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With the SNP declining could we see results like this again? – politicalbetting.com

SystemSystem Posts: 12,218
edited April 2023 in General
imageWith the SNP declining could we see results like this again? – politicalbetting.com

This from GE1992 is really quite extraordinary with the winner on just 26% of the vote and the Tories in fourth place only 3.4% behind.

Read the full story here

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Comments

  • tlg86tlg86 Posts: 26,223
    edited April 2023
    First. God bless first past the post.
  • Cookie said:

    Admit it Mike - you were just looking for an opportunity to trot out everyone's favourite constituency result again!

    He stole my thread.

    I spoke to him about this result last week.
  • 1.741 votes between first and fourth will never stop being amazing.
  • CookieCookie Posts: 14,081
    edited April 2023
    O/T - my Dad - apropros of nothing at all - has just announced he won't be watching the coronation, doesn't expect the monarchy to last much longer and has realised he sees this as no bad thing.
    He has never been a simpering monarchist but has been certainly no republican while the queen was alive.
    If Charles is losing the support of even his own generation he is in trouble.
  • CookieCookie Posts: 14,081

    Cookie said:

    Admit it Mike - you were just looking for an opportunity to trot out everyone's favourite constituency result again!

    He stole my thread.

    I spoke to him about this result last week.
    No reason you can't trot it out again in a month or so! PB has many tropes and we should welcome another, especially one as fun as this one.
  • Spurs sack Christian Stellini

    Not surprising
  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 52,156
    Scott_xP said:

    Redfield & Wilton Strategies @RedfieldWilton
    1m
    Labour leads by 15%, up three points from last week.

    Westminster VI (23 April):

    Labour 44% (–)
    Conservative 29% (-3)
    Liberal Democrat 11% (+1)
    Reform UK 6% (+2)
    Green 5% (+1)
    Scottish National Party 3% (-1)
    Other 1% (–)

    Changes +/- 16 April

    Broken, sleazy Tories on the slide!
  • fitalassfitalass Posts: 4,320

    Cookie said:

    Admit it Mike - you were just looking for an opportunity to trot out everyone's favourite constituency result again!

    He stole my thread.

    I spoke to him about this result last week.
    Looking at what is happening to the SNP in Scotland over recent weeks, and especially with the issues they face in the Highlands and North East, I must admit that I went back and had a look at that result as well.
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 82,533
    edited April 2023

    Spurs sack Christian Stellini

    Not surprising

    Seems be P45 day today.....
  • Nigel_ForemainNigel_Foremain Posts: 14,352
    Cookie said:

    O/T - my Dad - apropros of nothing at all - has just announced he won't be watching the coronation, doesn't expect the monarchy to last much longer and has realised he sees this as no bad thing.
    He has never been a simpering monarchist but has been certainly no republican while the queen was alive.
    If Charles is losing the support of even his own generation he is in trouble.

    I am not really pro-monarchy and the sycophantic approach to it makes me want to puke. That said, I don't see any major benefit to its abolition. A bit like Brexit, it would be divisive and pointless. There a lot more important things to fix in our non-constitution.
  • algarkirkalgarkirk Posts: 12,888
    edited April 2023
    Cookie said:

    O/T - my Dad - apropros of nothing at all - has just announced he won't be watching the coronation, doesn't expect the monarchy to last much longer and has realises he sees this as no bad thing.
    He has never been a simpering monarchist but has been certainly no republican while the queen was alive.
    If Charles is losing the support of even his own generation he is in trouble.

    Pretty much to be expected from a few million people who have seen a slight culture shift since 1953.

    But the monarchy will not be abolished in the foreseeable time scale.
    The interesting questions are elsewhere - like what shape, what form, what functions, what style, what funding.

    In electoral FPTP politics it is unthinkable that a party who could win an election will put abolition or a referendum in a manifesto. The maths is simple. Few will transfer their votes that way because of the pledge - it just isn't that big an issue for republicans. But some will not do so because of it, and some will transfer the other way because of it. Monarchy's defenders feel more strongly than opponents.

    In YM language such a move would be bold and courageous. So there is no mechanism to get it to happen.

    "Vote Labour get President Blair/Branson/Beckham" is not a winner.
  • Nigel_ForemainNigel_Foremain Posts: 14,352

    1.741 votes between first and fourth will never stop being amazing.

    Less than two votes? That's literally incredible!
    Someone of Rishi Sunak's height made up the 0.741 of a vote
  • SeaShantyIrish2SeaShantyIrish2 Posts: 17,559
    Cookie said:

    O/T - my Dad - apropros of nothing at all - has just announced he won't be watching the coronation, doesn't expect the monarchy to last much longer and has realised he sees this as no bad thing.
    He has never been a simpering monarchist but has been certainly no republican while the queen was alive.
    If Charles is losing the support of even his own generation he is in trouble.

    Do you (or your Dad) recall the reaction of your great-great-grandfather, when that bounder Edward VII took over from Her late, beloved Majesty, Queen Victoria?

    Would NOT be shocked IF it was similar to that you just described. For similar reasons.
  • I remember that campaign well as I was involved in it. Just remember how well the SCons did in 2017 under Theresa May. If you look at the SCon seats in 2017 you will see they bear a strong resemblance to the SCon seats in 1983 (excluding Edinburgh) bearing in mind Scotland has lost a dozen seats since 1983.
  • DriverDriver Posts: 5,010

    Spurs sack Christian Stellini

    Not surprising

    The Ali Dia of management.
  • CookieCookie Posts: 14,081
    algarkirk said:

    Cookie said:

    O/T - my Dad - apropros of nothing at all - has just announced he won't be watching the coronation, doesn't expect the monarchy to last much longer and has realises he sees this as no bad thing.
    He has never been a simpering monarchist but has been certainly no republican while the queen was alive.
    If Charles is losing the support of even his own generation he is in trouble.

    Pretty much to be expected from a few million people who have seen a slight culture shift since 1953.

    But the monarchy will not be abolished in the foreseeable time scale.
    The interesting questions are elsewhere - like what shape, what form, what functions, what style, what funding.

    In electoral FPTP politics it is unthinkable that a party who could win an election will put abolition or a referendum in a manifesto. The maths is simple. Few will transfer their votes that way because of the pledge - it just isn't that big an issue for republicans. But some will not do so because of it, and some will transfer the other way because of it. Monarchy's defenders feel more strongly than opponents.

    In YM language such a move would be bold and courageous. So there is no mechanism to get it to happen.

    "Vote Labour get President Blair/Branson/Beckham" is not a winner.
    It hasn't historically been a big issue for Republicans because the monarch was pretty competent. I wonder if that will change if the current incumbent turns out to be rubbish at it.
  • tlg86tlg86 Posts: 26,223

    Spurs sack Christian Stellini

    Not surprising

    I'm struggling to think of a caretaker being sacked before.
  • Nigel_ForemainNigel_Foremain Posts: 14,352
    edited April 2023
    algarkirk said:

    Cookie said:

    O/T - my Dad - apropros of nothing at all - has just announced he won't be watching the coronation, doesn't expect the monarchy to last much longer and has realises he sees this as no bad thing.
    He has never been a simpering monarchist but has been certainly no republican while the queen was alive.
    If Charles is losing the support of even his own generation he is in trouble.

    Pretty much to be expected from a few million people who have seen a slight culture shift since 1953.

    But the monarchy will not be abolished in the foreseeable time scale.
    The interesting questions are elsewhere - like what shape, what form, what functions, what style, what funding.

    In electoral FPTP politics it is unthinkable that a party who could win an election will put abolition or a referendum in a manifesto. The maths is simple. Few will transfer their votes that way because of the pledge - it just isn't that big an issue for republicans. But some will not do so because of it, and some will transfer the other way because of it. Monarchy's defenders feel more strongly than opponents.

    In YM language such a move would be bold and courageous. So there is no mechanism to get it to happen.

    "Vote Labour get President Blair/Branson/Beckham" is not a winner.
    Quite a few systems don't have an executive president.

    As I mentioned before, there are more important to fix, but a simple answer to the monarchy question would be to have a "head of state" election every ten years. King Charles could put himself forward. If he is as popular as monarchists say he is, he will win by a landslide every time!
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 55,036

    Spurs sack Christian Stellini

    Not surprising

    It must be late April, as Spurs again do their best to avoid qualifying for the Champions’ League.
  • SeaShantyIrish2SeaShantyIrish2 Posts: 17,559
    tlg86 said:

    Spurs sack Christian Stellini

    Not surprising

    I'm struggling to think of a caretaker being sacked before.
    Gerald Ford?
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 96,591
    What a glorious result.

    I dont' think we'll ever get back to that, but 2017 showed that a surprisingly large number could be lost fairly easily.
  • williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 52,303
    Could Tucker Carlson be a wildcard candidate for 2024?
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 96,591

    Cookie said:

    O/T - my Dad - apropros of nothing at all - has just announced he won't be watching the coronation, doesn't expect the monarchy to last much longer and has realised he sees this as no bad thing.
    He has never been a simpering monarchist but has been certainly no republican while the queen was alive.
    If Charles is losing the support of even his own generation he is in trouble.

    I am not really pro-monarchy and the sycophantic approach to it makes me want to puke. That said, I don't see any major benefit to its abolition. A bit like Brexit, it would be divisive and pointless. There a lot more important things to fix in our non-constitution.
    Indeed. Increasing apathy is an issue for the continuation of the monarchy, but it isn't terminal as some like to present it as being - the Realms have been pretty apathetic for awhile, and it's not as though all were just waiting on the Queen to pass.
  • OldKingColeOldKingCole Posts: 33,721

    algarkirk said:

    Cookie said:

    O/T - my Dad - apropros of nothing at all - has just announced he won't be watching the coronation, doesn't expect the monarchy to last much longer and has realises he sees this as no bad thing.
    He has never been a simpering monarchist but has been certainly no republican while the queen was alive.
    If Charles is losing the support of even his own generation he is in trouble.

    Pretty much to be expected from a few million people who have seen a slight culture shift since 1953.

    But the monarchy will not be abolished in the foreseeable time scale.
    The interesting questions are elsewhere - like what shape, what form, what functions, what style, what funding.

    In electoral FPTP politics it is unthinkable that a party who could win an election will put abolition or a referendum in a manifesto. The maths is simple. Few will transfer their votes that way because of the pledge - it just isn't that big an issue for republicans. But some will not do so because of it, and some will transfer the other way because of it. Monarchy's defenders feel more strongly than opponents.

    In YM language such a move would be bold and courageous. So there is no mechanism to get it to happen.

    "Vote Labour get President Blair/Branson/Beckham" is not a winner.
    Quite a few systems don't have an executive president.

    As I mentioned before, there are more important to fix, but a simple answer to the monarchy question would be to have a "head of state" election every ten years. King Charles could put himself forward. If he is as popular as monarchists say he is, he will win by a landslide every time!
    Didn't a former king of Bulgaria end up as prime minister? For a while anyway.
  • tlg86tlg86 Posts: 26,223

    tlg86 said:

    Spurs sack Christian Stellini

    Not surprising

    I'm struggling to think of a caretaker being sacked before.
    Gerald Ford?
    But he was replaced by a permanent(ish) appointment.
  • algarkirkalgarkirk Posts: 12,888
    Cookie said:

    algarkirk said:

    Cookie said:

    O/T - my Dad - apropros of nothing at all - has just announced he won't be watching the coronation, doesn't expect the monarchy to last much longer and has realises he sees this as no bad thing.
    He has never been a simpering monarchist but has been certainly no republican while the queen was alive.
    If Charles is losing the support of even his own generation he is in trouble.

    Pretty much to be expected from a few million people who have seen a slight culture shift since 1953.

    But the monarchy will not be abolished in the foreseeable time scale.
    The interesting questions are elsewhere - like what shape, what form, what functions, what style, what funding.

    In electoral FPTP politics it is unthinkable that a party who could win an election will put abolition or a referendum in a manifesto. The maths is simple. Few will transfer their votes that way because of the pledge - it just isn't that big an issue for republicans. But some will not do so because of it, and some will transfer the other way because of it. Monarchy's defenders feel more strongly than opponents.

    In YM language such a move would be bold and courageous. So there is no mechanism to get it to happen.

    "Vote Labour get President Blair/Branson/Beckham" is not a winner.
    It hasn't historically been a big issue for Republicans because the monarch was pretty competent. I wonder if that will change if the current incumbent turns out to be rubbish at it.
    Good point. My feeling is that Yes, it will change; No, Charles will do OK; It won't change enough to make it onto the manifesto (which it must) of a party that could win. Truly, Labour is the only possibility (can you see Tory membership having this - removing Mrs T or HM late Queen from the wall of the Conservative Club??); Labour's winning thing at the moment is 1950s Labour - flag, family, compulsory warm beer, country and king, NATO.
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 96,591

    Could Tucker Carlson be a wildcard candidate for 2024?

    He needs something to maintain relevance. I mean, he was the top rated Fox host, but ex Fox hosts are ten to a penny, and who wants to be just another faded star?
  • Jim_MillerJim_Miller Posts: 3,039
    FPT: That Claudia Sahm tweet is odd, to say the least: It illustrates one of the greatest problems in the US, the declining proportion of men, black and white, who are working. (Eberstadt's little book has a full description of the problem.)

    But she doesn't seem to notice.

    Instead she focuses on the fact that, very recently, the percentage of white men working has declined faster than the percentage of black men working.

    (Could that change be caused by immigration? https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2022/01/27/key-findings-about-black-immigrants-in-the-u-s/#:~:text=One-in-ten Black people in the U.S. are immigrants.&text=This increase accounted for 19,Black population's growth through 2060.)
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 55,036
    edited April 2023

    Could Tucker Carlson be a wildcard candidate for 2024?

    I was just thinking exactly that!

    Like him or not, he has a massive audience of followers, from what was the single most successful show on cable news.

    I imagine that there’s a lot of people looking to hire him in new media, and he ends up online with a similar show, rather than seeking out elected office. If you can get wildcard odds on him, might be worth a punt.
  • Wulfrun_PhilWulfrun_Phil Posts: 4,780
    tlg86 said:

    Spurs sack Christian Stellini

    Not surprising

    I'm struggling to think of a caretaker being sacked before.
    If Chelsea's run continues, Lampard can't be too far behind.

  • algarkirkalgarkirk Posts: 12,888

    algarkirk said:

    Cookie said:

    O/T - my Dad - apropros of nothing at all - has just announced he won't be watching the coronation, doesn't expect the monarchy to last much longer and has realises he sees this as no bad thing.
    He has never been a simpering monarchist but has been certainly no republican while the queen was alive.
    If Charles is losing the support of even his own generation he is in trouble.

    Pretty much to be expected from a few million people who have seen a slight culture shift since 1953.

    But the monarchy will not be abolished in the foreseeable time scale.
    The interesting questions are elsewhere - like what shape, what form, what functions, what style, what funding.

    In electoral FPTP politics it is unthinkable that a party who could win an election will put abolition or a referendum in a manifesto. The maths is simple. Few will transfer their votes that way because of the pledge - it just isn't that big an issue for republicans. But some will not do so because of it, and some will transfer the other way because of it. Monarchy's defenders feel more strongly than opponents.

    In YM language such a move would be bold and courageous. So there is no mechanism to get it to happen.

    "Vote Labour get President Blair/Branson/Beckham" is not a winner.
    Quite a few systems don't have an executive president.

    As I mentioned before, there are more important to fix, but a simple answer to the monarchy question would be to have a "head of state" election every ten years. King Charles could put himself forward. If he is as popular as monarchists say he is, he will win by a landslide every time!
    Simple concept. Manifestowise, suicidal. A genuine T May sort of move even Jezza would not make. (One of his few sensible remarks, on why he wasn't talking about abolishing the monarchy: "Because we are not going to do it").

  • TheScreamingEaglesTheScreamingEagles Posts: 119,981
    edited April 2023
    tlg86 said:

    Spurs sack Christian Stellini

    Not surprising

    I'm struggling to think of a caretaker being sacked before.
    Tony Parkes?

    I can remember a caretaker quitting to go manage a lower league club.

    Stewart Houston quitting for QPR.

    Can’t blame him for leaving the Woolwich.
  • On topic, I actually think the SNP problems mean the Russell Johnston result is LESS likely rather than more, as it's easier to unify an "anyone but SNP" vote in the current circumstances, and unionist parties will probably have clear and non-overlapping targets. So a widely dispersed vote is a bit unlikely.

    In reality, that result was freakish anyway. A perfect storm of different national and local tides that made it unclear who the main contenders were. I'm reminded of Norwich South in 2010 - another Lib Dem win on a sub 30% vote. Such results are interesting but don't bear close analysis or mean all that much.
  • 1.741 votes between first and fourth will never stop being amazing.

    Less than two votes? That's literally incredible!
    Yeah, where you see the period it is meant to be a comma.
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 55,036

    tlg86 said:

    Spurs sack Christian Stellini

    Not surprising

    I'm struggling to think of a caretaker being sacked before.
    If Chelsea's run continues, Lampard can't be too far behind.

    If he wasn’t “former Chelsea superstar Frank Lampard”, he’d likely be gone already.
  • williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 52,303
    Sandpit said:

    Could Tucker Carlson be a wildcard candidate for 2024?

    I was just thinking exactly that!

    Like him or not, he has a massive audience of followers, from what was the single most successful show on cable news.

    I imagine that there’s a lot of people looking to hire him in new media, and he ends up online with a similar show, rather than seeking out elected office. If you can get wildcard odds on him, might be worth a punt.
    He's much more plausible as a younger version of Trump than Ron DeSantis.
  • On topic, this should save the SNP.


  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 55,036

    Sandpit said:

    Could Tucker Carlson be a wildcard candidate for 2024?

    I was just thinking exactly that!

    Like him or not, he has a massive audience of followers, from what was the single most successful show on cable news.

    I imagine that there’s a lot of people looking to hire him in new media, and he ends up online with a similar show, rather than seeking out elected office. If you can get wildcard odds on him, might be worth a punt.
    He's much more plausible as a younger version of Trump than Ron DeSantis.
    Imagine the next year with those three all screaming past each other. We’d all be thoroughly sick of the whole show, and it would surely guarantee a Democrat win in the general election?
  • tlg86 said:

    Spurs sack Christian Stellini

    Not surprising

    I'm struggling to think of a caretaker being sacked before.
    Poor Liz. How quickly they forget.
  • HeathenerHeathener Posts: 7,085
    This Infosys situation re the emergency alert contract absolutely stinks.

    So Sunak was the new bright light? This is every bit as bad as Boris.

    The tories deserve to be booted out for a hundred years. Disgusting, revolting, sleaze-ridden, utterly corrupt.
  • StockyStocky Posts: 10,234
    Heathener said:

    This Infosys situation re the emergency alert contract absolutely stinks.

    So Sunak was the new bright light? This is every bit as bad as Boris.

    The tories deserve to be booted out for a hundred years. Disgusting, revolting, sleaze-ridden, utterly corrupt.

    Fake news?

    https://twitter.com/jamesrbuk/status/1650499834376339458
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 55,036

    tlg86 said:

    Spurs sack Christian Stellini

    Not surprising

    I'm struggling to think of a caretaker being sacked before.
    Poor Liz. How quickly they forget.
    She was like the night watchman who loses his wicket second ball, with two overs still left in the day.
  • On topic, this should save the SNP.


    When I started work in Edinburgh in 1960 I travelled by rail every day from Berwick in less than an hour

    I expect English border towns will see quite an exodus from Scotland
  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 52,156

    Cookie said:

    O/T - my Dad - apropros of nothing at all - has just announced he won't be watching the coronation, doesn't expect the monarchy to last much longer and has realised he sees this as no bad thing.
    He has never been a simpering monarchist but has been certainly no republican while the queen was alive.
    If Charles is losing the support of even his own generation he is in trouble.

    I am not really pro-monarchy and the sycophantic approach to it makes me want to puke. That said, I don't see any major benefit to its abolition. A bit like Brexit, it would be divisive and pointless. There a lot more important things to fix in our non-constitution.
    Monarchy is a form of Personality Cult, and is therefore highly socialist.

    Monarchy = Socialism!
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 96,591

    algarkirk said:

    Cookie said:

    O/T - my Dad - apropros of nothing at all - has just announced he won't be watching the coronation, doesn't expect the monarchy to last much longer and has realises he sees this as no bad thing.
    He has never been a simpering monarchist but has been certainly no republican while the queen was alive.
    If Charles is losing the support of even his own generation he is in trouble.

    Pretty much to be expected from a few million people who have seen a slight culture shift since 1953.

    But the monarchy will not be abolished in the foreseeable time scale.
    The interesting questions are elsewhere - like what shape, what form, what functions, what style, what funding.

    In electoral FPTP politics it is unthinkable that a party who could win an election will put abolition or a referendum in a manifesto. The maths is simple. Few will transfer their votes that way because of the pledge - it just isn't that big an issue for republicans. But some will not do so because of it, and some will transfer the other way because of it. Monarchy's defenders feel more strongly than opponents.

    In YM language such a move would be bold and courageous. So there is no mechanism to get it to happen.

    "Vote Labour get President Blair/Branson/Beckham" is not a winner.
    Quite a few systems don't have an executive president.

    As I mentioned before, there are more important to fix, but a simple answer to the monarchy question would be to have a "head of state" election every ten years. King Charles could put himself forward. If he is as popular as monarchists say he is, he will win by a landslide every time!
    Didn't a former king of Bulgaria end up as prime minister? For a while anyway.
    Norodom Sihanouk had an interesting time as King of Cambodia, being succeeded by his father, which is an odd way round to do it, and he became PM, then was Head of State (but not king), was ousted, figurehead, under house arrest, exile, then reinstated as king.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norodom_Sihanouk

    He also apparently directed movies.
  • GIN1138GIN1138 Posts: 22,388
    edited April 2023

    Scott_xP said:

    Redfield & Wilton Strategies @RedfieldWilton
    1m
    Labour leads by 15%, up three points from last week.

    Westminster VI (23 April):

    Labour 44% (–)
    Conservative 29% (-3)
    Liberal Democrat 11% (+1)
    Reform UK 6% (+2)
    Green 5% (+1)
    Scottish National Party 3% (-1)
    Other 1% (–)

    Changes +/- 16 April

    Broken, sleazy Tories on the slide!
    And SNP ;)
  • AnabobazinaAnabobazina Posts: 23,792

    Scott_xP said:

    Redfield & Wilton Strategies @RedfieldWilton
    1m
    Labour leads by 15%, up three points from last week.

    Westminster VI (23 April):

    Labour 44% (–)
    Conservative 29% (-3)
    Liberal Democrat 11% (+1)
    Reform UK 6% (+2)
    Green 5% (+1)
    Scottish National Party 3% (-1)
    Other 1% (–)

    Changes +/- 16 April

    Broken, sleazy Tories on the slide!
    If the Tory and Labour changes were reversed, we’d have umpteen posts analysing why. As it is, near silence. Why is quite right as this is just another meaningless midterm margin-of-error poll.
  • Heathener said:

    This Infosys situation re the emergency alert contract absolutely stinks.

    So Sunak was the new bright light? This is every bit as bad as Boris.

    The tories deserve to be booted out for a hundred years. Disgusting, revolting, sleaze-ridden, utterly corrupt.

    I do not expect rational discussion from someone who is so vengeful and full of hubris

    It is an excellent means of communication, especially locally for all kinds of emergencies, and by trialling it it assists it in sorting out technical issues

    Your hatred is getting the better of you
  • Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 28,871
    carnforth said:
    I have some sympathy with the view that Britain is doing a lot worse than it could be. But I suspect that this article is more another manifestation of the German inferiority complex wrt the UK - touching to see it still continues even in these straightened times. There was a magazine scandal very similar during Covid wasn't there?
  • TheuniondivvieTheuniondivvie Posts: 42,168

    carnforth said:
    I have some sympathy with the view that Britain is doing a lot worse than it could be. But I suspect that this article is more another manifestation of the German inferiority complex wrt the UK - touching to see it still continues even in these straightened times. There was a magazine scandal very similar during Covid wasn't there?
    Going on endlessly about 57 varieties of crapness in a country not your own is a sign of an inferiority complex? Well I never. Thankfully none of that nonsense on here.

    It's 'straitened' btw.
  • TresTres Posts: 2,724
    Has Tucker Carlson been priced up for a presidential run yet betting nerds?
  • AnabobazinaAnabobazina Posts: 23,792
    edited April 2023

    Heathener said:

    This Infosys situation re the emergency alert contract absolutely stinks.

    So Sunak was the new bright light? This is every bit as bad as Boris.

    The tories deserve to be booted out for a hundred years. Disgusting, revolting, sleaze-ridden, utterly corrupt.

    I do not expect rational discussion from someone who is so vengeful and full of hubris

    It is an excellent means of communication, especially locally for all kinds of emergencies, and by trialling it it assists it in sorting out technical issues

    Your hatred is getting the better of you
    The alert was somewhat Orwellian. Authoritarian and intrusive.
  • Heathener said:

    This Infosys situation re the emergency alert contract absolutely stinks.

    So Sunak was the new bright light? This is every bit as bad as Boris.

    The tories deserve to be booted out for a hundred years. Disgusting, revolting, sleaze-ridden, utterly corrupt.

    I do not expect rational discussion from someone who is so vengeful and full of hubris

    It is an excellent means of communication, especially locally for all kinds of emergencies, and by trialling it it assists it in sorting out technical issues

    Your hatred is getting the better of you
    The alert was somewhat Orwellian. Authoritarian and intrusive.
    You wouldn't say that if your home or family came under a deadly threat from any number of reasons
  • RobDRobD Posts: 60,045

    Heathener said:

    This Infosys situation re the emergency alert contract absolutely stinks.

    So Sunak was the new bright light? This is every bit as bad as Boris.

    The tories deserve to be booted out for a hundred years. Disgusting, revolting, sleaze-ridden, utterly corrupt.

    I do not expect rational discussion from someone who is so vengeful and full of hubris

    It is an excellent means of communication, especially locally for all kinds of emergencies, and by trialling it it assists it in sorting out technical issues

    Your hatred is getting the better of you
    The alert was somewhat Orwellian. Authoritarian and intrusive.
    Giving you information is authoritarian and intrusive?
  • Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 28,871

    carnforth said:
    I have some sympathy with the view that Britain is doing a lot worse than it could be. But I suspect that this article is more another manifestation of the German inferiority complex wrt the UK - touching to see it still continues even in these straightened times. There was a magazine scandal very similar during Covid wasn't there?
    Going on endlessly about 57 varieties of crapness in a country not your own is a sign of an inferiority complex? Well I never. Thankfully none of that nonsense on here.

    It's 'straitened' btw.
    Thanks. And yes, I'd say it's a pretty good indication.
  • logical_songlogical_song Posts: 9,932

    Could Tucker Carlson be a wildcard candidate for 2024?

    He'd have to explain why he's running against Trump after working so hard for him for years.
  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 52,156
    RobD said:

    Heathener said:

    This Infosys situation re the emergency alert contract absolutely stinks.

    So Sunak was the new bright light? This is every bit as bad as Boris.

    The tories deserve to be booted out for a hundred years. Disgusting, revolting, sleaze-ridden, utterly corrupt.

    I do not expect rational discussion from someone who is so vengeful and full of hubris

    It is an excellent means of communication, especially locally for all kinds of emergencies, and by trialling it it assists it in sorting out technical issues

    Your hatred is getting the better of you
    The alert was somewhat Orwellian. Authoritarian and intrusive.
    Giving you information is authoritarian and intrusive?
    My mum and I didn't even receive it on our phones!
  • WillGWillG Posts: 2,366

    Spain unemployment at 13%
    Greece unemployment at 12%
    Italy unemployment at 8%

    Germany might want to look closer to home.
  • TheuniondivvieTheuniondivvie Posts: 42,168
    Tres said:

    Has Tucker Carlson been priced up for a presidential run yet betting nerds?

    He's waiting for the vital Leonadamus endorsement.
  • we take our elections seriously in the north of Scotland :smile: John was a good MP though personally I would never have voted for him even if he is a cousin. Then again Jamie Stone is also a cousin and I only ever voted for him for our home council multi-member ward.
    kle4 said:

    ydoethur said:

    Cookie said:

    Admit it Mike - you were just looking for an opportunity to trot out everyone's favourite constituency result again!

    This one was better:


    And Archibald Sinclair leads on to one of my favourite elections - John Archibald Sinclair, third Viscount Thurso, a member of the House of Lords twice over, having assumed the heriditary peerage, then being an MP after 1999, then won an by-election to regain a seat in the Lords in 2016 in which there were 7 candidates and only 3 eligible voters.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/By-elections_to_the_House_of_Lords


    That absurdity in itself justifies the continuing existence of the Lords in my opinion.
  • viewcodeviewcode Posts: 22,424
  • CookieCookie Posts: 14,081

    Heathener said:

    This Infosys situation re the emergency alert contract absolutely stinks.

    So Sunak was the new bright light? This is every bit as bad as Boris.

    The tories deserve to be booted out for a hundred years. Disgusting, revolting, sleaze-ridden, utterly corrupt.

    I do not expect rational discussion from someone who is so vengeful and full of hubris

    It is an excellent means of communication, especially locally for all kinds of emergencies, and by trialling it it assists it in sorting out technical issues

    Your hatred is getting the better of you
    The alert was somewhat Orwellian. Authoritarian and intrusive.
    Well, we went through this yesterday. I agree, though my opinions on the matter aren't particularly strong.
    BUT - if we are to have an alert, it doesn't seem unreasonable to test it, and it doesn't seem a hanging offence if the test highlights some issues. That's why you do the tests.
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 55,036
    edited April 2023
    viewcode said:
    Government not understanding technology, part 274 in a long-running series.

    No, you can’t ban maths, no matter how much your spooks don’t like encrypted messaging systems.
  • TresTres Posts: 2,724

    Could Tucker Carlson be a wildcard candidate for 2024?

    He'd have to explain why he's running against Trump after working so hard for him for years.
    To join the Grifters On Parade obviously. Ka-ching!
  • Casino_RoyaleCasino_Royale Posts: 60,713
    Cookie said:

    algarkirk said:

    Cookie said:

    O/T - my Dad - apropros of nothing at all - has just announced he won't be watching the coronation, doesn't expect the monarchy to last much longer and has realises he sees this as no bad thing.
    He has never been a simpering monarchist but has been certainly no republican while the queen was alive.
    If Charles is losing the support of even his own generation he is in trouble.

    Pretty much to be expected from a few million people who have seen a slight culture shift since 1953.

    But the monarchy will not be abolished in the foreseeable time scale.
    The interesting questions are elsewhere - like what shape, what form, what functions, what style, what funding.

    In electoral FPTP politics it is unthinkable that a party who could win an election will put abolition or a referendum in a manifesto. The maths is simple. Few will transfer their votes that way because of the pledge - it just isn't that big an issue for republicans. But some will not do so because of it, and some will transfer the other way because of it. Monarchy's defenders feel more strongly than opponents.

    In YM language such a move would be bold and courageous. So there is no mechanism to get it to happen.

    "Vote Labour get President Blair/Branson/Beckham" is not a winner.
    It hasn't historically been a big issue for Republicans because the monarch was pretty competent. I wonder if that will change if the current incumbent turns out to be rubbish at it.
    I'm not sure that's true.

    George VI and Elizabeth II were excellent. George V wasn't bad. Edward VII was OK once on the throne. Victoria essentially learnt on the job. Well respected by the end but endured several bouts of republican sentiment during her reign.

    Edward VIII was a real shit and was basically ousted by elected politicians. George IV was such a tosspot that The Times wrote excoriating editorials about him, including the day after his farcical coronation.

    George III was actually not bad I think. George I and George II were just strange absentee Germans - a bit of an establishment coup at the time - that provoked revolts. You then go back to the Stuarts and find real idiots. Again, two of them overthrown.

    The real question is whether, in future, the institution can survive a stinker or whether they just get manoeuvred out for the next in line.

    Britain being Britain our culture suggests much more the latter.

    We are a land of history and heritage, our monarchy is unique and distinctive and republics are really fucking boring.
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 51,177
    RobD said:

    Heathener said:

    This Infosys situation re the emergency alert contract absolutely stinks.

    So Sunak was the new bright light? This is every bit as bad as Boris.

    The tories deserve to be booted out for a hundred years. Disgusting, revolting, sleaze-ridden, utterly corrupt.

    I do not expect rational discussion from someone who is so vengeful and full of hubris

    It is an excellent means of communication, especially locally for all kinds of emergencies, and by trialling it it assists it in sorting out technical issues

    Your hatred is getting the better of you
    The alert was somewhat Orwellian. Authoritarian and intrusive.
    Giving you information is authoritarian and intrusive?
    IIRC the way it works is that the U.K. government sends the message to the mobile networks and it is supposed to be sent to every phone connected to a U.K. based phone mast - your phone regularly talks to the nearest mast, so the network provider system knows you are there, anyway.

    The actual sending is spread over a few minutes to prevent network overloading.

    I don’t think they have a list or anything. And don’t get any more information than they had previously.
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 96,591

    Could Tucker Carlson be a wildcard candidate for 2024?

    He'd have to explain why he's running against Trump after working so hard for him for years.
    Even Trump is not pure enough for the Trumpists.
  • Casino_RoyaleCasino_Royale Posts: 60,713
    kle4 said:

    ydoethur said:

    Cookie said:

    Admit it Mike - you were just looking for an opportunity to trot out everyone's favourite constituency result again!

    This one was better:


    And Archibald Sinclair leads on to one of my favourite elections - John Archibald Sinclair, third Viscount Thurso, a member of the House of Lords twice over, having assumed the heriditary peerage, then being an MP after 1999, then won an by-election to regain a seat in the Lords in 2016 in which there were 7 candidates and only 3 eligible voters.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/By-elections_to_the_House_of_Lords


    That absurdity in itself justifies the continuing existence of the Lords in my opinion.
    My favourite is where the Duke of Wellington beat the Marquess of Abergavenny in 2015, following the death of Lord Luke.

    Strong 💪
  • CookieCookie Posts: 14,081

    Cookie said:

    algarkirk said:

    Cookie said:

    O/T - my Dad - apropros of nothing at all - has just announced he won't be watching the coronation, doesn't expect the monarchy to last much longer and has realises he sees this as no bad thing.
    He has never been a simpering monarchist but has been certainly no republican while the queen was alive.
    If Charles is losing the support of even his own generation he is in trouble.

    Pretty much to be expected from a few million people who have seen a slight culture shift since 1953.

    But the monarchy will not be abolished in the foreseeable time scale.
    The interesting questions are elsewhere - like what shape, what form, what functions, what style, what funding.

    In electoral FPTP politics it is unthinkable that a party who could win an election will put abolition or a referendum in a manifesto. The maths is simple. Few will transfer their votes that way because of the pledge - it just isn't that big an issue for republicans. But some will not do so because of it, and some will transfer the other way because of it. Monarchy's defenders feel more strongly than opponents.

    In YM language such a move would be bold and courageous. So there is no mechanism to get it to happen.

    "Vote Labour get President Blair/Branson/Beckham" is not a winner.
    It hasn't historically been a big issue for Republicans because the monarch was pretty competent. I wonder if that will change if the current incumbent turns out to be rubbish at it.
    I'm not sure that's true.

    George VI and Elizabeth II were excellent. George V wasn't bad. Edward VII was OK once on the throne. Victoria essentially learnt on the job. Well respected by the end but endured several bouts of republican sentiment during her reign.

    Edward VIII was a real shit and was basically ousted by elected politicians. George IV was such a tosspot that The Times wrote excoriating editorials about him, including the day after his farcical coronation.

    George III was actually not bad I think. George I and George II were just strange absentee Germans - a bit of an establishment coup at the time - that provoked revolts. You then go back to the Stuarts and find real idiots. Again, two of them overthrown.

    The real question is whether, in future, the institution can survive a stinker or whether they just get manoeuvred out for the next in line.

    Britain being Britain our culture suggests much more the latter.

    We are a land of history and heritage, our monarchy is unique and distinctive and republics are really fucking boring.
    You make a fair point. In my head I was going back no further than QE2.
  • williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 52,303
    WillG said:

    Spain unemployment at 13%
    Greece unemployment at 12%
    Italy unemployment at 8%

    Germany might want to look closer to home.
    Doesn't that count as a successful German export policy?
  • Casino_RoyaleCasino_Royale Posts: 60,713
    Heathener said:

    This Infosys situation re the emergency alert contract absolutely stinks.

    So Sunak was the new bright light? This is every bit as bad as Boris.

    The tories deserve to be booted out for a hundred years. Disgusting, revolting, sleaze-ridden, utterly corrupt.

    I think this is the final nail in the coffin for anyone considering your "analysis" over the next 18 months.
  • kle4 said:

    What a glorious result.

    I dont' think we'll ever get back to that, but 2017 showed that a surprisingly large number could be lost fairly easily.

    It was actually surpassed in 2015 in Belfast South when the SDLP won with 24.5% of the vote.
  • Casino_RoyaleCasino_Royale Posts: 60,713
    algarkirk said:

    Cookie said:

    algarkirk said:

    Cookie said:

    O/T - my Dad - apropros of nothing at all - has just announced he won't be watching the coronation, doesn't expect the monarchy to last much longer and has realises he sees this as no bad thing.
    He has never been a simpering monarchist but has been certainly no republican while the queen was alive.
    If Charles is losing the support of even his own generation he is in trouble.

    Pretty much to be expected from a few million people who have seen a slight culture shift since 1953.

    But the monarchy will not be abolished in the foreseeable time scale.
    The interesting questions are elsewhere - like what shape, what form, what functions, what style, what funding.

    In electoral FPTP politics it is unthinkable that a party who could win an election will put abolition or a referendum in a manifesto. The maths is simple. Few will transfer their votes that way because of the pledge - it just isn't that big an issue for republicans. But some will not do so because of it, and some will transfer the other way because of it. Monarchy's defenders feel more strongly than opponents.

    In YM language such a move would be bold and courageous. So there is no mechanism to get it to happen.

    "Vote Labour get President Blair/Branson/Beckham" is not a winner.
    It hasn't historically been a big issue for Republicans because the monarch was pretty competent. I wonder if that will change if the current incumbent turns out to be rubbish at it.
    Good point. My feeling is that Yes, it will change; No, Charles will do OK; It won't change enough to make it onto the manifesto (which it must) of a party that could win. Truly, Labour is the only possibility (can you see Tory membership having this - removing Mrs T or HM late Queen from the wall of the Conservative Club??); Labour's winning thing at the moment is 1950s Labour - flag, family, compulsory warm beer, country and king, NATO.
    Charles is a William IV type character, IMHO.

    I don't think he'll get the admiration that Edward VII eventually achieved, but he'll be OK.
  • AnabobazinaAnabobazina Posts: 23,792
    Cookie said:

    Heathener said:

    This Infosys situation re the emergency alert contract absolutely stinks.

    So Sunak was the new bright light? This is every bit as bad as Boris.

    The tories deserve to be booted out for a hundred years. Disgusting, revolting, sleaze-ridden, utterly corrupt.

    I do not expect rational discussion from someone who is so vengeful and full of hubris

    It is an excellent means of communication, especially locally for all kinds of emergencies, and by trialling it it assists it in sorting out technical issues

    Your hatred is getting the better of you
    The alert was somewhat Orwellian. Authoritarian and intrusive.
    Well, we went through this yesterday. I agree, though my opinions on the matter aren't particularly strong.
    BUT - if we are to have an alert, it doesn't seem unreasonable to test it, and it doesn't seem a hanging offence if the test highlights some issues. That's why you do the tests.
    Might have been an idea to write to people first before disturbing their weekend with a shrill alarm
  • tlg86tlg86 Posts: 26,223

    Heathener said:

    This Infosys situation re the emergency alert contract absolutely stinks.

    So Sunak was the new bright light? This is every bit as bad as Boris.

    The tories deserve to be booted out for a hundred years. Disgusting, revolting, sleaze-ridden, utterly corrupt.

    I think this is the final nail in the coffin for anyone considering your "analysis" over the next 18 months.
    You obviously missed their analysis earlier today that stated that the Tories losing seats to the Lib Dems makes it easier for Labour to win a majority.
  • Casino_RoyaleCasino_Royale Posts: 60,713
    tlg86 said:

    Heathener said:

    This Infosys situation re the emergency alert contract absolutely stinks.

    So Sunak was the new bright light? This is every bit as bad as Boris.

    The tories deserve to be booted out for a hundred years. Disgusting, revolting, sleaze-ridden, utterly corrupt.

    I think this is the final nail in the coffin for anyone considering your "analysis" over the next 18 months.
    You obviously missed their analysis earlier today that stated that the Tories losing seats to the Lib Dems makes it easier for Labour to win a majority.
    Saw it. That was the penultimate nail.

    There are very many nails in that particular coffin.
  • AnabobazinaAnabobazina Posts: 23,792
    RobD said:

    Heathener said:

    This Infosys situation re the emergency alert contract absolutely stinks.

    So Sunak was the new bright light? This is every bit as bad as Boris.

    The tories deserve to be booted out for a hundred years. Disgusting, revolting, sleaze-ridden, utterly corrupt.

    I do not expect rational discussion from someone who is so vengeful and full of hubris

    It is an excellent means of communication, especially locally for all kinds of emergencies, and by trialling it it assists it in sorting out technical issues

    Your hatred is getting the better of you
    The alert was somewhat Orwellian. Authoritarian and intrusive.
    Giving you information is authoritarian and intrusive?
    What information? I got an extremely loud and distressing siren pumped to my phone and watch when I was chilling out on a Sunday afternoon. Nobody asked me for my permission to do this
  • stodgestodge Posts: 13,993

    Heathener said:

    This Infosys situation re the emergency alert contract absolutely stinks.

    So Sunak was the new bright light? This is every bit as bad as Boris.

    The tories deserve to be booted out for a hundred years. Disgusting, revolting, sleaze-ridden, utterly corrupt.

    I do not expect rational discussion from someone who is so vengeful and full of hubris

    It is an excellent means of communication, especially locally for all kinds of emergencies, and by trialling it it assists it in sorting out technical issues

    Your hatred is getting the better of you
    The alert was somewhat Orwellian. Authoritarian and intrusive.
    You wouldn't say that if your home or family came under a deadly threat from any number of reasons
    There's part of me that thinks if a 10-megaton nuclear missile were heading for my back garden I'd rather not know but that isn't really what yesterday was about.

    True "national" existential emergencies are thankfully rare.

    Where the alert system will earn its corn is the regional or local aspect - as commented elsewhere, warning of flooding would be its primary use. I'm in downtown East London and if I knew the Thames or the Lea were going to flood I could take some action.

    There's also the instances of helping people to help themselves - we saw last December for example hundreds of motorists, completely ill-prepared, getting stuck on snow-covered roads form hours. A warning of bad weather might keep people off the roads or get people moving and home in good time to prevent getting caught in someone else's blizzard.
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 96,591

    RobD said:

    Heathener said:

    This Infosys situation re the emergency alert contract absolutely stinks.

    So Sunak was the new bright light? This is every bit as bad as Boris.

    The tories deserve to be booted out for a hundred years. Disgusting, revolting, sleaze-ridden, utterly corrupt.

    I do not expect rational discussion from someone who is so vengeful and full of hubris

    It is an excellent means of communication, especially locally for all kinds of emergencies, and by trialling it it assists it in sorting out technical issues

    Your hatred is getting the better of you
    The alert was somewhat Orwellian. Authoritarian and intrusive.
    Giving you information is authoritarian and intrusive?
    What information? I got an extremely loud and distressing siren pumped to my phone and watch when I was chilling out on a Sunday afternoon. Nobody asked me for my permission to do this
    Loud and distressing siren? A few seconds irritation is that big a deal?
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 55,036
    edited April 2023

    RobD said:

    Heathener said:

    This Infosys situation re the emergency alert contract absolutely stinks.

    So Sunak was the new bright light? This is every bit as bad as Boris.

    The tories deserve to be booted out for a hundred years. Disgusting, revolting, sleaze-ridden, utterly corrupt.

    I do not expect rational discussion from someone who is so vengeful and full of hubris

    It is an excellent means of communication, especially locally for all kinds of emergencies, and by trialling it it assists it in sorting out technical issues

    Your hatred is getting the better of you
    The alert was somewhat Orwellian. Authoritarian and intrusive.
    Giving you information is authoritarian and intrusive?
    IIRC the way it works is that the U.K. government sends the message to the mobile networks and it is supposed to be sent to every phone connected to a U.K. based phone mast - your phone regularly talks to the nearest mast, so the network provider system knows you are there, anyway.

    The actual sending is spread over a few minutes to prevent network overloading.

    I don’t think they have a list or anything. And don’t get any more information than they had previously.
    They can also be geofenced, to a smaller area. We’ve been getting them out here in the past year, I think I’ve had two, one was a flood warning and the other a heat and humidity warning. Both will have saved lives, by making people think for a minute before going about their business. Obviously they need to be used very sparingly, to avoid everyone disabling them or seeing them becoming routine.
  • StockyStocky Posts: 10,234

    RobD said:

    Heathener said:

    This Infosys situation re the emergency alert contract absolutely stinks.

    So Sunak was the new bright light? This is every bit as bad as Boris.

    The tories deserve to be booted out for a hundred years. Disgusting, revolting, sleaze-ridden, utterly corrupt.

    I do not expect rational discussion from someone who is so vengeful and full of hubris

    It is an excellent means of communication, especially locally for all kinds of emergencies, and by trialling it it assists it in sorting out technical issues

    Your hatred is getting the better of you
    The alert was somewhat Orwellian. Authoritarian and intrusive.
    Giving you information is authoritarian and intrusive?
    What information? I got an extremely loud and distressing siren pumped to my phone and watch when I was chilling out on a Sunday afternoon. Nobody asked me for my permission to do this
    Worse that that - I'm partially deaf and my phone bluetooths into my hearing aids - the volume of the siren was loud enough to prompt me to rip the aids out to save my ears.
  • AnabobazinaAnabobazina Posts: 23,792
    kle4 said:

    RobD said:

    Heathener said:

    This Infosys situation re the emergency alert contract absolutely stinks.

    So Sunak was the new bright light? This is every bit as bad as Boris.

    The tories deserve to be booted out for a hundred years. Disgusting, revolting, sleaze-ridden, utterly corrupt.

    I do not expect rational discussion from someone who is so vengeful and full of hubris

    It is an excellent means of communication, especially locally for all kinds of emergencies, and by trialling it it assists it in sorting out technical issues

    Your hatred is getting the better of you
    The alert was somewhat Orwellian. Authoritarian and intrusive.
    Giving you information is authoritarian and intrusive?
    What information? I got an extremely loud and distressing siren pumped to my phone and watch when I was chilling out on a Sunday afternoon. Nobody asked me for my permission to do this
    Loud and distressing siren? A few seconds irritation is that big a deal?
    Yes. You don't know what I was doing at the time.

    Why didn't the government write to people to ask them before it did this?
  • williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 52,303

    RobD said:

    Heathener said:

    This Infosys situation re the emergency alert contract absolutely stinks.

    So Sunak was the new bright light? This is every bit as bad as Boris.

    The tories deserve to be booted out for a hundred years. Disgusting, revolting, sleaze-ridden, utterly corrupt.

    I do not expect rational discussion from someone who is so vengeful and full of hubris

    It is an excellent means of communication, especially locally for all kinds of emergencies, and by trialling it it assists it in sorting out technical issues

    Your hatred is getting the better of you
    The alert was somewhat Orwellian. Authoritarian and intrusive.
    Giving you information is authoritarian and intrusive?
    What information? I got an extremely loud and distressing siren pumped to my phone and watch when I was chilling out on a Sunday afternoon. Nobody asked me for my permission to do this
    You can disable them:

    image
  • FF43FF43 Posts: 17,246
    I strongly suspect the SNP will retain the successor seats in Inverness. I suppose just possible Conservatives.
  • AnabobazinaAnabobazina Posts: 23,792
    Stocky said:

    RobD said:

    Heathener said:

    This Infosys situation re the emergency alert contract absolutely stinks.

    So Sunak was the new bright light? This is every bit as bad as Boris.

    The tories deserve to be booted out for a hundred years. Disgusting, revolting, sleaze-ridden, utterly corrupt.

    I do not expect rational discussion from someone who is so vengeful and full of hubris

    It is an excellent means of communication, especially locally for all kinds of emergencies, and by trialling it it assists it in sorting out technical issues

    Your hatred is getting the better of you
    The alert was somewhat Orwellian. Authoritarian and intrusive.
    Giving you information is authoritarian and intrusive?
    What information? I got an extremely loud and distressing siren pumped to my phone and watch when I was chilling out on a Sunday afternoon. Nobody asked me for my permission to do this
    Worse that that - I'm partially deaf and my phone bluetooths into my hearing aids - the volume of the siren was loud enough to prompt me to rip the aids out to save my ears.
    Grim. Sorry to hear that. Would have cause possible ear damage to anyone who had their earphones in at the time.

  • AnabobazinaAnabobazina Posts: 23,792
    stodge said:

    Heathener said:

    This Infosys situation re the emergency alert contract absolutely stinks.

    So Sunak was the new bright light? This is every bit as bad as Boris.

    The tories deserve to be booted out for a hundred years. Disgusting, revolting, sleaze-ridden, utterly corrupt.

    I do not expect rational discussion from someone who is so vengeful and full of hubris

    It is an excellent means of communication, especially locally for all kinds of emergencies, and by trialling it it assists it in sorting out technical issues

    Your hatred is getting the better of you
    The alert was somewhat Orwellian. Authoritarian and intrusive.
    You wouldn't say that if your home or family came under a deadly threat from any number of reasons
    There's part of me that thinks if a 10-megaton nuclear missile were heading for my back garden I'd rather not know but that isn't really what yesterday was about.

    True "national" existential emergencies are thankfully rare.

    Where the alert system will earn its corn is the regional or local aspect - as commented elsewhere, warning of flooding would be its primary use. I'm in downtown East London and if I knew the Thames or the Lea were going to flood I could take some action.

    There's also the instances of helping people to help themselves - we saw last December for example hundreds of motorists, completely ill-prepared, getting stuck on snow-covered roads form hours. A warning of bad weather might keep people off the roads or get people moving and home in good time to prevent getting caught in someone else's blizzard.
    Let people sign up for such a service if they want it.

    I'll just look at the weather forecast, or the radar, thanks.
  • AnabobazinaAnabobazina Posts: 23,792

    RobD said:

    Heathener said:

    This Infosys situation re the emergency alert contract absolutely stinks.

    So Sunak was the new bright light? This is every bit as bad as Boris.

    The tories deserve to be booted out for a hundred years. Disgusting, revolting, sleaze-ridden, utterly corrupt.

    I do not expect rational discussion from someone who is so vengeful and full of hubris

    It is an excellent means of communication, especially locally for all kinds of emergencies, and by trialling it it assists it in sorting out technical issues

    Your hatred is getting the better of you
    The alert was somewhat Orwellian. Authoritarian and intrusive.
    Giving you information is authoritarian and intrusive?
    What information? I got an extremely loud and distressing siren pumped to my phone and watch when I was chilling out on a Sunday afternoon. Nobody asked me for my permission to do this
    You can disable them:

    image
    Sure. At what stage did the government issue this guidance and indeed ask people whether they wanted to be involved?
  • RobDRobD Posts: 60,045

    RobD said:

    Heathener said:

    This Infosys situation re the emergency alert contract absolutely stinks.

    So Sunak was the new bright light? This is every bit as bad as Boris.

    The tories deserve to be booted out for a hundred years. Disgusting, revolting, sleaze-ridden, utterly corrupt.

    I do not expect rational discussion from someone who is so vengeful and full of hubris

    It is an excellent means of communication, especially locally for all kinds of emergencies, and by trialling it it assists it in sorting out technical issues

    Your hatred is getting the better of you
    The alert was somewhat Orwellian. Authoritarian and intrusive.
    Giving you information is authoritarian and intrusive?
    What information? I got an extremely loud and distressing siren pumped to my phone and watch when I was chilling out on a Sunday afternoon. Nobody asked me for my permission to do this
    Well it was a test, but the system is designed to deliver information to people in areas at risk. I don't see what is authoritarian and intrusive about that, especially if it can help save lives.

    I suppose you'd have wanted the authorities to seek your permission before an air raid siren was sounded, too?
  • MaxPBMaxPB Posts: 39,064
    https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/9d09d908-e1e7-11ed-82bc-08d7692e8310?shareToken=2f192401c8913f9fdf1af8fba4b38dde

    "A senior Chinese diplomat has provoked angry protests from the three Baltic countries as well as Ukraine after he questioned the sovereignty of former Soviet countries.

    In an interview with LCI, a French television news channel, Lu Shaye, the Chinese ambassador to France, told the host that “even these countries of the former USSR do not have, how to say, effective status in international law. Because there is no international agreement specifying their status as a sovereign country.” The interview was broadcast on Friday."

    Macron's China pivot going well I see. Lol.

  • kle4kle4 Posts: 96,591

    kle4 said:

    RobD said:

    Heathener said:

    This Infosys situation re the emergency alert contract absolutely stinks.

    So Sunak was the new bright light? This is every bit as bad as Boris.

    The tories deserve to be booted out for a hundred years. Disgusting, revolting, sleaze-ridden, utterly corrupt.

    I do not expect rational discussion from someone who is so vengeful and full of hubris

    It is an excellent means of communication, especially locally for all kinds of emergencies, and by trialling it it assists it in sorting out technical issues

    Your hatred is getting the better of you
    The alert was somewhat Orwellian. Authoritarian and intrusive.
    Giving you information is authoritarian and intrusive?
    What information? I got an extremely loud and distressing siren pumped to my phone and watch when I was chilling out on a Sunday afternoon. Nobody asked me for my permission to do this
    Loud and distressing siren? A few seconds irritation is that big a deal?
    Yes. You don't know what I was doing at the time.

    Why didn't the government write to people to ask them before it did this?
    There was publicity about it. Even if they had written to every address in the country large numbers of people would not have read it or would have forgotten about it. Plus, since when does the governemnt undertake a quasi referendum on an operational matter of government?

    However righteously angry you are or people should be about it - like plenty of people I've asked what the need for it was - writing a letter to everyone in the country about it is not a serious suggestion.
  • MoonRabbitMoonRabbit Posts: 13,647

    Scott_xP said:

    Redfield & Wilton Strategies @RedfieldWilton
    1m
    Labour leads by 15%, up three points from last week.

    Westminster VI (23 April):

    Labour 44% (–)
    Conservative 29% (-3)
    Liberal Democrat 11% (+1)
    Reform UK 6% (+2)
    Green 5% (+1)
    Scottish National Party 3% (-1)
    Other 1% (–)

    Changes +/- 16 April

    Broken, sleazy Tories on the slide!
    Yes. That’s my prediction for the coming months.

    I have formed this Daffodil Hypothesis based on counting the boobs over successive years.

    Take a look at latest graphical chart. I want you to see boobs, so I have helpfully pointed at them.



    Now, here’s the clever bit.

    to be specific, my distinctive psephology is predicting a pert titty to appear right in front of you on right end of this graph. This would indicate Sunak enjoyed a perky polling period in April. There is no disputing the chart shows Tories enjoy Spring bounce in this parliament - just look at both of them, like a pornhub stepmom lying back whilst her neighbours son is earning his red badge of courage for bobajob week.

    But if proven we have reached latest teat of cessation, supports the underlying Daffodil Hypothesis, it wasn’t down to Rishi or his policy wins at all - it was simply April. Despite everything, the Tories doing well every April. Just shame about the other eleven months.

    Tell me I am reading the graph wrong, but, this third boob to form perfectly, like the most eye catching stalagmite, the Daffodil Hypothesis would show clear trend for Tories from their spring protrusions:
    2021 fig a) miles in front,
    2022 fig b) Boris just 4 points behind,
    2023 fig c) Tories teated out absolutely nowhere.
  • AnabobazinaAnabobazina Posts: 23,792
    A nontrivial number of people at 3pm yesterday would have been

    • Sleeping
    • Having sex
    • Talking to an infirm relative
    • Getting married
    • At a funeral

    When did the government write to people to ask them if they wanted to be included in their 'test'?



  • RandallFlaggRandallFlagg Posts: 1,314

    Cookie said:

    algarkirk said:

    Cookie said:

    O/T - my Dad - apropros of nothing at all - has just announced he won't be watching the coronation, doesn't expect the monarchy to last much longer and has realises he sees this as no bad thing.
    He has never been a simpering monarchist but has been certainly no republican while the queen was alive.
    If Charles is losing the support of even his own generation he is in trouble.

    Pretty much to be expected from a few million people who have seen a slight culture shift since 1953.

    But the monarchy will not be abolished in the foreseeable time scale.
    The interesting questions are elsewhere - like what shape, what form, what functions, what style, what funding.

    In electoral FPTP politics it is unthinkable that a party who could win an election will put abolition or a referendum in a manifesto. The maths is simple. Few will transfer their votes that way because of the pledge - it just isn't that big an issue for republicans. But some will not do so because of it, and some will transfer the other way because of it. Monarchy's defenders feel more strongly than opponents.

    In YM language such a move would be bold and courageous. So there is no mechanism to get it to happen.

    "Vote Labour get President Blair/Branson/Beckham" is not a winner.
    It hasn't historically been a big issue for Republicans because the monarch was pretty competent. I wonder if that will change if the current incumbent turns out to be rubbish at it.
    I'm not sure that's true.

    George VI and Elizabeth II were excellent. George V wasn't bad. Edward VII was OK once on the throne. Victoria essentially learnt on the job. Well respected by the end but endured several bouts of republican sentiment during her reign.

    Edward VIII was a real shit and was basically ousted by elected politicians. George IV was such a tosspot that The Times wrote excoriating editorials about him, including the day after his farcical coronation.

    George III was actually not bad I think. George I and George II were just strange absentee Germans - a bit of an establishment coup at the time - that provoked revolts. You then go back to the Stuarts and find real idiots. Again, two of them overthrown.

    The real question is whether, in future, the institution can survive a stinker or whether they just get manoeuvred out for the next in line.

    Britain being Britain our culture suggests much more the latter.

    We are a land of history and heritage, our monarchy is unique and distinctive and republics are really fucking boring.
    I think the 2019 GE election killed off any chance of a republic being established for a generation, even if Charles does turn out to be a bit crap:
    -Defeat of Corbyn and his acolytes who might have thought about trying to get rid of the monarchy if they had felt secure enough in power
    -Labour getting badly burned by Brexit means there's no chance of a centrist Labour party risking getting on the wrong side of a constitutional issue.
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