3 Bed end of Terrace - Scotland £140,000 3 Bed Semi - North East £170,000 2 bed flat - London, £660,000
Odd this convention of analysing property via how many bedrooms. It's price per square foot that counts.
Yep, head to Zillow (USA rightmove equivalent) and the square footage is neatly displayed in the sale.
I assume UK sellers & estate agents don't want sq footage listed because so much of our property stock is incredulously tiny.
The average new UK house is tiny now; smaller than Japan’s even, and less than half of the average US one.
Another example of grotesque housing dysfunction.
Yes but England has over 10 times the population density of the US and a third more population density than even Japan.
We could do with more emigrants and less immigrants ironically given our relatively small landmass and then we wouldn't have to build so small new houses to fit the population all in! The overcrowded London and the Home counties properties wouldn't be as expensive either
Mathematically, and considering three issue of housing alone, that makes a lot of sense, but unfortunately it seems to be really difficult to combine a healthy economy with a shrinking population. A problem approaching for the world as a whole, of course
I doubt there’s much relationship between raw population density and housing size at all.
Or Scottish houses would be mahoosive.
You can get a big 4 bed detached house in Scotland for the price of a 2 bed semi in London and the South East
I'm not sure Pence having classified docs is great for Trump. Previously when Democrats were saying 'the Biden case is different', that could be argued as party political pleading. Not so much, now.
I'm not sure Pence having classified docs is great for Trump. Previously when Democrats were saying 'the Biden case is different', that could be argued as party political pleading. Not so much, now.
Like the known facts in Biden case, the strong contrast with Trump's conduct shows why Trump is in so much legal jeopardy and stands to be indicted.
One thing you can say for Pence, as he showed in January 2021, he has respect for the US constitution, the rule of law and it seems proper records management and archiving. Even if you disagree with his personal beliefs.
3 Bed end of Terrace - Scotland £140,000 3 Bed Semi - North East £170,000 2 bed flat - London, £660,000
Odd this convention of analysing property via how many bedrooms. It's price per square foot that counts.
Yep, head to Zillow (USA rightmove equivalent) and the square footage is neatly displayed in the sale.
I assume UK sellers & estate agents don't want sq footage listed because so much of our property stock is incredulously tiny.
The average new UK house is tiny now; smaller than Japan’s even, and less than half of the average US one.
Another example of grotesque housing dysfunction.
Yes but England has over 10 times the population density of the US and a third more population density than even Japan.
We could do with more emigrants and less immigrants ironically given our relatively small landmass and then we wouldn't have to build so small new houses to fit the population all in! The overcrowded London and the Home counties properties wouldn't be as expensive either
Mathematically, and considering three issue of housing alone, that makes a lot of sense, but unfortunately it seems to be really difficult to combine a healthy economy with a shrinking population. A problem approaching for the world as a whole, of course
I doubt there’s much relationship between raw population density and housing size at all.
Or Scottish houses would be mahoosive.
You can get a big 4 bed detached house in Scotland for the price of a 2 bed semi in London and the South East
So what? We were talking about size, not price.
And as I showed at the link earlier the average home in rural Scotland is also bigger than the average home in rural southern England as well as much cheaper
At the end of last year, Sergei Ivanov, a local politician in the Russian city of Syzran, reportedly used a state grant worth the equivalent of around £25,000 to stage a reenactment of the WW2 Battle of Kursk in a university sports hall https://mobile.twitter.com/francis_scarr/status/1618192698959360001
LARPing the Battle of Kursk is the Russian national sport...
At the end of last year, Sergei Ivanov, a local politician in the Russian city of Syzran, reportedly used a state grant worth the equivalent of around £25,000 to stage a reenactment of the WW2 Battle of Kursk in a university sports hall https://mobile.twitter.com/francis_scarr/status/1618192698959360001
LARPing the Battle of Kursk is the Russian national sport...
You could do a better LARP for £250, which is the real point.
3 Bed end of Terrace - Scotland £140,000 3 Bed Semi - North East £170,000 2 bed flat - London, £660,000
Odd this convention of analysing property via how many bedrooms. It's price per square foot that counts.
Yep, head to Zillow (USA rightmove equivalent) and the square footage is neatly displayed in the sale.
I assume UK sellers & estate agents don't want sq footage listed because so much of our property stock is incredulously tiny.
The average new UK house is tiny now; smaller than Japan’s even, and less than half of the average US one.
Another example of grotesque housing dysfunction.
Yes but England has over 10 times the population density of the US and a third more population density than even Japan.
We could do with more emigrants and less immigrants ironically given our relatively small landmass and then we wouldn't have to build so small new houses to fit the population all in! The overcrowded London and the Home counties properties wouldn't be as expensive either
Mathematically, and considering three issue of housing alone, that makes a lot of sense, but unfortunately it seems to be really difficult to combine a healthy economy with a shrinking population. A problem approaching for the world as a whole, of course
I doubt there’s much relationship between raw population density and housing size at all.
Or Scottish houses would be mahoosive.
You can get a big 4 bed detached house in Scotland for the price of a 2 bed semi in London and the South East
So what? We were talking about size, not price.
And as I showed at the link earlier the average home in rural Scotland is also bigger than the average home in rural southern England as well as much cheaper
The average size of a property in Scotland is 2000 square feet compared to just 729 square feet in the UK overall
WTAF? Surely the answer is "no". Because in the current climate saying "the matter is private" will only fuel the press pack to dig deeper. If the answer really then is no, then that's utterly stupid.
So lets play the other option. That the answer is yes - him or wifey. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear...
WTAF? Surely the answer is "no". Because in the current climate saying "the matter is private" will only fuel the press pack to dig deeper. If the answer really then is no, then that's utterly stupid.
So lets play the other option. That the answer is yes - him or wifey. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear...
Surely the answer is yes otherwise, lacking the Johnson type brio to style it out with a blatant lie, they'd have said no.
Planning is part of it - density is required. So jamming more tiny properties on a given space is rewarded.
Not quite (although |I agree with your other points). Density is based on units per groundspace, not floorspace, so multiple story buildings are able to provide better floorspace than you might think (as a planner once said to me, the densest housing in the UK is in Mayfair - those beautiful terraces are very tightly packed).
And that mention of terraces brings me to one of the main problems with modern housings estates - builders are so focused on building, promoting and selling detached or semi-detached that they build very little little terraced housing. Go and look at a modern estate, and look at the tiny little gaps between houses - in a terrace that could be within the envelope, and provide extra floor space. As it is, it's wasted, and doesn't even provide the sense of separation from your neighbours that people want from a semi or detached.
WTAF? Surely the answer is "no". Because in the current climate saying "the matter is private" will only fuel the press pack to dig deeper. If the answer really then is no, then that's utterly stupid.
So lets play the other option. That the answer is yes - him or wifey. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear...
If he says no then it makes it much more likely that every other member of the Cabinet has to answer the question. Sunak himself might be able to say "no", but is he sure about Hunt and everyone else?
That is why he will refuse to answer for as long as possible.
Interesting that an estimated 60% of new semiconductor manufacturing jobs don't require a college degree.
A remarkable thing is about to happen. With Biden's climate and chips bills set to pump huge sums into green and tech manufacturing, two new reports find much of this will be noncollege work in Trump country. This wrecks some of MAGA's ugliest mythologies: https://mobile.twitter.com/ThePlumLineGS/status/1618224701586677761
On topic, we’re getting to that point where there is money to be made by backing some long shot for Pres nominee, making a post about it, and then cashing in when the odds suddenly shorten. So readers of such posts are encouraged to DYOR and be sensible sceptical.
NEW: £634.80 was spent to fix a ministerial red box that was damaged and had a "jammed lock" at the exact same time that Boris Johnson was being dismissed from office
On topic, we’re getting to that point where there is money to be made by backing some long shot for Pres nominee, making a post about it, and then cashing in when the odds suddenly shorten. So readers of such posts are encouraged to DYOR and be sensible sceptical.
I did that a month back. Yet to make a cent on it. 😏
But let me just say that Larry Hogan, at 150/1 represents remarkable value...
NEW: £634.80 was spent to fix a ministerial red box that was damaged and had a "jammed lock" at the exact same time that Boris Johnson was being dismissed from office
On topic, we’re getting to that point where there is money to be made by backing some long shot for Pres nominee, making a post about it, and then cashing in when the odds suddenly shorten. So readers of such posts are encouraged to DYOR and be sensible sceptical.
This thread has actually put my betfair book into the green.
The consensus including from the Guardian seems to be that Sunak came out of PMQs better than he could have hoped
Sunak's argument that Labour demanded he appointed an ethics advisor and he has now referred Zahawi to him for due process is a good argument and for Starmer as a former head of the CPS to demand resignation before due process is completed is a contradiction of his former role at the CPS
WTAF? Surely the answer is "no". Because in the current climate saying "the matter is private" will only fuel the press pack to dig deeper. If the answer really then is no, then that's utterly stupid.
So lets play the other option. That the answer is yes - him or wifey. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear...
If he says no then it makes it much more likely that every other member of the Cabinet has to answer the question. Sunak himself might be able to say "no", but is he sure about Hunt and everyone else?
That is why he will refuse to answer for as long as possible.
This is the Corbyn / Johnson strategy for dealing with the difficult. The distraction that Brexit provided for each of them got them through one election intact, but it wasn't a longer term success. Sunak doesn't have the necessary distractions for long enough for this to be sensible politics.
The consensus including from the Guardian seems to be that Sunak came out of PMQs better than he could have hoped
Sunak's argument that Labour demanded he appointed an ethics advisor and he has now referred Zahawi to him for due process is a good argument and for Starmer as a former head of the CPS to demand resignation before due process is completed is a contradiction of his former role at the CPS
The last bit is a pretty daft argument. We're not discussing criminal prosecution, but whether Zahawi is a fit person to hold high office in the circumstances, which are largely known.
The "innocent until proven guilty" line is a pretty bad template for choosing members of the government, as opposed to finding people guilty of crimes.
3 Bed end of Terrace - Scotland £140,000 3 Bed Semi - North East £170,000 2 bed flat - London, £660,000
Odd this convention of analysing property via how many bedrooms. It's price per square foot that counts.
Yep, head to Zillow (USA rightmove equivalent) and the square footage is neatly displayed in the sale.
I assume UK sellers & estate agents don't want sq footage listed because so much of our property stock is incredulously tiny.
The average new UK house is tiny now; smaller than Japan’s even, and less than half of the average US one.
Another example of grotesque housing dysfunction.
Yes but England has over 10 times the population density of the US and a third more population density than even Japan.
We could do with more emigrants and less immigrants ironically given our relatively small landmass and then we wouldn't have to build so small new houses to fit the population all in! The overcrowded London and the Home counties properties wouldn't be as expensive either
A lot of Japan (as with Australia) is completely unusable.
And even the US is really a tale of two countries, with the East being massively more densely populated than the West.
The consensus including from the Guardian seems to be that Sunak came out of PMQs better than he could have hoped
Sunak's argument that Labour demanded he appointed an ethics advisor and he has now referred Zahawi to him for due process is a good argument and for Starmer as a former head of the CPS to demand resignation before due process is completed is a contradiction of his former role at the CPS
I think DavidL's comments yesterday on what "careless" actually means in terms of tax law, and Zahawi's admission of "carelessness" is plenty as to not necessitate further processes before the sacking lands. The ethics adviser process is extraneous process, not "due" process.
The consensus including from the Guardian seems to be that Sunak came out of PMQs better than he could have hoped
Sunak's argument that Labour demanded he appointed an ethics advisor and he has now referred Zahawi to him for due process is a good argument and for Starmer as a former head of the CPS to demand resignation before due process is completed is a contradiction of his former role at the CPS
If you’re going to have a process for such things, then the process needs to be followed.
There’s been nothing new in this story for about five days now, this is the Opposition and the media hoping that keeping it on the front pages forces the PM’s hand and gives them a scalp.
In due course, the independent enquiry will deliver a report to Downing St, and the PM will either support the minister or accept his resignation at that time.
Personal tax affairs of MPs have always been a private matter. In fact, there’s a special unit at HMRC that deals with MPs’ tax returns, presumably to stop them leaking out and to ensure that everything is done ‘correctly’.
The consensus including from the Guardian seems to be that Sunak came out of PMQs better than he could have hoped
Sunak's argument that Labour demanded he appointed an ethics advisor and he has now referred Zahawi to him for due process is a good argument and for Starmer as a former head of the CPS to demand resignation before due process is completed is a contradiction of his former role at the CPS
If you’re going to have a process for such things, then the process needs to be followed.
There’s been nothing new in this story for about five days now, this is the Opposition and the media hoping that keeping it on the front pages forces the PM’s hand and gives them a scalp.
In due course, the independent enquiry will deliver a report to Downing St, and the PM will either support the minister or accept his resignation at that time.
Personal tax affairs of MPs have always been a private matter. In fact, there’s a special unit at HMRC that deals with MPs’ tax returns, presumably to stop them leaking out and to ensure that everything is done ‘correctly’.
There is no "due process" for sacking a minister other than the PM saying "you're sacked".
The consensus including from the Guardian seems to be that Sunak came out of PMQs better than he could have hoped
Sunak's argument that Labour demanded he appointed an ethics advisor and he has now referred Zahawi to him for due process is a good argument and for Starmer as a former head of the CPS to demand resignation before due process is completed is a contradiction of his former role at the CPS
If you’re going to have a process for such things, then the process needs to be followed.
There’s been nothing new in this story for about five days now, this is the Opposition and the media hoping that keeping it on the front pages forces the PM’s hand and gives them a scalp.
In due course, the independent enquiry will deliver a report to Downing St, and the PM will either support the minister or accept his resignation at that time.
Personal tax affairs of MPs have always been a private matter. In fact, there’s a special unit at HMRC that deals with MPs’ tax returns, presumably to stop them leaking out and to ensure that everything is done ‘correctly’.
Seems Peston ( I know) is expecting the report within 10 days
Two or three Metropolitan Police officers are facing criminal court appearances every week, the commissioner revealed today, as he warned that lifting the lid on abusive predators would be “necessary and painful”.
Sir Mark Rowley said that officers were routinely in court over offences ranging from dishonesty to violence against women and girls, domestic abuse and sex offences.
He warned that the public should be prepared for more misconduct revelations in the coming months and that rooting out police predators would be long and painful.
Two or three Metropolitan Police officers are facing criminal court appearances every week, the commissioner revealed today, as he warned that lifting the lid on abusive predators would be “necessary and painful”.
Sir Mark Rowley said that officers were routinely in court over offences ranging from dishonesty to violence against women and girls, domestic abuse and sex offences.
He warned that the public should be prepared for more misconduct revelations in the coming months and that rooting out police predators would be long and painful.
“A school liaison officer for the Met Police yesterday admitted having sex with a 14-year-old girl and possessing indecent images of children as young as two.
“Some of paedophile PC Hussain Chehab's shocking offences took place when he was a serving officer whose duties included meeting parents and children at school gates in north London.
“The 22-year-old is facing jail after pleading guilty to four counts of sexual activity with a child, one of sexual communication with a child and three counts of making indecent photographs of children.”
The consensus including from the Guardian seems to be that Sunak came out of PMQs better than he could have hoped
Sunak's argument that Labour demanded he appointed an ethics advisor and he has now referred Zahawi to him for due process is a good argument and for Starmer as a former head of the CPS to demand resignation before due process is completed is a contradiction of his former role at the CPS
If you’re going to have a process for such things, then the process needs to be followed.
There’s been nothing new in this story for about five days now, this is the Opposition and the media hoping that keeping it on the front pages forces the PM’s hand and gives them a scalp.
In due course, the independent enquiry will deliver a report to Downing St, and the PM will either support the minister or accept his resignation at that time.
Personal tax affairs of MPs have always been a private matter. In fact, there’s a special unit at HMRC that deals with MPs’ tax returns, presumably to stop them leaking out and to ensure that everything is done ‘correctly’.
If it was a Labour MP you'd be calling for their immediate sacking
The consensus including from the Guardian seems to be that Sunak came out of PMQs better than he could have hoped
Sunak's argument that Labour demanded he appointed an ethics advisor and he has now referred Zahawi to him for due process is a good argument and for Starmer as a former head of the CPS to demand resignation before due process is completed is a contradiction of his former role at the CPS
If you’re going to have a process for such things, then the process needs to be followed.
There’s been nothing new in this story for about five days now, this is the Opposition and the media hoping that keeping it on the front pages forces the PM’s hand and gives them a scalp.
In due course, the independent enquiry will deliver a report to Downing St, and the PM will either support the minister or accept his resignation at that time.
Personal tax affairs of MPs have always been a private matter. In fact, there’s a special unit at HMRC that deals with MPs’ tax returns, presumably to stop them leaking out and to ensure that everything is done ‘correctly’.
Given his behaviour over sending legal letters to anyone who reported what turned out to be facts tells you all about Zahawi and Sunak.
I'm shocked the Tory supporters think Sunak did well!
Let's reverse the tables, if Keir Starmer was PM right now the same people would be calling him weak and useless and calling for the immediate sacking of the minister in question.
How do I know this?
They called for Starmer to resign when he ate a curry.
Unless they can grind it out in the courts, and get a second Trump administration to abandon this anti-trust suit, Google look as though they're facing some very serious penalties. The detail in the linked thread is impressive.
The suit is super well-written building on prior work investigating Google’s market power abuse leveraging advertising technologies. ...
Microsoft was only saved from breakup by Apple resurrecting themselves.
Not sure that Google won't be facing the same thing.
There’s a lot of anti-trust stuff going on in the US at the moment. Google, Facebook, Ticketmaster and others under scrutiny, with cross-party support for serious action against these monopolistic practices.
Apple needs to be broken up. They're really bad for the industry, and are bad actors within it.
The way I look at the hierarchy of tech giants, is to see who’s complaining about them.
Most of the people complaining about Apple, are large multinational corporations worried that Apple is eating into their profit margins.
Sure, they’re a big company, but there’s a lot more companies well ahead of them in the evil stakes. First, look at the companies where those complaining are mostly small businesses and individuals.
What is unusual about Apple is the their market share is small in each area, but they have captured the vast majority of the high sales, where the big profits are.
Sure, a zillion non-Apple phones are sold. But iPhone takes most of the profit in that market.
Same with computers. Tablets.
It's to be expected – they make superior products.
I'm shocked the Tory supporters think Sunak did well!
Let's reverse the tables, if Keir Starmer was PM right now the same people would be calling him weak and useless and calling for the immediate sacking of the minister in question.
How do I know this?
They called for Starmer to resign when he ate a curry.
Setting aside the party politics, the argument is still absurd.
Ministers serve at the PM's absolute discretion, and can be fired at will.
The "due process" argument is simply an attempt to kick the affair into the long grass in the hope it gets forgotten about.
Apple moreso than Meta, Alphabet or Amazon has essentially created a modern day cult religion. Their share of the phone market in the USA is astonishing.
Unless they can grind it out in the courts, and get a second Trump administration to abandon this anti-trust suit, Google look as though they're facing some very serious penalties. The detail in the linked thread is impressive.
The suit is super well-written building on prior work investigating Google’s market power abuse leveraging advertising technologies. ...
Microsoft was only saved from breakup by Apple resurrecting themselves.
Not sure that Google won't be facing the same thing.
There’s a lot of anti-trust stuff going on in the US at the moment. Google, Facebook, Ticketmaster and others under scrutiny, with cross-party support for serious action against these monopolistic practices.
Apple needs to be broken up. They're really bad for the industry, and are bad actors within it.
The way I look at the hierarchy of tech giants, is to see who’s complaining about them.
Most of the people complaining about Apple, are large multinational corporations worried that Apple is eating into their profit margins.
Sure, they’re a big company, but there’s a lot more companies well ahead of them in the evil stakes. First, look at the companies where those complaining are mostly small businesses and individuals.
What is unusual about Apple is the their market share is small in each area, but they have captured the vast majority of the high sales, where the big profits are.
Sure, a zillion non-Apple phones are sold. But iPhone takes most of the profit in that market.
Same with computers. Tablets.
The LVMH of computing.
True to an extent - they made their products into a combination of luxury good *and* good technology.
The M series chips are game changers for instance.
Yes, I'm getting an 14" M2 Pro today to replace my ageing 13" i7, I'm very excited.
Next on my list. Absolutely astoundingly good machines by all accounts I have heard.
Way Off Topic! - Woke Gone Wild!! And Visa Versa!!!
NYT ($) - Trilobites - The Muscles That Power a Female Insect’s Penislike Organ
Scientists studied the internal anatomy that make a female-male role reversal possible in a group of Brazilian cave insects.
The penis has a variety of peculiar shapes and sizes: the corkscrewed shaft of a duck, the needlelike organ of a bedbug and the four-headed member of an echidna. No matter how strange they look, these phalluses all help males deliver sperm to fertilize the eggs of their female mates.
But some flea-size insects that resemble bleached flies and feast on bat droppings in Brazilian caves reverse these reproductive roles. Female barklice in the Neotrogla genus possess an erectile, penislike structure covered in spines called a gynosome. They use this organ to penetrate the male Neotrogla’s vagina-like cavity. Instead of delivering sperm, the female’s gynosome vacuums it up as she mounts her mate.
This role reversal has rarely emerged in nature: Only Neotrogla barklice and a closely related group of insects in southern Africa possess a gynosome. A new effort by researchers to study this penislike structure has revealed the key muscles that help the barklice wield their anatomical anomalies, as reported in a study published Wednesday in the journal Royal Society Open Science.
The perpetually dry cave systems the barklice inhabit in southeastern Brazil are often short on nutrients and moisture. This lack of reliable grub “is probably a major factor facilitating the evolution of sex-role reversals,” said Kazunori Yoshizawa, an entomologist at Hokkaido University in Japan and an author of the study.
I'm shocked the Tory supporters think Sunak did well!
Let's reverse the tables, if Keir Starmer was PM right now the same people would be calling him weak and useless and calling for the immediate sacking of the minister in question.
How do I know this?
They called for Starmer to resign when he ate a curry.
They called for Starmer to resign when he ate a curry in seeming violation of the laws of the land at the time.
I'm shocked the Tory supporters think Sunak did well!
Let's reverse the tables, if Keir Starmer was PM right now the same people would be calling him weak and useless and calling for the immediate sacking of the minister in question.
How do I know this?
They called for Starmer to resign when he ate a curry.
Setting aside the party politics, the argument is still absurd.
Ministers serve at the PM's absolute discretion, and can be fired at will.
The "due process" argument is simply an attempt to kick the affair into the long grass in the hope it gets forgotten about.
There was no "due process" or innocent until proven guilty when Starmer ate a curry. It was he must resign immediately for being a hypocrite, I remember reading it here from the same people now saying Sunak must do nothing.
The consensus including from the Guardian seems to be that Sunak came out of PMQs better than he could have hoped
Sunak's argument that Labour demanded he appointed an ethics advisor and he has now referred Zahawi to him for due process is a good argument and for Starmer as a former head of the CPS to demand resignation before due process is completed is a contradiction of his former role at the CPS
If you’re going to have a process for such things, then the process needs to be followed.
There’s been nothing new in this story for about five days now, this is the Opposition and the media hoping that keeping it on the front pages forces the PM’s hand and gives them a scalp.
In due course, the independent enquiry will deliver a report to Downing St, and the PM will either support the minister or accept his resignation at that time.
Personal tax affairs of MPs have always been a private matter. In fact, there’s a special unit at HMRC that deals with MPs’ tax returns, presumably to stop them leaking out and to ensure that everything is done ‘correctly’.
If it was a Labour MP you'd be calling for their immediate sacking
No I woundn’t. The whole point of having an “ethics advisor” position in No.10, is to take the politics out of the situation as far as possible, with a factual report presented to the PM of exactly what happened. The PM can then make his political judgement on the facts of the case, rather than what the media and opposition are saying happened.
It’s the same process that happens in the corporate world. As others have said, the word “Careless” has a specific legal meaning here, which is important.
I'm shocked the Tory supporters think Sunak did well!
Let's reverse the tables, if Keir Starmer was PM right now the same people would be calling him weak and useless and calling for the immediate sacking of the minister in question.
How do I know this?
They called for Starmer to resign when he ate a curry.
They called for Starmer to resign when he ate a curry in seeming violation of the laws of the land at the time.
Even though he'd already been found innocent with no case to answer. Re-opened because a Tory's son happened to be walking past the window where it happened
The consensus including from the Guardian seems to be that Sunak came out of PMQs better than he could have hoped
Sunak's argument that Labour demanded he appointed an ethics advisor and he has now referred Zahawi to him for due process is a good argument and for Starmer as a former head of the CPS to demand resignation before due process is completed is a contradiction of his former role at the CPS
I think DavidL's comments yesterday on what "careless" actually means in terms of tax law, and Zahawi's admission of "carelessness" is plenty as to not necessitate further processes before the sacking lands. The ethics adviser process is extraneous process, not "due" process.
Carelessly saving yourself £5m in tax is maximum nonsense.
The consensus including from the Guardian seems to be that Sunak came out of PMQs better than he could have hoped
Sunak's argument that Labour demanded he appointed an ethics advisor and he has now referred Zahawi to him for due process is a good argument and for Starmer as a former head of the CPS to demand resignation before due process is completed is a contradiction of his former role at the CPS
If you’re going to have a process for such things, then the process needs to be followed.
There’s been nothing new in this story for about five days now, this is the Opposition and the media hoping that keeping it on the front pages forces the PM’s hand and gives them a scalp.
In due course, the independent enquiry will deliver a report to Downing St, and the PM will either support the minister or accept his resignation at that time.
Personal tax affairs of MPs have always been a private matter. In fact, there’s a special unit at HMRC that deals with MPs’ tax returns, presumably to stop them leaking out and to ensure that everything is done ‘correctly’.
Given his behaviour over sending legal letters to anyone who reported what turned out to be facts tells you all about Zahawi and Sunak.
Oh definitely. Lawyers are all scumbags, and the world would be a much better place without them.
The strategic argument for keeping manufacturing capacity in this country is not simply about security of supply, but also reliability of what's supplied. Applies strongly to pharmaceuticals, and particularly biomanufacturing (in which we are still a competitive player).
The drug was meant to save children’s lives. Instead, they’re dying https://www.statnews.com/2023/01/25/children-cancer-asparaginase-chemotherapy-brazil/ ...Reporting by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, in partnership with STAT, reveals that at least a dozen brands of asparaginase have been proven to be poor quality, with 10 still on the market globally. The drug stops cancer cells from dividing and growing. Without it, patients face a dramatically reduced chance of survival. But in some cases brands fell well below the standard needed to treat cancer. Many have also been found to contain contaminants such as bacteria that could be harmful to patients. A spokesperson for Leuginase’s manufacturer, Beijing SL Pharmaceutical, said the drug is tested by Chinese regulators and assessed in-house, where — he claimed — quality results have stayed within statutory limits over the past decade...</>
The consensus including from the Guardian seems to be that Sunak came out of PMQs better than he could have hoped
Sunak's argument that Labour demanded he appointed an ethics advisor and he has now referred Zahawi to him for due process is a good argument and for Starmer as a former head of the CPS to demand resignation before due process is completed is a contradiction of his former role at the CPS
If you’re going to have a process for such things, then the process needs to be followed.
There’s been nothing new in this story for about five days now, this is the Opposition and the media hoping that keeping it on the front pages forces the PM’s hand and gives them a scalp.
In due course, the independent enquiry will deliver a report to Downing St, and the PM will either support the minister or accept his resignation at that time.
Personal tax affairs of MPs have always been a private matter. In fact, there’s a special unit at HMRC that deals with MPs’ tax returns, presumably to stop them leaking out and to ensure that everything is done ‘correctly’.
Given his behaviour over sending legal letters to anyone who reported what turned out to be facts tells you all about Zahawi and Sunak.
Oh definitely. Lawyers are all scumbags, and the world would be a much better place without them.
This is not the headlines Sunak wants. Why doesn't Zahawi just do the decent thing and resign whilst under investigation? The mind boggles. Perhaps he's under orders to hang around like a bad smell?
Talking of bio manufacturing, are we doing this in the UK ?
I tried lab-grown meat made from animals without killing them – is this the future of ethical eating? https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/23/lab-grown-meat-animals-climate ...The raising and slaughter of livestock is responsible for more than half of the greenhouse gas pollution of the entire food sector, which in itself is estimated to contribute around a third of total global emissions. Faced with the need to reach “peak meat”, cultivated meat has been pushed forward as a solution as it can cut emissions by around 17% for chicken and up to 92% for beef, the meat that weighs heaviest on the planet, GFI’s research has found.
Vast areas of land, much of it deforested for grazing and vulnerable to outbreaks of zoonotic diseases, meanwhile, could be freed up if meat is instead conjured up in the sort of 30,000 sq ft facility Mission Barns operates. Eating something that’s not been fed with copious amounts of antibiotics is of particular public appeal, too, the company’s research has found.
“The production process is more efficient, you have significantly less feed material to get the same amount of calories out and you have a huge opportunity to restore ecosystems and slow biodiversity loss,” said Swartz. “It enables a way to mitigate all of these hard, sticky global challenges.”
A report last week identified a rise in plant based meat alternatives as one of three “super tipping points” that could trigger a cascade of decarbonisation across the global economy, alongside boosting electric vehicles and green fertilisers. It found a 20% market share by 2035 would mean 400m-800m hectares of land would no longer be needed for livestock and their fodder, equivalent to 7-15% of the world’s farmland today, the report estimated...
I'm shocked the Tory supporters think Sunak did well!
Let's reverse the tables, if Keir Starmer was PM right now the same people would be calling him weak and useless and calling for the immediate sacking of the minister in question.
How do I know this?
They called for Starmer to resign when he ate a curry.
For what it’s worth I think Starmer did two things. 1. He did break existing lockdown rules (certainly as badly as Sunak did, I.e not very much, but a breach none the less). 2. He played a blinder with his raising of the stakes. The cps/police were effectively going to have to sack the leader of the opposition over a parking ticket, and they blinked first.
What policy do British voters most associate with Keir Starmer? (18 January)
No mention of Brexit - which is a surprise.
A sign of success for his 'project' - top of which is to break the link between Ref voting and GE voting. Leave won a FPTP landslide in 2016. You can't win a GE on Remain or Rejoin. Someday maybe but not the only one Starmer is interested in.
Fun fact: the main gun of the Abrams used to be the British Royal Ordnance L7, which dates back to the 1950s. Recent models use a more modern German gun.
Strange that the Americans have had to rely on the Europeans to arm their main battle tank.
I'm shocked the Tory supporters think Sunak did well!
Let's reverse the tables, if Keir Starmer was PM right now the same people would be calling him weak and useless and calling for the immediate sacking of the minister in question.
How do I know this?
They called for Starmer to resign when he ate a curry.
For what it’s worth I think Starmer did two things. 1. He did break existing lockdown rules (certainly as badly as Sunak did, I.e not very much, but a breach none the less). 2. He played a blinder with his raising of the stakes. The cps/police were effectively going to have to sack the leader of the opposition over a parking ticket, and they blinked first.
Or:- 1) Starmer did not break lockdown rules 2) the police determined that Starmer did not break lockdown rules 3) a young Tory released a video, much-lauded in the right-wing press 4) the police reopened enquiries 5) the police reaffirmed that Starmer did not break lockdown rules
What policy do British voters most associate with Keir Starmer? (18 January)
No mention of Brexit - which is a surprise.
A sign of success for his 'project' - top of which is to break the link between Ref voting and GE voting. Leave won a FPTP landslide in 2016. You can't win a GE on Remain or Rejoin. Someday maybe but not the only one Starmer is interested in.
I'd like to see the results for Scotland - he wouldn't get away with it so easily. But yes, you're certainly right for E&W on reflection.
It’s really, really annoying, that the Americans try and put a price on everything they’re doing in Ukraine. Especially when it’s a massively exaggerated price, based on the transfer of existing dated technology, and requires little additional actual new money be spent.
It just helps those (mostly Republicans) opposed to spending money, oppose the actions in Ukraine on financial grounds.
speaks volumes about Britain's military capability that while London can only spare 14 (and that'll be an effort) Spain could offer almost quadruple that...
Comments
“Oh no, how dare the Germans forget the soviet soldier! We’ll be so angry that we will do nothing about it!!”
https://twitter.com/saintjavelin/status/1618239212335296513
Previously when Democrats were saying 'the Biden case is different', that could be argued as party political pleading.
Not so much, now.
https://mobile.twitter.com/rgoodlaw/status/1617955800529666048
Here is VP Pence lawyer Greg Jacob's letter to National Archives Jan 18, 2023.👇
This is how you keep your client out of jail.
Like the known facts in Biden case, the strong contrast with Trump's conduct shows why Trump is in so much legal jeopardy and stands to be indicted.
Quite a contrast with Trump
Is where the estate agents' focus is.
Isn't it?
No10 won’t say if Rishi Sunak has paid a tax penalty himself
His press secretary says that is “private”
https://twitter.com/johnestevens/status/1618237054164533248
https://espc.com/news/post/how-has-the-scottish-housing-market-changed-in-50-years#:~:text=By 2021, the average property,out and accommodate modern living.
https://www.housebeautiful.com/uk/lifestyle/property/a35405209/average-house-price-england-square-foot-yes-homebuyers/
So lets play the other option. That the answer is yes - him or wifey. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear...
And that mention of terraces brings me to one of the main problems with modern housings estates - builders are so focused on building, promoting and selling detached or semi-detached that they build very little little terraced housing. Go and look at a modern estate, and look at the tiny little gaps between houses - in a terrace that could be within the envelope, and provide extra floor space. As it is, it's wasted, and doesn't even provide the sense of separation from your neighbours that people want from a semi or detached.
That is why he will refuse to answer for as long as possible.
Good for him.
(I am working my way through the Rogan back catalogue)
Just remarkably articulate. He also cites a marvellous Chris Hitchens quote: “Everyone gets to choose their own regrets”
For many in the rich world, that is all-too-painfully true
Finland grants licence to export protective steels for military vehicles to Turkey. First such approval for a defense title by Finland since 2019
https://mobile.twitter.com/ragipsoylu/status/1618247143172767746
A remarkable thing is about to happen. With Biden's climate and chips bills set to pump huge sums into green and tech manufacturing, two new reports find much of this will be noncollege work in Trump country. This wrecks some of MAGA's ugliest mythologies:
https://mobile.twitter.com/ThePlumLineGS/status/1618224701586677761
@ChristopherHope
https://twitter.com/POLITlCSUK/status/1618246838603206659?s=20&t=T9Vg1V5p9Saze3P4u_Yofw
😏
But let me just say that Larry Hogan, at 150/1 represents remarkable value...
We're at Corbyn levels of uselessness now
Cheaper than trying to crowbar it open.
He's egregiously the most qualified person for the role and his previous four terms as President were a success.
https://news.sky.com/story/politics-news-latest-tax-penalty-law-breaking-conflicts-of-interest-rishi-sunak-facing-tough-pmqs-12593360
https://www.newsweek.com/nikki-haley-donald-trump-affair-disgusting-791817
Along with Trump, who won two years ago.
Sunak's argument that Labour demanded he appointed an ethics advisor and he has now referred Zahawi to him for due process is a good argument and for Starmer as a former head of the CPS to demand resignation before due process is completed is a contradiction of his former role at the CPS
We're not discussing criminal prosecution, but whether Zahawi is a fit person to hold high office in the circumstances, which are largely known.
The "innocent until proven guilty" line is a pretty bad template for choosing members of the government, as opposed to finding people guilty of crimes.
And even the US is really a tale of two countries, with the East being massively more densely populated than the West.
There’s been nothing new in this story for about five days now, this is the Opposition and the media hoping that keeping it on the front pages forces the PM’s hand and gives them a scalp.
In due course, the independent enquiry will deliver a report to Downing St, and the PM will either support the minister or accept his resignation at that time.
Personal tax affairs of MPs have always been a private matter. In fact, there’s a special unit at HMRC that deals with MPs’ tax returns, presumably to stop them leaking out and to ensure that everything is done ‘correctly’.
https://twitter.com/Peston/status/1618231662663585792?t=IFpovdcESgCCGsV6U03YIg&s=19
Two or three Metropolitan Police officers are facing criminal court appearances every week, the commissioner revealed today, as he warned that lifting the lid on abusive predators would be “necessary and painful”.
Sir Mark Rowley said that officers were routinely in court over offences ranging from dishonesty to violence against women and girls, domestic abuse and sex offences.
He warned that the public should be prepared for more misconduct revelations in the coming months and that rooting out police predators would be long and painful.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/david-carrick-met-police-mark-rowley-commissioner-statement-w0bbzq3k9
Another day, another paedophile officer in the Metropolitan Police “Service”
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11672611/New-shame-Met-Police-schools-officer-22-admitted-having-sex-girl-14.html
“A school liaison officer for the Met Police yesterday admitted having sex with a 14-year-old girl and possessing indecent images of children as young as two.
“Some of paedophile PC Hussain Chehab's shocking offences took place when he was a serving officer whose duties included meeting parents and children at school gates in north London.
“The 22-year-old is facing jail after pleading guilty to four counts of sexual activity with a child, one of sexual communication with a child and three counts of making indecent photographs of children.”
https://twitter.com/JohnRentoul/status/1618262935268372482?t=XhXlouSReLUCtSaH5rCtyg&s=19
Let's reverse the tables, if Keir Starmer was PM right now the same people would be calling him weak and useless and calling for the immediate sacking of the minister in question.
How do I know this?
They called for Starmer to resign when he ate a curry.
This is not a line that will hold - quite probably not even until the end of today. Even a vaguely competent No 10 media operation would know that.
It's a straightforward question with a yes/no answer - and unlike general tax returns, the public has a right to know.
Another Labour supporter telling us how bad Sunak is
What policy do British voters most associate with Keir Starmer? (18 January)
Ministers serve at the PM's absolute discretion, and can be fired at will.
The "due process" argument is simply an attempt to kick the affair into the long grass in the hope it gets forgotten about.
What policy do British voters most associate with Rishi Sunak? (18 January)
🚨 | Vote%:
LAB: 47% (+15)
CON: 26% (-18)
LDM: 9% (-2)
REFORM: 5% (+3)
GRN: 5% (+3)
SNP: 4% (=)
UKIP: 3% (+3)
Seats:
LAB: 390 (+188)
CON: 150 (-215)
SNP: 53 (+5)
LDM: 31 (+20)
GRN: 1 (=)
Changes w/GE2019
https://twitter.com/POLITlCSUK/status/1617969926538493961
NYT ($) - Trilobites - The Muscles That Power a Female Insect’s Penislike Organ
Scientists studied the internal anatomy that make a female-male role reversal possible in a group of Brazilian cave insects.
The penis has a variety of peculiar shapes and sizes: the corkscrewed shaft of a duck, the needlelike organ of a bedbug and the four-headed member of an echidna. No matter how strange they look, these phalluses all help males deliver sperm to fertilize the eggs of their female mates.
But some flea-size insects that resemble bleached flies and feast on bat droppings in Brazilian caves reverse these reproductive roles. Female barklice in the Neotrogla genus possess an erectile, penislike structure covered in spines called a gynosome. They use this organ to penetrate the male Neotrogla’s vagina-like cavity. Instead of delivering sperm, the female’s gynosome vacuums it up as she mounts her mate.
This role reversal has rarely emerged in nature: Only Neotrogla barklice and a closely related group of insects in southern Africa possess a gynosome. A new effort by researchers to study this penislike structure has revealed the key muscles that help the barklice wield their anatomical anomalies, as reported in a study published Wednesday in the journal Royal Society Open Science.
The perpetually dry cave systems the barklice inhabit in southeastern Brazil are often short on nutrients and moisture. This lack of reliable grub “is probably a major factor facilitating the evolution of sex-role reversals,” said Kazunori Yoshizawa, an entomologist at Hokkaido University in Japan and an author of the study.
It’s the same process that happens in the corporate world. As others have said, the word “Careless” has a specific legal meaning here, which is important.
However on the wider point of Zahawi I said yesterday he should stand down while the enquiry is active
Applies strongly to pharmaceuticals, and particularly biomanufacturing (in which we are still a competitive player).
The drug was meant to save children’s lives. Instead, they’re dying
https://www.statnews.com/2023/01/25/children-cancer-asparaginase-chemotherapy-brazil/
...Reporting by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, in partnership with STAT, reveals that at least a dozen brands of asparaginase have been proven to be poor quality, with 10 still on the market globally. The drug stops cancer cells from dividing and growing. Without it, patients face a dramatically reduced chance of survival. But in some cases brands fell well below the standard needed to treat cancer. Many have also been found to contain contaminants such as bacteria that could be harmful to patients. A spokesperson for Leuginase’s manufacturer, Beijing SL Pharmaceutical, said the drug is tested by Chinese regulators and assessed in-house, where — he claimed — quality results have stayed within statutory limits over the past decade...</>
(Very long read article.)
Yes, if there’s an ounce of truth to that, he should be fired.
Con: 26% (+1 from 10-11 Jan)
Lab: 48% (+1)
Lib Dem: 8% (-1)
Reform… https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1618270115820339202
Samuel Alito...
Keir Starmer: 33% (+1 from 10-11 Jan)
Rishi Sunak: 24% (=)
Not sure: 38% (-2)
Does @MoonRabbit want to have a go at explaining how this means Keir Starmer must resign?
Richard Burgon
This is not the headlines Sunak wants. Why doesn't Zahawi just do the decent thing and resign whilst under investigation? The mind boggles. Perhaps he's under orders to hang around like a bad smell?
I tried lab-grown meat made from animals without killing them – is this the future of ethical eating?
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/23/lab-grown-meat-animals-climate
...The raising and slaughter of livestock is responsible for more than half of the greenhouse gas pollution of the entire food sector, which in itself is estimated to contribute around a third of total global emissions. Faced with the need to reach “peak meat”, cultivated meat has been pushed forward as a solution as it can cut emissions by around 17% for chicken and up to 92% for beef, the meat that weighs heaviest on the planet, GFI’s research has found.
Vast areas of land, much of it deforested for grazing and vulnerable to outbreaks of zoonotic diseases, meanwhile, could be freed up if meat is instead conjured up in the sort of 30,000 sq ft facility Mission Barns operates. Eating something that’s not been fed with copious amounts of antibiotics is of particular public appeal, too, the company’s research has found.
“The production process is more efficient, you have significantly less feed material to get the same amount of calories out and you have a huge opportunity to restore ecosystems and slow biodiversity loss,” said Swartz. “It enables a way to mitigate all of these hard, sticky global challenges.”
A report last week identified a rise in plant based meat alternatives as one of three “super tipping points” that could trigger a cascade of decarbonisation across the global economy, alongside boosting electric vehicles and green fertilisers. It found a 20% market share by 2035 would mean 400m-800m hectares of land would no longer be needed for livestock and their fodder, equivalent to 7-15% of the world’s farmland today, the report estimated...
https://twitter.com/paddypower/status/1618236189429104640
‼️The 🇺🇸USA will send 31 Abrams tanks to 🇺🇦Ukraine for $400 million, reports Bloomberg.
https://twitter.com/front_ukrainian/status/1618273669868064775
The Academy has made some howlers before, so I'm not sure it should be much shorter than evens.
Roger ? Anyone ?
Strange that the Americans have had to rely on the Europeans to arm their main battle tank.
1) Starmer did not break lockdown rules
2) the police determined that Starmer did not break lockdown rules
3) a young Tory released a video, much-lauded in the right-wing press
4) the police reopened enquiries
5) the police reaffirmed that Starmer did not break lockdown rules
El Mundo reports that 🇪🇸Spain may send 53 Leopard 2 tanks to 🇺🇦Ukraine.
https://twitter.com/front_ukrainian/status/1618274856168226816
It just helps those (mostly Republicans) opposed to spending money, oppose the actions in Ukraine on financial grounds.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-Gs5e3OaVk (2-minute video)