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It’s looking better for the Dems ahead of the Nov 8 Midterms – politicalbetting.com
It’s looking better for the Dems ahead of the Nov 8 Midterms – politicalbetting.com
We have hardly looked at the US mid-term elections on PB but these look set to probably tbe the biggest political betting gamble of 2920.
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Also, it is reported that Ukraine is struggling with the sheer number of Russian POWs. Thousands upon thousands.”
https://twitter.com/igorsushko/status/1568616740149690370?s=21&t=dR67aVG5CBRHK7WZSWDnCQ
Was Marlborough Golf Club just lucky?
At least, it felt like it...
oh so they're just GIVING the throne to charles????? this is nepotism at its finest
https://twitter.com/ErinChack/status/1567941729940295680
The replies, addressing it seriously, are priceless.
Andrew Roth
@Andrew__Roth
Russian occupation administration in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region calling for a full evacuation. “Our army is doing all it can” but admits it can’t stop Ukraine. Stunning defeat in towns and villages where Russia told local collaborators it was there to stay.
https://twitter.com/Andrew__Roth/status/1568624975220772864
George V and Elizabeth II both went for a Roman type; Edward VIII, Lombardic; Victoria, Edward VII and George VI all had different Script designs.
I wonder what the new Royal Cypher will look like and which crown he shall use
https://twitter.com/2D0XPS/status/1568555986096472065
Worrying display of humourless self importance
Residents of Izyum are being evacuated to Russia. According to Vladislav Sokolov, head of the military-civilian administration of the Izyumsky district, people "are received at the migration center, they are provided with psychological and humanitarian assistance"
https://twitter.com/tass_agency/status/1568592651603300353
Quite how many people will be evacuated and how many will be abducted remains to be seen. Hopefully they'll be in too much of a hurry running away to take a load of civilian captives with them.
Too late for the previous thread comme toujours but it illustrates the degree to which we have evolved culturally, socially and economically since 1952.
To be fair, George VI died in early February and the notion of not much happening in the depths of winter for nine days wasn't one that was too hard to sell. It was a very different atmosphere as would be demonstrated by the Smog ten months later.
Now, it's a different world. Take horse racing - so close to the late Queen's heart as we know. When George VI died all racing stopped from his death until after his funeral but it was mid February so it didn't matter much. Now, in September 2022, we have the Leger meeting and a host of other fixtures and racing is part of the hospitality and entertainment industries.
I suspect Doncaster Racecourse would have been less than happy to see the Leger canned so it has been partially saved by a 24 hour delay but that in turn has illustrated the differences in how we view death and life from 70 years ago when more people were more often acquainted with death - only a few years since the War and with shorter life expectancy than now.
We now try to combine the mourning process with the continuation of the living process so plenty of 2-minute silences (gestures perhaps?) and I suspect after the funeral life will quickly return to normal (or what passes for it).
This is who we are now - we have lost the degrees of deference which identified and stratified British society a few decades ago. The working class no longer know their place as Mr Corbett suggested and the irony is that at a time when social mobility is as much a chimera for many as ever, there remains a strong audience for those preaching aspiration and the degree to which wealth equates to power remains unchallenged.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-11199729/King-Charles-III-wore-royal-cypher-time-proclamation.html
source: https://www.gasbuddy.com/go/12-week-decline-in-gas-prices-surpasses-covid-drop
But that isn't the only thing helping tame inflation here. The rise of the dollar makes imports cheaper. The supply chains seem to be slowly returning to normal. House prices are down in some cities. And, though I haven't seen any statistics on them, I think I have seen a small decline in food prices, here in the Seattle area.
(At the end of this month, the Social Security administration will calculate an increase in payments, starting in January. Right now, I think that is likely to be closer to 8,5 percent than 10 percent.)
And the postage stamps….
"She deliberately came in the same colour dress..."
https://twitter.com/scharap/status/1484501166931206147
They’re actually paid to be experts at this stuff.
Also, with respect to SCOTUS overturning of Roe v Wade, note that Michigan state supreme court this week ordered the state canvassing board to do its job (that's practically verbatim) and certify proposed pro-choice amendment to state constitution on 2022 general election ballot. In the wake of failed Kansas abortion ban referendum, Democrats are eager to protect freedom of choice, especially via state constitutional amendments, particularly in states where they stand a good chance of being ratified by voters.
AND where putting the issue on the general election ballot will, based on Kansas experience, draw MANY pro-choice voters to actually cast ballots in 2022 midterms, who otherwise might (or definitely would) skip the election. Of course pro-life voters would also be turned out, but calculation is that the equation would end up to the advantage of Democratic candidates, at least in places like the Wolverine State, also in other key battleground states AND in suburban swing congressional districts.
Even if the Russians are forced out of the Dombas, what then? There may be many with Russian familial and cultural links who, via Russian disinformation, may regard the idea of living in a Ukraine ruled democratically from Kyiv, as anathema and as in so many other conflicts, the final victims aren't soldiers but civilians forced or deciding voluntarily (it matters little) to migrate from their long-held homes.
I fear a humanitarian catastrophe if pro-Russian residents feel they have no option but to leave. That's Putin's responsibility, unequivocally and undoubtedly but it doesn't alter the facts. Zelenskyy will have a region to manage which will need a lot of time, effort and money to rebuild and restore after months of destruction.
The Crimea remains a problem too - for all the Russians may be forced from Kherson and Mariupol in time, are we suggesting the Ukrainians will advance into Crimea. It may be the Crimean people might want a say in their future and perhaps their preference is to rule themselves rather than be ruled by wither Kyiv or Moscow.
Not much use in an actual war though, think of all the food required for the horses.
(Correction of a mistake in the previous comment: The increase will be calculated using data through September, but the actual calculation will come later. So, "After" the end of this month, rather than "At".)
The news from Ukraine is good. The war needs to be over - a hostile stalemate is no good. I hope that Russia survives it as an intact state that can still guard its nukes.
SKOP has the centre left on 51.6% and the centre right on 47.6%
Demoskop has the centre left on 49.6% and the centre right on 49.4%
Both pollsters have the Sweden Democrats 2-3 points ahead of the Moderates.
I’m so happy Charles is king.
Europe needs to learn to live without constant US support, step up and provide for its own defence.
Any who don't, should be welcome to live in Russia. There is no reason to prevaricate that Crimea and Donbas are legitimately Ukrainian.
https://twitter.com/halbrands/status/1568622130916429824?s=21&t=3d91mpWvxMBMSbGTE6rdnA
So Europe either chooses to play where the action is (in the Pacific) or it chooses not to. I think all bar us will choose not and even our contribution will be pretty token. So I agree, the promise of 3% GDP will not be met and nor should it be.
NATO has worked, relying upon France/Germany has not.
If they think peoole late for work were pissed off......
You're wrong. It is our business, every bit as much as Russia is.
I doubt any superpower will want to chance its arm any time soon in doing anything militarily. Ukraine shines a light on the excuses made for VietNam, Korea, Afghanistan (x2), Iraq - superpowers aren't really what it says on the tin.
So in many ways this should decrease defence spending as it seems rather pointless, but on the other hand if you ever actually imagine that you might want to achieve anything militarily you realise you might need to spend more.
But even if the Russian army 'fold', in the face of this offensive, the reality will be that all the intelligence assessments underestimated the conventional capacity of the Russian Army, it isn't a case of one or two discredited writers.
This really isn't a case of some mythical idea of the west 'not having the guts to fight Putin'.
The foreign policy piece argued that it is preferable to find a diplomatic solution to the problem of Ukraine which is still in retrospect correct as it would have avoided a load of human tragedy.
We don't know how this ends and celebrations of 'beating back Putin' are in my view dangerously tempting fate.
And then no one will still be glued on.
We will continue to need to sharpen our defences. Sad, but true.
The surprisingly low-key Privy Council meeting impressed me much more than the pomp outdoors. Am sure plenty of folks disagreed, to each their own on that score!
Seeing all seven living QEII Prime Ministers in a (very decorous) scrum was a sight to see.
Ditto Queen Camilla and the Prince of Wales on the stage with King Charles, with the sovereign himself looking quite relaxed, formal but not absurdly so. Especially liked when he rifled through his agenda - something nobody else in the camera's eye was un-self-conscious enough to do.
Also thought that Penny Mordaunt did a fine job leading the meeting. She appeared slightly nervous - and no wonder; certainly not enough for adverse comment, but sufficient to keep her focused and on track throughout.
In contrast, the Prime Minister struck me as even more doe-in-the-headlights than per usual. Which is NOT a huge problem for her at THIS juncture, but something she needs to work on. Especially as in the case of Liz Truss, this has tendency to make her features appear even flatter and less-personable than per usual.
Perhaps most interesting part was King's swearing & signing Oath to uphold Church of Scotland, both the act itself AND fact that it was witnessed by the First Minister. Also interesting (to me anyway) that the current Big Fish of the North bowed but didn't curtsy (as far as I could tell). Also noted that former Big Fish was also in attendance; am guessing they made a point of swimming on opposite sides of the room!
It’s encouraging to see the Dems with this lead for the House but that would still give the GOP a majority because of the gerrymandering.
Oh, I know what, let’s be idiots on the day when you can’t move in the city for armed police, spooks, and half the army. None of whom care about your human right to make an arse of yourselves.
You get a Europe of nations willing to work together within NATO, like the UK, Poland, Estonia etc - while freeloaders like Germany and Ireland opt out.
France will oscillate between the two camps depending upon who is in charge.
And European nations that take defence seriously will be as bothered about China as the USA is.
One successful offensive in Ukraine and now its game over, cut defence spending?
I do not share that outlook at all.
The long term picture looks to be conflict with China. Look at what happened in Hong Kong. It can't just be ignored.