will survive and prosper and attract young kids, creating the stars of the future
Eg I’ve realised that the IPL money could save West Indian cricket. As we know windies cricket has been on a long downwards slope and many Caribbean boys are playing basketball and looking at the NBA
With the money you can now make in cricket (without having to be 7 foot tall) they will surely return to their first native sport: cricket
The money means cricket will expand globally, as well
https://www.economist.com/culture/2022/08/26/the-footballisation-of-cricket
https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2021/10/20/cricket-looks-set-to-become-a-global-game
I adore cricket. This summer has reminded me of that. It’s great that it prospers
They’d run their news piece about the dangers of drugs, then back to the music and “Es are good, Es are good…”
My 14-year-old self found that highly amusing in 1992.