@BestForBritain 7m Sunak’s five goals going well, I see. Growth 0.0%; Inflation falling slower than expected; NHS waiting lists growing faster; and no boats “stopped” - unless you count scheduled ones from Dover, delayed by queues.
And now UK debt to GDP hits a record high. I make that 0/5. 👍 ~AA
What's going on? Only a matter of weeks ago I was assured on here that growth was on the up and Labour's fox was well and truly shot.
Oh do keep up. Just this morning we are told tax receipts are up which means, erm, we can afford to cut taxes:-
To be fair, the same article points out that March borrowing was the highest since 1961 so maybe we are not out of the woods just yet.
Does it mean last minute tax cuts are being funded by Sunak and Hunt’s sneaky fiscal drag?
How does taking with one hand and giving a bit of it back with another, at the last minute after all these years of failure and chaos, boost a party in the polls? The sheer cheek of it will most likely take points off their poll rating. 😦
1-7 still available on Biden as Democratic nominee at Ladbrokes, if you think he lives and is not beaten in a primary.
I'm guessing that wouldn't pay out for 18 months until it's formally confirmed at Democratic Convention. Doesn't seem a great idea given money is locked away at a time of high inflation, and the actuarial risk of death in the next year for an 80 year old is over 6% (leaving aside the risk of a serious challenge emerging etc).
So Biden is currently aged 80. If he wins the race to be re-elected, he will stand down on Jan 20th, 2029, aged 86. Can’t help thinking it’s the wrong call, but there does appear to be something of a dearth of talent at the top of his party. And the other party.
Harris might come under the spotlight more than last time.
1-7 still available on Biden as Democratic nominee at Ladbrokes, if you think he lives and is not beaten in a primary.
1/7 for a bet that will not pay out until August *next* year is hardly tempting. That is when the nominee is confirmed at the party convention.
If the chance of his being alive and confirmed is 95%, that's a 5% chance of losing 100%, and a 95% chance of getting 14% on your money, which comes out to an expected return of 8.3%.
US aviation authorities suspend Starship launches pending a full accident investigation, which is standard procedure.
The launch pad itself suffered significant damage, and there was more debris kicked up than expected, some of which fell outside the human exclusion zone. Debris from the final explosion, caused by an automated self-destruct ‘flight termination system’ after the first stage failed to achieve its objectives, rained down for hours in the local area off the coast of Texas.
They’re going to have to rebuild the pad, and come up with a much better exhaust suppression system. Which, to be fair, they were planning anyway.
So Biden is currently aged 80. If he wins the race to be re-elected, he will stand down on Jan 20th, 2029, aged 86. Can’t help thinking it’s the wrong call, but there does appear to be something of a dearth of talent at the top of his party. And the other party.
I wonder if he'd be doing it if the GOP had managed to detrumpify?
So Biden is currently aged 80. If he wins the race to be re-elected, he will stand down on Jan 20th, 2029, aged 86. Can’t help thinking it’s the wrong call, but there does appear to be something of a dearth of talent at the top of his party. And the other party.
Harris might come under the spotlight more than last time.
Somewhwat, yes. She’s been pretty much invisible as Veep for the past two years, and will be a drag on the ticket. There was a brief window of opportunity to kick her up to the Supreme Court, but that’s probably now passed.
So Biden is currently aged 80. If he wins the race to be re-elected, he will stand down on Jan 20th, 2029, aged 86. Can’t help thinking it’s the wrong call, but there does appear to be something of a dearth of talent at the top of his party. And the other party.
I'm not actually sure there really is a dearth of talent in either party - there are several credible Senators, Governors, and cabinet members who might not all survive the hard kicking of the tyres provided by a primary process, but on paper are the equivalent of major party nominees of the past.
Ultimately, Biden promised to be a "bridge to the future" but is enjoying it too much and has become a bed-blocker. I don't mind him, but that's the reality.
So Biden is currently aged 80. If he wins the race to be re-elected, he will stand down on Jan 20th, 2029, aged 86. Can’t help thinking it’s the wrong call, but there does appear to be something of a dearth of talent at the top of his party. And the other party.
I wonder if he'd be doing it if the GOP had managed to detrumpify?
My personal view is yes, he would. Now he's got it, he's loving the job and doesn't want to give it up - that's the long and short of it.
@BestForBritain 7m Sunak’s five goals going well, I see. Growth 0.0%; Inflation falling slower than expected; NHS waiting lists growing faster; and no boats “stopped” - unless you count scheduled ones from Dover, delayed by queues.
And now UK debt to GDP hits a record high. I make that 0/5. 👍 ~AA
What's going on? Only a matter of weeks ago I was assured on here that growth was on the up and Labour's fox was well and truly shot.
Growth should come in at c.0.6% for the first quarter. Borrowing came in £13bn below target.
So Biden is currently aged 80. If he wins the race to be re-elected, he will stand down on Jan 20th, 2029, aged 86. Can’t help thinking it’s the wrong call, but there does appear to be something of a dearth of talent at the top of his party. And the other party.
Harris might come under the spotlight more than last time.
Somewhwat, yes. She’s been pretty much invisible as Veep for the past two years, and will be a drag on the ticket. There was a brief window of opportunity to kick her up to the Supreme Court, but that’s probably now passed.
She's been tied down in Washington as the casting vote in a tied Senate. That is no longer the case so perhaps we'll see more of her. Whether that is a good thing for Biden or not I don't know.
So Biden is currently aged 80. If he wins the race to be re-elected, he will stand down on Jan 20th, 2029, aged 86. Can’t help thinking it’s the wrong call, but there does appear to be something of a dearth of talent at the top of his party. And the other party.
I'm not actually sure there really is a dearth of talent in either party - there are several credible Senators, Governors, and cabinet members who might not all survive the hard kicking of the tyres provided by a primary process, but on paper are the equivalent of major party nominees of the past.
Ultimately, Biden promised to be a "bridge to the future" but is enjoying it too much and has become a bed-blocker. I don't mind him, but that's the reality.
Gavin Newsom seems to be positioning himself to be ready should anything happen to Biden.
So Biden is currently aged 80. If he wins the race to be re-elected, he will stand down on Jan 20th, 2029, aged 86. Can’t help thinking it’s the wrong call, but there does appear to be something of a dearth of talent at the top of his party. And the other party.
There's lots of talent: Whitmer, Polis, Warnock, Buttigieg, KLOBUCHAR. The problem with making a switch - apart from the fact that no politician who gets power ever gives it up before they have to - is that the next in line isn't one of those people, it's Kamala Harris.
So Biden is currently aged 80. If he wins the race to be re-elected, he will stand down on Jan 20th, 2029, aged 86. Can’t help thinking it’s the wrong call, but there does appear to be something of a dearth of talent at the top of his party. And the other party.
Harris might come under the spotlight more than last time.
I'm not sure. She has a poor but not awful approval rating and, while she doesn't lift the ticket, she doesn't damage it much either.
The risk with VP candidates is that they attract "a heartbeat away from the Presidency" attacks (see Palin or Quayle). People may not be enthused by Harris, and she's not a shoo-in for Democratic candidate in 2028 as one might have guessed a couple of years ago - but she's a known quantity and could plausibly do the job.
Biden is going to let the worst kept secret known to man out of the bag this morning apparently, and announce a 2024 run.
Worth reiterating: while Trump is riding high in the GOP stakes it is very hard to see Biden losing 2024, IMHO.
Trump is only a couple of per cent behind Biden in polling. That's why one should prefer that Trump was not on the ballot.
An Independent Republican spoiler is needed to split the Republican vote. Trump is a RINO anyway and only has the support of two-thirds of Republicans. Some actively loath and fear him. I can see a spoiler candidate entering the race for those Republicans who cannot bring themselves to vote Democrat but who fear and despise Trump.
So Biden is currently aged 80. If he wins the race to be re-elected, he will stand down on Jan 20th, 2029, aged 86. Can’t help thinking it’s the wrong call, but there does appear to be something of a dearth of talent at the top of his party. And the other party.
I wonder if he'd be doing it if the GOP had managed to detrumpify?
My personal view is yes, he would. Now he's got it, he's loving the job and doesn't want to give it up - that's the long and short of it.
Had Trump already gone there’s probably be a serious primary challenge by younger Democrats, though.
The UK is permanently losing thousands of doctors overseas each year, analysis of official figures suggests.
More than half of doctors who have left the UK medical register told an official survey by the General Medical Council that they were both unlikely and unwilling to return.
Separate figures from the doctors’ regulator show that 4,843 individuals moved abroad to practise medicine last year.
Doctors have reported overseas recruiters from countries such as New Zealand, Canada and Australia capitalising on NHS industrial disputes to fill gaps in their own workforce.
While the UK medical workforce is growing, it is itself heavily reliant on overseas medical recruitment, with almost a third of UK doctors foreign-trained.
So Biden is currently aged 80. If he wins the race to be re-elected, he will stand down on Jan 20th, 2029, aged 86. Can’t help thinking it’s the wrong call, but there does appear to be something of a dearth of talent at the top of his party. And the other party.
Indeed. The USA has a population of 330 million. Biden and Trump are the best they can do. Hmm
US aviation authorities suspend Starship launches pending a full accident investigation, which is standard procedure.
The launch pad itself suffered significant damage, and there was more debris kicked up than expected, some of which fell outside the human exclusion zone. Debris from the final explosion, caused by an automated self-destruct ‘flight termination system’ after the first stage failed to achieve its objectives, rained down for hours in the local area off the coast of Texas.
They’re going to have to rebuild the pad, and come up with a much better exhaust suppression system. Which, to be fair, they were planning anyway.
*) The pad system didn't work. Although I await details, I'm far from convinced that the proposed workaround will work, either. There are reasons NASA and others do it the way they do. In this case, the best part are many more parts - especially if you want to do regular launches. It is somewhere that over-engineering really would pay off.
*) The Raptor engines just aren't reliable.
Some are excusing the latter with an assumption that they got hit by debris from the pad. Whilst I can imagine some of the early ones failing to that cause; I doubt those that failed after a minute or more was due to that.
They've been regularly losing Raptors on the test stand.
So Biden is currently aged 80. If he wins the race to be re-elected, he will stand down on Jan 20th, 2029, aged 86. Can’t help thinking it’s the wrong call, but there does appear to be something of a dearth of talent at the top of his party. And the other party.
I'm not actually sure there really is a dearth of talent in either party - there are several credible Senators, Governors, and cabinet members who might not all survive the hard kicking of the tyres provided by a primary process, but on paper are the equivalent of major party nominees of the past.
Ultimately, Biden promised to be a "bridge to the future" but is enjoying it too much and has become a bed-blocker. I don't mind him, but that's the reality.
Gavin Newsom seems to be positioning himself to be ready should anything happen to Biden.
Newsom and Gavin. You’ve hit the trigger words for RCS to respond 😦
The UK is permanently losing thousands of doctors overseas each year, analysis of official figures suggests.
More than half of doctors who have left the UK medical register told an official survey by the General Medical Council that they were both unlikely and unwilling to return.
Separate figures from the doctors’ regulator show that 4,843 individuals moved abroad to practise medicine last year.
Doctors have reported overseas recruiters from countries such as New Zealand, Canada and Australia capitalising on NHS industrial disputes to fill gaps in their own workforce.
While the UK medical workforce is growing, it is itself heavily reliant on overseas medical recruitment, with almost a third of UK doctors foreign-trained.
British taxpayers pay most of their university fees. They should stay here.
How would that work?
The reality is people go where they are paid the most.
And we aren't paying them enough so Australia are finding it incredibly easy to recruit UK trained staff because they pay more, offer better working conditions and more sun.
US aviation authorities suspend Starship launches pending a full accident investigation, which is standard procedure.
The launch pad itself suffered significant damage, and there was more debris kicked up than expected, some of which fell outside the human exclusion zone. Debris from the final explosion, caused by an automated self-destruct ‘flight termination system’ after the first stage failed to achieve its objectives, rained down for hours in the local area off the coast of Texas.
They’re going to have to rebuild the pad, and come up with a much better exhaust suppression system. Which, to be fair, they were planning anyway.
*) The pad system didn't work. Although I await details, I'm far from convinced that the proposed workaround will work, either. There are reasons NASA and others do it the way they do. In this case, the best part are many more parts - especially if you want to do regular launches. It is somewhere that over-engineering really would pay off.
*) The Raptor engines just aren't reliable.
Some are excusing the latter with an assumption that they got hit by debris from the pad. Whilst I can imagine some of the early ones failing to that cause; I doubt those that failed after a minute or more was due to that.
They've been regularly losing Raptors on the test stand.
Angry Astronaut on the damage to the pad. It's quite impressive (the damage, not the presenter, who is still in the character stage)
US aviation authorities suspend Starship launches pending a full accident investigation, which is standard procedure.
The launch pad itself suffered significant damage, and there was more debris kicked up than expected, some of which fell outside the human exclusion zone. Debris from the final explosion, caused by an automated self-destruct ‘flight termination system’ after the first stage failed to achieve its objectives, rained down for hours in the local area off the coast of Texas.
They’re going to have to rebuild the pad, and come up with a much better exhaust suppression system. Which, to be fair, they were planning anyway.
*) The pad system didn't work. Although I await details, I'm far from convinced that the proposed workaround will work, either. There are reasons NASA and others do it the way they do. In this case, the best part are many more parts - especially if you want to do regular launches. It is somewhere that over-engineering really would pay off.
*) The Raptor engines just aren't reliable.
Some are excusing the latter with an assumption that they got hit by debris from the pad. Whilst I can imagine some of the early ones failing to that cause; I doubt those that failed after a minute or more was due to that.
They've been regularly losing Raptors on the test stand.
Angry Astronaut on the damage to the pad. It's quite impressive (the damage, not the presenter, who is still in the character stage)
Unfortunately I cannot stand Angry Astronaut. I find him utterly unwatchable and unlistenable.
But yes, the damage is quite severe. And predictable - although I am surprised that it did that much damage to one of the stretcher beams at the base, which now consists of just rebar.
Biden is going to let the worst kept secret known to man out of the bag this morning apparently, and announce a 2024 run.
Worth reiterating: while Trump is riding high in the GOP stakes it is very hard to see Biden losing 2024, IMHO.
Trump is only a couple of per cent behind Biden in polling. That's why one should prefer that Trump was not on the ballot.
Quinnipiac University has released a national survey that found Biden edging Trump 49% to 45% in a hypothetical 2024 matchup.
A recent ABC News/Ipsos poll revealed Biden's approval up nearly 10-points over Trump, locking in a 34% favorability rate among Americans compared to 25% who have a favorable opinion of the former president.
US aviation authorities suspend Starship launches pending a full accident investigation, which is standard procedure.
The launch pad itself suffered significant damage, and there was more debris kicked up than expected, some of which fell outside the human exclusion zone. Debris from the final explosion, caused by an automated self-destruct ‘flight termination system’ after the first stage failed to achieve its objectives, rained down for hours in the local area off the coast of Texas.
They’re going to have to rebuild the pad, and come up with a much better exhaust suppression system. Which, to be fair, they were planning anyway.
US aviation authorities suspend Starship launches pending a full accident investigation, which is standard procedure.
The launch pad itself suffered significant damage, and there was more debris kicked up than expected, some of which fell outside the human exclusion zone. Debris from the final explosion, caused by an automated self-destruct ‘flight termination system’ after the first stage failed to achieve its objectives, rained down for hours in the local area off the coast of Texas.
They’re going to have to rebuild the pad, and come up with a much better exhaust suppression system. Which, to be fair, they were planning anyway.
So Biden is currently aged 80. If he wins the race to be re-elected, he will stand down on Jan 20th, 2029, aged 86. Can’t help thinking it’s the wrong call, but there does appear to be something of a dearth of talent at the top of his party. And the other party.
I'm not actually sure there really is a dearth of talent in either party - there are several credible Senators, Governors, and cabinet members who might not all survive the hard kicking of the tyres provided by a primary process, but on paper are the equivalent of major party nominees of the past.
Ultimately, Biden promised to be a "bridge to the future" but is enjoying it too much and has become a bed-blocker. I don't mind him, but that's the reality.
US aviation authorities suspend Starship launches pending a full accident investigation, which is standard procedure.
The launch pad itself suffered significant damage, and there was more debris kicked up than expected, some of which fell outside the human exclusion zone. Debris from the final explosion, caused by an automated self-destruct ‘flight termination system’ after the first stage failed to achieve its objectives, rained down for hours in the local area off the coast of Texas.
They’re going to have to rebuild the pad, and come up with a much better exhaust suppression system. Which, to be fair, they were planning anyway.
*) The pad system didn't work. Although I await details, I'm far from convinced that the proposed workaround will work, either. There are reasons NASA and others do it the way they do. In this case, the best part are many more parts - especially if you want to do regular launches. It is somewhere that over-engineering really would pay off.
*) The Raptor engines just aren't reliable.
Some are excusing the latter with an assumption that they got hit by debris from the pad. Whilst I can imagine some of the early ones failing to that cause; I doubt those that failed after a minute or more was due to that.
They've been regularly losing Raptors on the test stand.
Angry Astronaut on the damage to the pad. It's quite impressive (the damage, not the presenter, who is still in the character stage)
Unfortunately I cannot stand Angry Astronaut. I find him utterly unwatchable and unlistenable.
But yes, the damage is quite severe. And predictable - although I am surprised that it did that much damage to one of the stretcher beams at the base, which now consists of just rebar.
I like his focus on the British Space Program (which unsurprisingly is in the shit because Virgin Orbit went bust and nobody(?) is using the Scottish site). But he is still stuck in the character schtick which just makes him look stupid. Compare and contrast to the Everyday Astronaut, who dropped it, dressed like a normal person and is now going to the Moon on the DearMoon launch.
So Biden is currently aged 80. If he wins the race to be re-elected, he will stand down on Jan 20th, 2029, aged 86. Can’t help thinking it’s the wrong call, but there does appear to be something of a dearth of talent at the top of his party. And the other party.
There's lots of talent: Whitmer, Polis, Warnock, Buttigieg, KLOBUCHAR. The problem with making a switch - apart from the fact that no politician who gets power ever gives it up before they have to - is that the next in line isn't one of those people, it's Kamala Harris.
Roy Cooper is going to be term limited in North Carolina.
So Biden is currently aged 80. If he wins the race to be re-elected, he will stand down on Jan 20th, 2029, aged 86. Can’t help thinking it’s the wrong call, but there does appear to be something of a dearth of talent at the top of his party. And the other party.
Indeed. The USA has a population of 330 million. Biden and Trump are the best they can do. Hmm
Obviously they are not - just as with our recent PMs.
But in both cases, contingency, and not ability decides.
Biden is going to let the worst kept secret known to man out of the bag this morning apparently, and announce a 2024 run.
Worth reiterating: while Trump is riding high in the GOP stakes it is very hard to see Biden losing 2024, IMHO.
Trump is only a couple of per cent behind Biden in polling. That's why one should prefer that Trump was not on the ballot.
Quinnipiac University has released a national survey that found Biden edging Trump 49% to 45% in a hypothetical 2024 matchup.
A recent ABC News/Ipsos poll revealed Biden's approval up nearly 10-points over Trump, locking in a 34% favorability rate among Americans compared to 25% who have a favorable opinion of the former president.
USA voters are I think extremely inelastic in presidential races. Far more so than GEs here. A 3 point shift in a state (GA for instance) is considered absolutely ginormous wherewas at most GEs here that sort of swing barely registers.
So Biden is currently aged 80. If he wins the race to be re-elected, he will stand down on Jan 20th, 2029, aged 86. Can’t help thinking it’s the wrong call, but there does appear to be something of a dearth of talent at the top of his party. And the other party.
I'm not actually sure there really is a dearth of talent in either party - there are several credible Senators, Governors, and cabinet members who might not all survive the hard kicking of the tyres provided by a primary process, but on paper are the equivalent of major party nominees of the past.
Ultimately, Biden promised to be a "bridge to the future" but is enjoying it too much and has become a bed-blocker. I don't mind him, but that's the reality.
The GOP platform is likely to be as much a problem for them as the choice of candidate.
2024 Republicans run into political buzz saw on abortion https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/3967236-2024-republicans-run-into-political-buzz-saw-on-abortion/ Republicans are running into a political buzz saw on abortion, with the party’s presidential candidates facing serious pressure to adopt highly restrictive policies that others in the GOP fear will cost the party the White House next year. Former President Trump, the frontrunner for the 2024 GOP nomination, received significant pushback from several high-profile abortion opponent groups last week when his campaign issued a statement suggesting he supported the idea that the issue of abortion should be decided at the state level. Trump sought to defend his record on abortion following the criticism during an event in Iowa, noting the three Supreme Court justices he tapped while in office were ultimately part of the high court’s majority in overturning Roe v. Wade last year. Other potential GOP candidates have taken stricter positions. At a Heritage Foundation event last week, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) drew applause from the crowd when he touted signing a six-week abortion ban in his state. Former Vice President Pence has doubled down on his stance on the abortion pill mifepristone — which has been approved by regulators for 23 years — saying this week he wanted to see it “off the market.” ..
In what way is National insurance not a tax - most tax avoidance schemes focus more on avoiding NI than avoiding income tax.
The clue is in the title.
The clue is in what it is and not its title. In what way is it not a tax? Not having the word tax in the name is the least impressive way of deciding it's not a tax. If government thought the population were that gullible they would be renaming lots of taxes and not include the word tax.
What do you think the treasury does with the money?
So Biden is currently aged 80. If he wins the race to be re-elected, he will stand down on Jan 20th, 2029, aged 86. Can’t help thinking it’s the wrong call, but there does appear to be something of a dearth of talent at the top of his party. And the other party.
I wonder if he'd be doing it if the GOP had managed to detrumpify?
My personal view is yes, he would. Now he's got it, he's loving the job and doesn't want to give it up - that's the long and short of it.
Yes, could be just that. People (esp men) don't usually cede power voluntarily.
The UK is permanently losing thousands of doctors overseas each year, analysis of official figures suggests.
More than half of doctors who have left the UK medical register told an official survey by the General Medical Council that they were both unlikely and unwilling to return.
Separate figures from the doctors’ regulator show that 4,843 individuals moved abroad to practise medicine last year.
Doctors have reported overseas recruiters from countries such as New Zealand, Canada and Australia capitalising on NHS industrial disputes to fill gaps in their own workforce.
While the UK medical workforce is growing, it is itself heavily reliant on overseas medical recruitment, with almost a third of UK doctors foreign-trained.
British taxpayers pay most of their university fees. They should stay here.
How would that work?
The reality is people go where they are paid the most.
And we aren't paying them enough so Australia are finding it incredibly easy to recruit UK trained staff because they pay more, offer better working conditions and more sun.
Well, if it keeps happening, they ought to pay more towards their degree. Why should British taxpayers fund a very expensive degree, only for the degree holders to go elsewhere?
Biden is going to let the worst kept secret known to man out of the bag this morning apparently, and announce a 2024 run.
Worth reiterating: while Trump is riding high in the GOP stakes it is very hard to see Biden losing 2024, IMHO.
Trump is only a couple of per cent behind Biden in polling. That's why one should prefer that Trump was not on the ballot.
Quinnipiac University has released a national survey that found Biden edging Trump 49% to 45% in a hypothetical 2024 matchup.
A recent ABC News/Ipsos poll revealed Biden's approval up nearly 10-points over Trump, locking in a 34% favorability rate among Americans compared to 25% who have a favorable opinion of the former president.
USA voters are I think extremely inelastic in presidential races. Far more so than GEs here. A 3 point shift in a state (GA for instance) is considered absolutely ginormous wherewas at most GEs here that sort of swing barely registers.
They tend to be. But every so often you can get a big swing, which helps rewrite the political map.
It’s not completely impossible next year is one of those elections - but if someone’s going to lose big, it’s more likely the Republicans at the moment.
The UK is permanently losing thousands of doctors overseas each year, analysis of official figures suggests.
More than half of doctors who have left the UK medical register told an official survey by the General Medical Council that they were both unlikely and unwilling to return.
Separate figures from the doctors’ regulator show that 4,843 individuals moved abroad to practise medicine last year.
Doctors have reported overseas recruiters from countries such as New Zealand, Canada and Australia capitalising on NHS industrial disputes to fill gaps in their own workforce.
While the UK medical workforce is growing, it is itself heavily reliant on overseas medical recruitment, with almost a third of UK doctors foreign-trained.
British taxpayers pay most of their university fees. They should stay here.
How would that work?
The reality is people go where they are paid the most.
And we aren't paying them enough so Australia are finding it incredibly easy to recruit UK trained staff because they pay more, offer better working conditions and more sun.
Well, if it keeps happening, they ought to pay more towards their degree. Why should British taxpayers fund a very expensive degree, only for the degree holders to go elsewhere?
If you’re going to do that, or put some sort of significant financial handcuff on newly qualified doctors, you’ll have to pay them more anyway. Or they will start going overseas to qualify.
Envy of the world, said no-one who’s ever lived in another developed country.
Healthcare failing is not just a British problem though, many other countries, across the whole spectrum of organisational systems, have issues with backlogs built up during the pandemic. Canada is a lot worse, as is the US.
What point are you trying to make there? The UK seems rather middling in that list.
I stick to my line that nothing is more important than health and we should invest more in it, in the people who deliver health services, in the infrastructure, in health education, in nudging people towards healthier lifestyles.
How's that going to be paid for? Taxes. But as I said 'nothing is more important than health'.
Your approach is the bad old way of thinking that got us into this mess
Health OUTCOMES matter. Health spending is secondary.
The UK is permanently losing thousands of doctors overseas each year, analysis of official figures suggests.
More than half of doctors who have left the UK medical register told an official survey by the General Medical Council that they were both unlikely and unwilling to return.
Separate figures from the doctors’ regulator show that 4,843 individuals moved abroad to practise medicine last year.
Doctors have reported overseas recruiters from countries such as New Zealand, Canada and Australia capitalising on NHS industrial disputes to fill gaps in their own workforce.
While the UK medical workforce is growing, it is itself heavily reliant on overseas medical recruitment, with almost a third of UK doctors foreign-trained.
British taxpayers pay most of their university fees. They should stay here.
How would that work?
The reality is people go where they are paid the most.
And we aren't paying them enough so Australia are finding it incredibly easy to recruit UK trained staff because they pay more, offer better working conditions and more sun.
Well, if it keeps happening, they ought to pay more towards their degree. Why should British taxpayers fund a very expensive degree, only for the degree holders to go elsewhere?
Look at all the foreign-trained doctors and nurses working here. Should the NHS refund their governments?
From my admittedly limited knowledge of junior hospital doctors, it's not just about money and there might be some low hanging fruit sorting out their working conditions.
Envy of the world, said no-one who’s ever lived in another developed country.
Healthcare failing is not just a British problem though, many other countries, across the whole spectrum of organisational systems, have issues with backlogs built up during the pandemic. Canada is a lot worse, as is the US.
What point are you trying to make there? The UK seems rather middling in that list.
I stick to my line that nothing is more important than health and we should invest more in it, in the people who deliver health services, in the infrastructure, in health education, in nudging people towards healthier lifestyles.
How's that going to be paid for? Taxes. But as I said 'nothing is more important than health'.
Your approach is the bad old way of thinking that got us into this mess
Health OUTCOMES matter. Health spending is secondary.
People often use the term "invest", especially prominent in the New Labour Era, when they really mean "throw money at the problem"
So Biden is currently aged 80. If he wins the race to be re-elected, he will stand down on Jan 20th, 2029, aged 86. Can’t help thinking it’s the wrong call, but there does appear to be something of a dearth of talent at the top of his party. And the other party.
There's lots of talent: Whitmer, Polis, Warnock, Buttigieg, KLOBUCHAR. The problem with making a switch - apart from the fact that no politician who gets power ever gives it up before they have to - is that the next in line isn't one of those people, it's Kamala Harris.
Roy Cooper is going to be term limited in North Carolina.
He's ruled out standing against Biden.
Ultimately, I think he's too old to credibly challenge Biden. Someone in their 40s or even 50s can talk about passing the baton to a new generation without it sounding too odd. Cooper, at 65, is younger than Biden but not really young enough to pull that off.
Biden is going to let the worst kept secret known to man out of the bag this morning apparently, and announce a 2024 run.
Worth reiterating: while Trump is riding high in the GOP stakes it is very hard to see Biden losing 2024, IMHO.
Trump is only a couple of per cent behind Biden in polling. That's why one should prefer that Trump was not on the ballot.
Quinnipiac University has released a national survey that found Biden edging Trump 49% to 45% in a hypothetical 2024 matchup.
A recent ABC News/Ipsos poll revealed Biden's approval up nearly 10-points over Trump, locking in a 34% favorability rate among Americans compared to 25% who have a favorable opinion of the former president.
USA voters are I think extremely inelastic in presidential races. Far more so than GEs here. A 3 point shift in a state (GA for instance) is considered absolutely ginormous wherewas at most GEs here that sort of swing barely registers.
Every Presidential election since 2000 (2008 aside) has been a battle of attrition, decided by relatively few voters.
Envy of the world, said no-one who’s ever lived in another developed country.
Healthcare failing is not just a British problem though, many other countries, across the whole spectrum of organisational systems, have issues with backlogs built up during the pandemic. Canada is a lot worse, as is the US.
What point are you trying to make there? The UK seems rather middling in that list.
I stick to my line that nothing is more important than health and we should invest more in it, in the people who deliver health services, in the infrastructure, in health education, in nudging people towards healthier lifestyles.
How's that going to be paid for? Taxes. But as I said 'nothing is more important than health'.
Your approach is the bad old way of thinking that got us into this mess
Health OUTCOMES matter. Health spending is secondary.
People often use the term "invest", especially prominent in the New Labour Era, when they really mean "throw money at the problem"
Likewise, they use the term "efficiency" when they really mean "stop dedicating any money at all to solving the problem". Particularly prominent in the post-2010 Conservative era.
The SNP’s former Treasurer Colin Beattie has told journalists that he “didn’t know” about the SNP’s motorhome. He was asked: “Did you know about the motorhome purchase and did you sign it off?” He replied: “No, I didn’t know about it.” Mr Beattie then walked away from the group.
British evacuation operation under way in Khartoum. Initially room for 2,000 nationals on a number of military flights, also looking into a naval evacuation from Port Sudan, with two vessels in the area.
Much media bloviating yesterday about why hadn't the government done anything. Seems no-one is allowed time to plan stuff nowadays. Far better to just wing it.
Our media is pathetic.
Or our planning is pathetic. Why does the Foreign Office not have plans for evacuations from every potential hotspot?
Depends on the severity surely. They probably did have plans in place, which is why its come together so quickly as they put the plan into practice.
I find it hard to regard the FCO as doing a poor job here.
The SNP’s former Treasurer Colin Beattie has told journalists that he “didn’t know” about the SNP’s motorhome. He was asked: “Did you know about the motorhome purchase and did you sign it off?” He replied: “No, I didn’t know about it.” Mr Beattie then walked away from the group.
He what? That bloody motorhome really is a baffling part of this story. Who, why, where, it's a mess
Biden is going to let the worst kept secret known to man out of the bag this morning apparently, and announce a 2024 run.
Worth reiterating: while Trump is riding high in the GOP stakes it is very hard to see Biden losing 2024, IMHO.
Trump is only a couple of per cent behind Biden in polling. That's why one should prefer that Trump was not on the ballot.
Quinnipiac University has released a national survey that found Biden edging Trump 49% to 45% in a hypothetical 2024 matchup.
A recent ABC News/Ipsos poll revealed Biden's approval up nearly 10-points over Trump, locking in a 34% favorability rate among Americans compared to 25% who have a favorable opinion of the former president.
USA voters are I think extremely inelastic in presidential races. Far more so than GEs here. A 3 point shift in a state (GA for instance) is considered absolutely ginormous wherewas at most GEs here that sort of swing barely registers.
Every Presidential election since 2000 (2008 aside) has been a battle of attrition, decided by relatively few voters.
Low approval ratings but high incumbency returns - the sign of a positive system no doubt.
Biden is going to let the worst kept secret known to man out of the bag this morning apparently, and announce a 2024 run.
Worth reiterating: while Trump is riding high in the GOP stakes it is very hard to see Biden losing 2024, IMHO.
Trump is only a couple of per cent behind Biden in polling. That's why one should prefer that Trump was not on the ballot.
Quinnipiac University has released a national survey that found Biden edging Trump 49% to 45% in a hypothetical 2024 matchup.
A recent ABC News/Ipsos poll revealed Biden's approval up nearly 10-points over Trump, locking in a 34% favorability rate among Americans compared to 25% who have a favorable opinion of the former president.
USA voters are I think extremely inelastic in presidential races. Far more so than GEs here. A 3 point shift in a state (GA for instance) is considered absolutely ginormous wherewas at most GEs here that sort of swing barely registers.
Every Presidential election since 2000 (2008 aside) has been a battle of attrition, decided by relatively few voters.
Low approval ratings but high incumbency returns - the sign of a positive system no doubt.
The SNP’s former Treasurer Colin Beattie has told journalists that he “didn’t know” about the SNP’s motorhome. He was asked: “Did you know about the motorhome purchase and did you sign it off?” He replied: “No, I didn’t know about it.” Mr Beattie then walked away from the group.
The SNP’s former Treasurer Colin Beattie has told journalists that he “didn’t know” about the SNP’s motorhome. He was asked: “Did you know about the motorhome purchase and did you sign it off?” He replied: “No, I didn’t know about it.” Mr Beattie then walked away from the group.
He what? That bloody motorhome really is a baffling part of this story. Who, why, where, it's a mess
It’s bloody amusing.
Up there with Jacqui Smith’s husband ordering PPV porn on expenses.
The GOP platform is likely to be as much a problem for them as the choice of candidate.
2024 Republicans run into political buzz saw on abortion https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/3967236-2024-republicans-run-into-political-buzz-saw-on-abortion/ Republicans are running into a political buzz saw on abortion, with the party’s presidential candidates facing serious pressure to adopt highly restrictive policies that others in the GOP fear will cost the party the White House next year. Former President Trump, the frontrunner for the 2024 GOP nomination, received significant pushback from several high-profile abortion opponent groups last week when his campaign issued a statement suggesting he supported the idea that the issue of abortion should be decided at the state level. Trump sought to defend his record on abortion following the criticism during an event in Iowa, noting the three Supreme Court justices he tapped while in office were ultimately part of the high court’s majority in overturning Roe v. Wade last year. Other potential GOP candidates have taken stricter positions. At a Heritage Foundation event last week, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) drew applause from the crowd when he touted signing a six-week abortion ban in his state. Former Vice President Pence has doubled down on his stance on the abortion pill mifepristone — which has been approved by regulators for 23 years — saying this week he wanted to see it “off the market.” ..
I'm not sure about this.
Abortion is very much a wedge issue, and adopting a hard line puts a cap on the Republican vote. This prevented them from winning the House election by high single figures (which is a pretty common margin for the out-party in a mid-term). But they did still win that election by just under 3% of the vote, and that'd be sufficient for them in a Presidential election.
Highly divisive politics is quite grim for those of us of a moderate, pragmatic mindset. But it can work electorally - if you judge the wedge issue well, it doesn't matter if 45% of people (say) hate you, and indeed the hatred in itself works really well in motivating the 45% who love you. It can't really deliver a blowout win, but presidential politics is binary.
The SNP’s former Treasurer Colin Beattie has told journalists that he “didn’t know” about the SNP’s motorhome. He was asked: “Did you know about the motorhome purchase and did you sign it off?” He replied: “No, I didn’t know about it.” Mr Beattie then walked away from the group.
He what? That bloody motorhome really is a baffling part of this story. Who, why, where, it's a mess
Probably not a fully thought-through strategic decision by the SNP to acquire a "battlebus" then....
The SNP’s former Treasurer Colin Beattie has told journalists that he “didn’t know” about the SNP’s motorhome. He was asked: “Did you know about the motorhome purchase and did you sign it off?” He replied: “No, I didn’t know about it.” Mr Beattie then walked away from the group.
He what? That bloody motorhome really is a baffling part of this story. Who, why, where, it's a mess
It is indeed, especially when looked at in the context of the accounts. At the end of the accounting period (in which there is no evidence of the acquisition of such a vehicle) the SNP had access to something like £200k for fighting future campaigns. To spend more than half of that on a motorhome is genuinely inexplicable. Within months of the apparent purchase Mr Murrell makes an (undeclared) loan to the party of almost the exact size as the purchase because the party is suffering "cash flow problems".
The NEC, the deputy leader, the Treasurer, members of the Cabinet and all of the leadership candidates were simply not told of the expenditure of nearly half of the available money. It's completely weird. Its almost as if a small number of people at the top of the party knew that there was plenty of other money available if it was needed which was not reflected in the official accounts.
The UK is permanently losing thousands of doctors overseas each year, analysis of official figures suggests.
More than half of doctors who have left the UK medical register told an official survey by the General Medical Council that they were both unlikely and unwilling to return.
Separate figures from the doctors’ regulator show that 4,843 individuals moved abroad to practise medicine last year.
Doctors have reported overseas recruiters from countries such as New Zealand, Canada and Australia capitalising on NHS industrial disputes to fill gaps in their own workforce.
While the UK medical workforce is growing, it is itself heavily reliant on overseas medical recruitment, with almost a third of UK doctors foreign-trained.
British taxpayers pay most of their university fees. They should stay here.
How would that work?
The reality is people go where they are paid the most.
And we aren't paying them enough so Australia are finding it incredibly easy to recruit UK trained staff because they pay more, offer better working conditions and more sun.
Well, if it keeps happening, they ought to pay more towards their degree. Why should British taxpayers fund a very expensive degree, only for the degree holders to go elsewhere?
Look at all the foreign-trained doctors and nurses working here. Should the NHS refund their governments?
From my admittedly limited knowledge of junior hospital doctors, it's not just about money and there might be some low hanging fruit sorting out their working conditions.
Things cost what they cost, and trying to squeeze that cost in one direction will always cause the cost to bulge out in another.
Not pretty, not admirable, but not worth fighting. In the end, you will lose.
The SNP’s former Treasurer Colin Beattie has told journalists that he “didn’t know” about the SNP’s motorhome. He was asked: “Did you know about the motorhome purchase and did you sign it off?” He replied: “No, I didn’t know about it.” Mr Beattie then walked away from the group.
He what? That bloody motorhome really is a baffling part of this story. Who, why, where, it's a mess
It is indeed, especially when looked at in the context of the accounts. At the end of the accounting period (in which there is no evidence of the acquisition of such a vehicle) the SNP had access to something like £200k for fighting future campaigns. To spend more than half of that on a motorhome is genuinely inexplicable. Within months of the apparent purchase Mr Murrell makes an (undeclared) loan to the party of almost the exact size as the purchase because the party is suffering "cash flow problems".
The NEC, the deputy leader, the Treasurer, members of the Cabinet and all of the leadership candidates were simply not told of the expenditure of nearly half of the available money. It's completely weird. Its almost as if a small number of people at the top of the party knew that there was plenty of other money available if it was needed which was not reflected in the official accounts.
Douglas Chapman really does deserve a medal for realising the oncoming shit show.
US aviation authorities suspend Starship launches pending a full accident investigation, which is standard procedure.
The launch pad itself suffered significant damage, and there was more debris kicked up than expected, some of which fell outside the human exclusion zone. Debris from the final explosion, caused by an automated self-destruct ‘flight termination system’ after the first stage failed to achieve its objectives, rained down for hours in the local area off the coast of Texas.
They’re going to have to rebuild the pad, and come up with a much better exhaust suppression system. Which, to be fair, they were planning anyway.
*) The pad system didn't work. Although I await details, I'm far from convinced that the proposed workaround will work, either. There are reasons NASA and others do it the way they do. In this case, the best part are many more parts - especially if you want to do regular launches. It is somewhere that over-engineering really would pay off.
*) The Raptor engines just aren't reliable.
Some are excusing the latter with an assumption that they got hit by debris from the pad. Whilst I can imagine some of the early ones failing to that cause; I doubt those that failed after a minute or more was due to that.
They've been regularly losing Raptors on the test stand.
Angry Astronaut on the damage to the pad. It's quite impressive (the damage, not the presenter, who is still in the character stage)
Unfortunately I cannot stand Angry Astronaut. I find him utterly unwatchable and unlistenable.
But yes, the damage is quite severe. And predictable - although I am surprised that it did that much damage to one of the stretcher beams at the base, which now consists of just rebar.
I like his focus on the British Space Program (which unsurprisingly is in the shit because Virgin Orbit went bust and nobody(?) is using the Scottish site). But he is still stuck in the character schtick which just makes him look stupid. Compare and contrast to the Everyday Astronaut, who dropped it, dressed like a normal person and is now going to the Moon on the DearMoon launch.
I think that's fair. I find AA just too negative, and EA too upbeat and optimistic. What I'd really like is a combination of the two: positivity and yay! combined with justifiable criticism.
Incidentally, I listen to several great space podcasts. One UK based one is the Interplanetary Podcast, which IMO is well worth a listen.
Biden is going to let the worst kept secret known to man out of the bag this morning apparently, and announce a 2024 run.
Worth reiterating: while Trump is riding high in the GOP stakes it is very hard to see Biden losing 2024, IMHO.
Trump is only a couple of per cent behind Biden in polling. That's why one should prefer that Trump was not on the ballot.
Quinnipiac University has released a national survey that found Biden edging Trump 49% to 45% in a hypothetical 2024 matchup.
A recent ABC News/Ipsos poll revealed Biden's approval up nearly 10-points over Trump, locking in a 34% favorability rate among Americans compared to 25% who have a favorable opinion of the former president.
USA voters are I think extremely inelastic in presidential races. Far more so than GEs here. A 3 point shift in a state (GA for instance) is considered absolutely ginormous wherewas at most GEs here that sort of swing barely registers.
Every Presidential election since 2000 (2008 aside) has been a battle of attrition, decided by relatively few voters.
I'd argue 2012 wasn't all that divisive an election. It was a fairly close election, but that isn't quite the same thing.
There were quite a few votes "in play" in the sense that I suspect a fair number of people voted for Obama but considered Romney, or vice versa. Ultimately, they split fairly evenly and it was a relatively tight margin in that sense. But it's not like 2020 when a huge proportion decided before the Conventions.
EDIT: Indeed, 2000 wasn't divisive/attritional either. It was famously unbelievably close, but the actual election was a competent VP to a moderate Democrat versus a popular governor running as a compassionate conservative - quite a lot of people saw merits in each.
The UK is permanently losing thousands of doctors overseas each year, analysis of official figures suggests.
More than half of doctors who have left the UK medical register told an official survey by the General Medical Council that they were both unlikely and unwilling to return.
Separate figures from the doctors’ regulator show that 4,843 individuals moved abroad to practise medicine last year.
Doctors have reported overseas recruiters from countries such as New Zealand, Canada and Australia capitalising on NHS industrial disputes to fill gaps in their own workforce.
While the UK medical workforce is growing, it is itself heavily reliant on overseas medical recruitment, with almost a third of UK doctors foreign-trained.
British taxpayers pay most of their university fees. They should stay here.
How would that work?
The reality is people go where they are paid the most.
And we aren't paying them enough so Australia are finding it incredibly easy to recruit UK trained staff because they pay more, offer better working conditions and more sun.
Well, if it keeps happening, they ought to pay more towards their degree. Why should British taxpayers fund a very expensive degree, only for the degree holders to go elsewhere?
Look at all the foreign-trained doctors and nurses working here. Should the NHS refund their governments?
From my admittedly limited knowledge of junior hospital doctors, it's not just about money and there might be some low hanging fruit sorting out their working conditions.
Things cost what they cost, and trying to squeeze that cost in one direction will always cause the cost to bulge out in another.
Not pretty, not admirable, but not worth fighting. In the end, you will lose.
Jeremy Hunt says something along those lines (of squeezing and bulging) in his book Zero, about his time as Health Secretary.
The SNP’s former Treasurer Colin Beattie has told journalists that he “didn’t know” about the SNP’s motorhome. He was asked: “Did you know about the motorhome purchase and did you sign it off?” He replied: “No, I didn’t know about it.” Mr Beattie then walked away from the group.
He what? That bloody motorhome really is a baffling part of this story. Who, why, where, it's a mess
It is indeed, especially when looked at in the context of the accounts. At the end of the accounting period (in which there is no evidence of the acquisition of such a vehicle) the SNP had access to something like £200k for fighting future campaigns. To spend more than half of that on a motorhome is genuinely inexplicable. Within months of the apparent purchase Mr Murrell makes an (undeclared) loan to the party of almost the exact size as the purchase because the party is suffering "cash flow problems".
The NEC, the deputy leader, the Treasurer, members of the Cabinet and all of the leadership candidates were simply not told of the expenditure of nearly half of the available money. It's completely weird. Its almost as if a small number of people at the top of the party knew that there was plenty of other money available if it was needed which was not reflected in the official accounts.
Douglas Chapman really does deserve a medal for realising the oncoming shit show.
Not really, he just thought that as Treasurer and the statutorily responsible person he ought to see the accounts. Others seem to have been more flexible in their approach.
One odd thing though, re-meandering is described as 'expensive' followed by a statement of £200k to do 1km. When I saw 'expensive' I was expecting £1M+. I know fundamentally it's just moving some earth around, but it looks like £200k well spent.
Envy of the world, said no-one who’s ever lived in another developed country.
Healthcare failing is not just a British problem though, many other countries, across the whole spectrum of organisational systems, have issues with backlogs built up during the pandemic. Canada is a lot worse, as is the US.
What point are you trying to make there? The UK seems rather middling in that list.
I stick to my line that nothing is more important than health and we should invest more in it, in the people who deliver health services, in the infrastructure, in health education, in nudging people towards healthier lifestyles.
How's that going to be paid for? Taxes. But as I said 'nothing is more important than health'.
Your approach is the bad old way of thinking that got us into this mess
Health OUTCOMES matter. Health spending is secondary.
People often use the term "invest", especially prominent in the New Labour Era, when they really mean "throw money at the problem"
Likewise, they use the term "efficiency" when they really mean "stop dedicating any money at all to solving the problem". Particularly prominent in the post-2010 Conservative era.
With the associated grifting consultancies performing "lean" activities and making a fortune on the back of it while delivering what exactly ? It is just as facile as new labour's throw money at it to fix it approach.
However much money goes to the NHS it never seems to be enough and never will be.
It is clearly not fit for purpose as is and throwing money at it won't solve it, neither will sending highly paid consultants in to do cost saving analyses. So where do we go.
As StillWaters says, the health outcomes are what should matter. The problem is the NHS is treated with undue reverence in this country so seems beyond critical analysis. It is either spend your way out of trouble or get PWC in to look at the cost of pencils.
The SNP’s former Treasurer Colin Beattie has told journalists that he “didn’t know” about the SNP’s motorhome. He was asked: “Did you know about the motorhome purchase and did you sign it off?” He replied: “No, I didn’t know about it.” Mr Beattie then walked away from the group.
He what? That bloody motorhome really is a baffling part of this story. Who, why, where, it's a mess
It is indeed, especially when looked at in the context of the accounts. At the end of the accounting period (in which there is no evidence of the acquisition of such a vehicle) the SNP had access to something like £200k for fighting future campaigns. To spend more than half of that on a motorhome is genuinely inexplicable. Within months of the apparent purchase Mr Murrell makes an (undeclared) loan to the party of almost the exact size as the purchase because the party is suffering "cash flow problems".
The NEC, the deputy leader, the Treasurer, members of the Cabinet and all of the leadership candidates were simply not told of the expenditure of nearly half of the available money. It's completely weird. Its almost as if a small number of people at the top of the party knew that there was plenty of other money available if it was needed which was not reflected in the official accounts.
It's baffling. I thought I understood the original allegation (discussed on here several times over the last 2 years) regarding the SNP independence fund.
The story made sense; the SNP needed cash, it had cash, and at least some people thought they could spend the cash it had. Then Murrell bailed it out, a bit, to stem the damage and/or dissuade donors from raising complaints publicly. The piggy bank would be quietly refilled, only political weirdos would even notice.
The SNP’s former Treasurer Colin Beattie has told journalists that he “didn’t know” about the SNP’s motorhome. He was asked: “Did you know about the motorhome purchase and did you sign it off?” He replied: “No, I didn’t know about it.” Mr Beattie then walked away from the group.
He what? That bloody motorhome really is a baffling part of this story. Who, why, where, it's a mess
I assumed it was scheme to raise campaign funds by operating a mobile crystal meth lab.
The GOP platform is likely to be as much a problem for them as the choice of candidate.
2024 Republicans run into political buzz saw on abortion https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/3967236-2024-republicans-run-into-political-buzz-saw-on-abortion/ Republicans are running into a political buzz saw on abortion, with the party’s presidential candidates facing serious pressure to adopt highly restrictive policies that others in the GOP fear will cost the party the White House next year. Former President Trump, the frontrunner for the 2024 GOP nomination, received significant pushback from several high-profile abortion opponent groups last week when his campaign issued a statement suggesting he supported the idea that the issue of abortion should be decided at the state level. Trump sought to defend his record on abortion following the criticism during an event in Iowa, noting the three Supreme Court justices he tapped while in office were ultimately part of the high court’s majority in overturning Roe v. Wade last year. Other potential GOP candidates have taken stricter positions. At a Heritage Foundation event last week, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) drew applause from the crowd when he touted signing a six-week abortion ban in his state. Former Vice President Pence has doubled down on his stance on the abortion pill mifepristone — which has been approved by regulators for 23 years — saying this week he wanted to see it “off the market.” ..
I'm not sure about this.
Abortion is very much a wedge issue, and adopting a hard line puts a cap on the Republican vote. This prevented them from winning the House election by high single figures (which is a pretty common margin for the out-party in a mid-term). But they did still win that election by just under 3% of the vote, and that'd be sufficient for them in a Presidential election.
Highly divisive politics is quite grim for those of us of a moderate, pragmatic mindset. But it can work electorally - if you judge the wedge issue well, it doesn't matter if 45% of people (say) hate you, and indeed the hatred in itself works really well in motivating the 45% who love you. It can't really deliver a blowout win, but presidential politics is binary.
It was a winning issue for them; it’s a net negative since Dobbs started to have real world consequences. The true believers want ever more extreme restrictions; the vast majority of the US doesn’t. But the true believers still have an outsize voice in the primaries.
It won’t motivate 45% of the electorate. More like 25%, and demotivate some of the 20% balance.
The UK is permanently losing thousands of doctors overseas each year, analysis of official figures suggests.
More than half of doctors who have left the UK medical register told an official survey by the General Medical Council that they were both unlikely and unwilling to return.
Separate figures from the doctors’ regulator show that 4,843 individuals moved abroad to practise medicine last year.
Doctors have reported overseas recruiters from countries such as New Zealand, Canada and Australia capitalising on NHS industrial disputes to fill gaps in their own workforce.
While the UK medical workforce is growing, it is itself heavily reliant on overseas medical recruitment, with almost a third of UK doctors foreign-trained.
British taxpayers pay most of their university fees. They should stay here.
How would that work?
The reality is people go where they are paid the most.
And we aren't paying them enough so Australia are finding it incredibly easy to recruit UK trained staff because they pay more, offer better working conditions and more sun.
Well, if it keeps happening, they ought to pay more towards their degree. Why should British taxpayers fund a very expensive degree, only for the degree holders to go elsewhere?
Look at all the foreign-trained doctors and nurses working here. Should the NHS refund their governments?
From my admittedly limited knowledge of junior hospital doctors, it's not just about money and there might be some low hanging fruit sorting out their working conditions.
Things cost what they cost, and trying to squeeze that cost in one direction will always cause the cost to bulge out in another.
Not pretty, not admirable, but not worth fighting. In the end, you will lose.
Jeremy Hunt says something along those lines (of squeezing and bulging) in his book Zero, about his time as Health Secretary.
Too late to edit my post but as I've looked it up, here is Jeremy Hunt:-
First, the positive: the overall number of frontline clinicians increased by around 45,000, including 11,000 more nurses, ... But then came the unintended consequences: because hospitals wanted even more than 11,000 more nurses, they pulled in staff from community nursing, district nursing and mental health settings. Those community settings then saw their nurse numbers fall: I had squeezed the balloon in one place only to see a bubble emerge somewhere else.
US aviation authorities suspend Starship launches pending a full accident investigation, which is standard procedure.
The launch pad itself suffered significant damage, and there was more debris kicked up than expected, some of which fell outside the human exclusion zone. Debris from the final explosion, caused by an automated self-destruct ‘flight termination system’ after the first stage failed to achieve its objectives, rained down for hours in the local area off the coast of Texas.
They’re going to have to rebuild the pad, and come up with a much better exhaust suppression system. Which, to be fair, they were planning anyway.
*) The pad system didn't work. Although I await details, I'm far from convinced that the proposed workaround will work, either. There are reasons NASA and others do it the way they do. In this case, the best part are many more parts - especially if you want to do regular launches. It is somewhere that over-engineering really would pay off.
*) The Raptor engines just aren't reliable.
Some are excusing the latter with an assumption that they got hit by debris from the pad. Whilst I can imagine some of the early ones failing to that cause; I doubt those that failed after a minute or more was due to that.
They've been regularly losing Raptors on the test stand.
Angry Astronaut on the damage to the pad. It's quite impressive (the damage, not the presenter, who is still in the character stage)
Unfortunately I cannot stand Angry Astronaut. I find him utterly unwatchable and unlistenable.
But yes, the damage is quite severe. And predictable - although I am surprised that it did that much damage to one of the stretcher beams at the base, which now consists of just rebar.
I like his focus on the British Space Program (which unsurprisingly is in the shit because Virgin Orbit went bust and nobody(?) is using the Scottish site). But he is still stuck in the character schtick which just makes him look stupid. Compare and contrast to the Everyday Astronaut, who dropped it, dressed like a normal person and is now going to the Moon on the DearMoon launch.
I think that's fair. I find AA just too negative, and EA too upbeat and optimistic. What I'd really like is a combination of the two: positivity and yay! combined with justifiable criticism.
Incidentally, I listen to several great space podcasts. One UK based one is the Interplanetary Podcast, which IMO is well worth a listen.
The SNP’s former Treasurer Colin Beattie has told journalists that he “didn’t know” about the SNP’s motorhome. He was asked: “Did you know about the motorhome purchase and did you sign it off?” He replied: “No, I didn’t know about it.” Mr Beattie then walked away from the group.
He what? That bloody motorhome really is a baffling part of this story. Who, why, where, it's a mess
It is indeed, especially when looked at in the context of the accounts. At the end of the accounting period (in which there is no evidence of the acquisition of such a vehicle) the SNP had access to something like £200k for fighting future campaigns. To spend more than half of that on a motorhome is genuinely inexplicable. Within months of the apparent purchase Mr Murrell makes an (undeclared) loan to the party of almost the exact size as the purchase because the party is suffering "cash flow problems".
The NEC, the deputy leader, the Treasurer, members of the Cabinet and all of the leadership candidates were simply not told of the expenditure of nearly half of the available money. It's completely weird. Its almost as if a small number of people at the top of the party knew that there was plenty of other money available if it was needed which was not reflected in the official accounts.
It's baffling. I thought I understood the original allegation (discussed on here several times over the last 2 years) regarding the SNP independence fund.
The story made sense; the SNP needed cash, it had cash, and at least some people thought they could spend the cash it had. Then Murrell bailed it out, a bit, to stem the damage and/or dissuade donors from raising complaints publicly. The piggy bank would be quietly refilled, only political weirdos would even notice.
But this bus I have no idea about.
So much of this is a consequence of the distortion caused by the donations of Christine and Colin Weir who won £160m on the Euro lottery. Between 2011 and 2017 they donated £4.5m to the SNP, making the party one best funded in the country with money to splash around in extravagant ways. But Colin Weir is now dead and the donations have dried up. Without them you have a party very used to living high on the hog but without the means to do so.
Sky showing we are using 51.5% gas and just 23.7% renewables just now, no doubt as I look from our balcony to the Gwynt y Mor offshore wind farm they are barely turning and I assume other wind farms across the UK are the same
My car needed defrosting this morning and it’s nearly May!
Frosts in the North East can happen well into May.
Always plant my humble tomatoes and bedding plants out on the last bank holiday in May.
My car was also covered in frost this morning and there was some hail yesterday evening. This is a cold spring.
The GOP platform is likely to be as much a problem for them as the choice of candidate.
2024 Republicans run into political buzz saw on abortion https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/3967236-2024-republicans-run-into-political-buzz-saw-on-abortion/ Republicans are running into a political buzz saw on abortion, with the party’s presidential candidates facing serious pressure to adopt highly restrictive policies that others in the GOP fear will cost the party the White House next year. Former President Trump, the frontrunner for the 2024 GOP nomination, received significant pushback from several high-profile abortion opponent groups last week when his campaign issued a statement suggesting he supported the idea that the issue of abortion should be decided at the state level. Trump sought to defend his record on abortion following the criticism during an event in Iowa, noting the three Supreme Court justices he tapped while in office were ultimately part of the high court’s majority in overturning Roe v. Wade last year. Other potential GOP candidates have taken stricter positions. At a Heritage Foundation event last week, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) drew applause from the crowd when he touted signing a six-week abortion ban in his state. Former Vice President Pence has doubled down on his stance on the abortion pill mifepristone — which has been approved by regulators for 23 years — saying this week he wanted to see it “off the market.” ..
I'm not sure about this.
Abortion is very much a wedge issue, and adopting a hard line puts a cap on the Republican vote. This prevented them from winning the House election by high single figures (which is a pretty common margin for the out-party in a mid-term). But they did still win that election by just under 3% of the vote, and that'd be sufficient for them in a Presidential election.
Highly divisive politics is quite grim for those of us of a moderate, pragmatic mindset. But it can work electorally - if you judge the wedge issue well, it doesn't matter if 45% of people (say) hate you, and indeed the hatred in itself works really well in motivating the 45% who love you. It can't really deliver a blowout win, but presidential politics is binary.
It was a winning issue for them; it’s a net negative since Dobbs started to have real world consequences. The true believers want ever more extreme restrictions; the vast majority of the US doesn’t. But the true believers still have an outsize voice in the primaries.
It won’t motivate 45% of the electorate. More like 25%, and demotivate some of the 20% balance.
For a different set of figures not pulled from my ass.
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/04/08/republican-party-abortion-trap-00091088 .. Now, a four-point question probably best measures where Americans sit on the issue: legal in all cases, legal in most, illegal in all and illegal in most. The 2022 national exit poll used this device, finding that 29 percent of voters believed abortion should be “legal in all cases,” while another 30 percent thought it should be “legal in most cases.” That left 26 percent who thought it should be “illegal in most cases” and only 10 percent who said it should be “illegal in all cases.”
That leaves roughly six-in-10 voters supporting legal abortion in most cases — with the median voter supporting some restrictions — and just over a third who want it to be entirely or mostly illegal…
In what way is National insurance not a tax - most tax avoidance schemes focus more on avoiding NI than avoiding income tax.
The clue is in the title.
The clue is in what it is and not its title. In what way is it not a tax? Not having the word tax in the name is the least impressive way of deciding it's not a tax. If government thought the population were that gullible they would be renaming lots of taxes and not include the word tax.
What do you think the treasury does with the money?
It is effectively a group insurance policy that pays out when someone is sick or on maternity leave and covers as payment towards state pension.
The SNP’s former Treasurer Colin Beattie has told journalists that he “didn’t know” about the SNP’s motorhome. He was asked: “Did you know about the motorhome purchase and did you sign it off?” He replied: “No, I didn’t know about it.” Mr Beattie then walked away from the group.
He what? That bloody motorhome really is a baffling part of this story. Who, why, where, it's a mess
It is indeed, especially when looked at in the context of the accounts. At the end of the accounting period (in which there is no evidence of the acquisition of such a vehicle) the SNP had access to something like £200k for fighting future campaigns. To spend more than half of that on a motorhome is genuinely inexplicable. Within months of the apparent purchase Mr Murrell makes an (undeclared) loan to the party of almost the exact size as the purchase because the party is suffering "cash flow problems".
The NEC, the deputy leader, the Treasurer, members of the Cabinet and all of the leadership candidates were simply not told of the expenditure of nearly half of the available money. It's completely weird. Its almost as if a small number of people at the top of the party knew that there was plenty of other money available if it was needed which was not reflected in the official accounts.
It's baffling. I thought I understood the original allegation (discussed on here several times over the last 2 years) regarding the SNP independence fund.
The story made sense; the SNP needed cash, it had cash, and at least some people thought they could spend the cash it had. Then Murrell bailed it out, a bit, to stem the damage and/or dissuade donors from raising complaints publicly. The piggy bank would be quietly refilled, only political weirdos would even notice.
But this bus I have no idea about.
Was the motor home in the accounts as a fixed asset?
Sky showing we are using 51.5% gas and just 23.7% renewables just now, no doubt as I look from our balcony to the Gwynt y Mor offshore wind farm they are barely turning and I assume other wind farms across the UK are the same
My car needed defrosting this morning and it’s nearly May!
Frosts in the North East can happen well into May.
Always plant my humble tomatoes and bedding plants out on the last bank holiday in May.
My car was also covered in frost this morning and there was some hail yesterday evening. This is a cold spring.
Interesting, although I see your data is for central England rather than Scotland. I would say, subjectively, it has been colder and drier than normal this year.
So Biden is currently aged 80. If he wins the race to be re-elected, he will stand down on Jan 20th, 2029, aged 86. Can’t help thinking it’s the wrong call, but there does appear to be something of a dearth of talent at the top of his party. And the other party.
I wonder if he'd be doing it if the GOP had managed to detrumpify?
My personal view is yes, he would. Now he's got it, he's loving the job and doesn't want to give it up - that's the long and short of it.
Had Trump already gone there’s probably be a serious primary challenge by younger Democrats, though.
Exactly this. If Trump was disposed of by a golf buggy today, the race for the Democratic nomination would start in earnest that evening.
The trauma of 2016 is too raw for the Democrats to risk putting up anyone else against Trump in 2024.
Comments
How does taking with one hand and giving a bit of it back with another, at the last minute after all these years of failure and chaos, boost a party in the polls? The sheer cheek of it will most likely take points off their poll rating. 😦
Please correct me if I have misunderstood this.
Course, if it's only 90%...
The launch pad itself suffered significant damage, and there was more debris kicked up than expected, some of which fell outside the human exclusion zone. Debris from the final explosion, caused by an automated self-destruct ‘flight termination system’ after the first stage failed to achieve its objectives, rained down for hours in the local area off the coast of Texas.
They’re going to have to rebuild the pad, and come up with a much better exhaust suppression system. Which, to be fair, they were planning anyway.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2023/04/25/elon-musk-spacex-starship-rocket-grounded/
Ultimately, Biden promised to be a "bridge to the future" but is enjoying it too much and has become a bed-blocker. I don't mind him, but that's the reality.
http://rtais.wto.org/UI/PublicMaintainRTAHome.aspx
The risk with VP candidates is that they attract "a heartbeat away from the Presidency" attacks (see Palin or Quayle). People may not be enthused by Harris, and she's not a shoo-in for Democratic candidate in 2028 as one might have guessed a couple of years ago - but she's a known quantity and could plausibly do the job.
*) The pad system didn't work. Although I await details, I'm far from convinced that the proposed workaround will work, either. There are reasons NASA and others do it the way they do. In this case, the best part are many more parts - especially if you want to do regular launches. It is somewhere that over-engineering really would pay off.
*) The Raptor engines just aren't reliable.
Some are excusing the latter with an assumption that they got hit by debris from the pad. Whilst I can imagine some of the early ones failing to that cause; I doubt those that failed after a minute or more was due to that.
They've been regularly losing Raptors on the test stand.
The reality is people go where they are paid the most.
And we aren't paying them enough so Australia are finding it incredibly easy to recruit UK trained staff because they pay more, offer better working conditions and more sun.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmCy7UoGIuE
But yes, the damage is quite severe. And predictable - although I am surprised that it did that much damage to one of the stretcher beams at the base, which now consists of just rebar.
A recent ABC News/Ipsos poll revealed Biden's approval up nearly 10-points over Trump, locking in a 34% favorability rate among Americans compared to 25% who have a favorable opinion of the former president.
From Fox News 11th April
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/head-polls-show-trump-weakness-biden-underwater-approval
Space. Very very big
Us. Very very small
https://www2.politicalbetting.com/index.php/archives/2016/07/17/how-do-you-solve-a-problem-like-jeremy-corbyn-and-his-dire-polling/
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/04/25/biden-to-unite-gop-00093586
Dems relish Trump-Biden rematch
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/04/25/biden-trump-2024-democrats-00093493
Touch of complacency, or hubris, on both sides.
But in both cases, contingency, and not ability decides.
Biden announces 2024 reelection bid: ‘This is not a time to be complacent’
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/3797101-biden-announces-2024-reelection-bid/
2024 Republicans run into political buzz saw on abortion
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/3967236-2024-republicans-run-into-political-buzz-saw-on-abortion/
Republicans are running into a political buzz saw on abortion, with the party’s presidential candidates facing serious pressure to adopt highly restrictive policies that others in the GOP fear will cost the party the White House next year.
Former President Trump, the frontrunner for the 2024 GOP nomination, received significant pushback from several high-profile abortion opponent groups last week
when his campaign issued a statement suggesting he supported the idea that the issue of abortion should be decided at the state level.
Trump sought to defend his record on abortion following the criticism during an event in Iowa, noting the three Supreme Court justices he tapped while in office were ultimately part of the high court’s majority in overturning Roe v. Wade last year.
Other potential GOP candidates have taken stricter positions. At a Heritage Foundation event last week, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) drew applause from the crowd when he touted signing a six-week abortion ban in his state. Former Vice President Pence has doubled down on his stance on the abortion pill mifepristone — which has been approved by regulators for 23 years — saying this week he wanted to see it “off the market.” ..
What do you think the treasury does with the money?
But every so often you can get a big swing, which helps rewrite the political map.
It’s not completely impossible next year is one of those elections - but if someone’s going to lose big, it’s more likely the Republicans at the moment.
Health OUTCOMES matter. Health spending is secondary.
From my admittedly limited knowledge of junior hospital doctors, it's not just about money and there might be some low hanging fruit sorting out their working conditions.
Ultimately, I think he's too old to credibly challenge Biden. Someone in their 40s or even 50s can talk about passing the baton to a new generation without it sounding too odd. Cooper, at 65, is younger than Biden but not really young enough to pull that off.
Referred to an an "Only Fools and Horses" Star.
She had a part in one episode as a WPC girlfriend of Rodney. Not a walk on or a bit part but not a starring role either.
It is bizarre to see it reported as such.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/entertainment/celebrity/only-fools-and-horses-star-kate-saunders-dies-age-62-her-family-confirms/ar-AA1aiMUX?ocid=entnewsntp&cvid=72f3cb8c6b0c4d21b0d501211146a1cc&ei=19
The SNP’s former Treasurer Colin Beattie has told journalists that he “didn’t know” about the SNP’s motorhome. He was asked: “Did you know about the motorhome purchase and did you sign it off?” He replied: “No, I didn’t know about it.” Mr Beattie then walked away from the group.
I find it hard to regard the FCO as doing a poor job here.
Up there with Jacqui Smith’s husband ordering PPV porn on expenses.
Abortion is very much a wedge issue, and adopting a hard line puts a cap on the Republican vote. This prevented them from winning the House election by high single figures (which is a pretty common margin for the out-party in a mid-term). But they did still win that election by just under 3% of the vote, and that'd be sufficient for them in a Presidential election.
Highly divisive politics is quite grim for those of us of a moderate, pragmatic mindset. But it can work electorally - if you judge the wedge issue well, it doesn't matter if 45% of people (say) hate you, and indeed the hatred in itself works really well in motivating the 45% who love you. It can't really deliver a blowout win, but presidential politics is binary.
The NEC, the deputy leader, the Treasurer, members of the Cabinet and all of the leadership candidates were simply not told of the expenditure of nearly half of the available money. It's completely weird. Its almost as if a small number of people at the top of the party knew that there was plenty of other money available if it was needed which was not reflected in the official accounts.
Not pretty, not admirable, but not worth fighting. In the end, you will lose.
Colin Beattie signed off the SNP’s 2021 accounts which included motor vehicle assets worth £80k
"Colin is this the worst thing that's ever happened to you?"
"No, I was in Beirut actually when I was under artillery fire - that was worse."
Superb.
Incidentally, I listen to several great space podcasts. One UK based one is the Interplanetary Podcast, which IMO is well worth a listen.
https://www.interplanetary.org.uk/
There were quite a few votes "in play" in the sense that I suspect a fair number of people voted for Obama but considered Romney, or vice versa. Ultimately, they split fairly evenly and it was a relatively tight margin in that sense. But it's not like 2020 when a huge proportion decided before the Conventions.
EDIT: Indeed, 2000 wasn't divisive/attritional either. It was famously unbelievably close, but the actual election was a competent VP to a moderate Democrat versus a popular governor running as a compassionate conservative - quite a lot of people saw merits in each.
One odd thing though, re-meandering is described as 'expensive' followed by a statement of £200k to do 1km. When I saw 'expensive' I was expecting £1M+. I know fundamentally it's just moving some earth around, but it looks like £200k well spent.
However much money goes to the NHS it never seems to be enough and never will be.
It is clearly not fit for purpose as is and throwing money at it won't solve it, neither will sending highly paid consultants in to do cost saving analyses. So where do we go.
As StillWaters says, the health outcomes are what should matter. The problem is the NHS is treated with undue reverence in this country so seems beyond critical analysis. It is either spend your way out of trouble or get PWC in to look at the cost of pencils.
The story made sense; the SNP needed cash, it had cash, and at least some people thought they could spend the cash it had. Then Murrell bailed it out, a bit, to stem the damage and/or dissuade donors from raising complaints publicly. The piggy bank would be quietly refilled, only political weirdos would even notice.
But this bus I have no idea about.
The true believers want ever more extreme restrictions; the vast majority of the US doesn’t. But the true believers still have an outsize voice in the primaries.
It won’t motivate 45% of the electorate. More like 25%, and demotivate some of the 20% balance.
First, the positive: the overall number of frontline clinicians increased by around 45,000, including 11,000 more nurses, ... But then came the unintended consequences: because hospitals wanted even more than 11,000 more nurses, they pulled in staff from community nursing, district nursing and mental health settings. Those community settings then saw their nurse numbers fall: I had squeezed the balloon in one place only to see a bubble emerge somewhere else.
https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/hadobs/hadcet/cet_info_mean.html
Not much sign of it in the data.
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/04/08/republican-party-abortion-trap-00091088
.. Now, a four-point question probably best measures where Americans sit on the issue: legal in all cases, legal in most, illegal in all and illegal in most. The 2022 national exit poll used this device, finding that 29 percent of voters believed abortion should be “legal in all cases,” while another 30 percent thought it should be “legal in most cases.” That left 26 percent who thought it should be “illegal in most cases” and only 10 percent who said it should be “illegal in all cases.”
That leaves roughly six-in-10 voters supporting legal abortion in most cases — with the median voter supporting some restrictions — and just over a third who want it to be entirely or mostly illegal…
Why speeding is good for us" (£)
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/why-speeding-is-good-for-us/
The trauma of 2016 is too raw for the Democrats to risk putting up anyone else against Trump in 2024.