Indeed, two thirds of the seats in the Assembly reversing the 2018 result. It's been a long political road for Oscar Temaru, the founder and President of the Tavini Party since he founded the party (which was then known as the Polynesian Liberation Front) in the 1970s. They've shared power in coalitions but this is the first time they've won an outright majority.
The question is where do they go from here and how will France react?
Anti-independence parties however, won the majority of votes, so a referendum is not going to be won, any time soon.
TBH, I can't see why any overseas territory would wish to break from France. The deal they get is incredible.
Agreed, but I'm not sure it always works that way.
Pride has no price.
It's basically a choice between living in a first world nation or a third world kleptocracy. It's surprising how many would prefer the latter.
Mauritius is not a third world kleptocracy. Nor is Singapore. Nor is Brunei
Interestingly, though, none of those have human rights to what we'd call Western standards.
Singapore has just ruthlessly executed one guy who got caught with 2 pounds of gear.
Taiwan is probably the best model from a human rights perspective. All the more reason to give it unqualified support against mainland threats to its independence.
That’s a really good location. The A6 corridor is sufficiently built up it won’t be trashing any “priceless countryside” or whatever - unless you really like gravel pits. It’s close enough to Leicester to make commuting realistic.
It just needs the GCR to be rebuilt right into the city centre…
(If only. My dad taught in Birstall and we used to live in Rearsby, so I know the area quite well.)
Indeed, two thirds of the seats in the Assembly reversing the 2018 result. It's been a long political road for Oscar Temaru, the founder and President of the Tavini Party since he founded the party (which was then known as the Polynesian Liberation Front) in the 1970s. They've shared power in coalitions but this is the first time they've won an outright majority.
The question is where do they go from here and how will France react?
Anti-independence parties however, won the majority of votes, so a referendum is not going to be won, any time soon.
TBH, I can't see why any overseas territory would wish to break from France. The deal they get is incredible.
Sovereignty. The same as any other territory wanting to run its own affairs, colonial and post colonial history has any number of examples.
The only honest slogan that the Brexiteers could have used here would have been "Poorer, but Sovereign". Of course that wasn't what they campaigned on.
Our arguments rage over tiny amounts of GDP per head.
This seems rather more fundamental to me. And if it's a case of exchanging French sovereignty for Chinese sovereignty, I'd prefer the former.
I could fully see democracy going into reverse this century.
I think people underestimate how much its development and spread has been predicated on the belief it delivers better economic outcomes for more, and that all coincided with the extraordinary 1750-2000 growth period.
Growth is continuing to progress, although often delivered in consumer surplus rather than via financial flows. The biggest problem is "cost disease" in property, higher education and healthcare, mainly driven through incredible returns to the rich driving up prices and costs.
The benefit of democracy is that it has an escape valve before the point of revolution, as long as elections are capable of changing policy. I think a big redistribution push will come in the next 20 years or so.
Indeed, two thirds of the seats in the Assembly reversing the 2018 result. It's been a long political road for Oscar Temaru, the founder and President of the Tavini Party since he founded the party (which was then known as the Polynesian Liberation Front) in the 1970s. They've shared power in coalitions but this is the first time they've won an outright majority.
The question is where do they go from here and how will France react?
Anti-independence parties however, won the majority of votes, so a referendum is not going to be won, any time soon.
TBH, I can't see why any overseas territory would wish to break from France. The deal they get is incredible.
Sovereignty. The same as any other territory wanting to run its own affairs, colonial and post colonial history has any number of examples.
The only honest slogan that the Brexiteers could have used here would have been "Poorer, but Sovereign". Of course that wasn't what they campaigned on.
Our arguments rage over tiny amounts of GDP per head.
This seems rather more fundamental to me. And if it's a case of exchanging French sovereignty for Chinese sovereignty, I'd prefer the former.
I could fully see democracy going into reverse this century.
I think people underestimate how much its development and spread has been predicated on the belief it delivers better economic outcomes for more, and that all coincided with the extraordinary 1750-2000 growth period.
Very much so. If economic growth ended, people would look to boost their own position by grabbing the lands and goods of others, as used to be the norm.
In a way, we're starting to see that in domestic politics in Britain now.
Indeed, two thirds of the seats in the Assembly reversing the 2018 result. It's been a long political road for Oscar Temaru, the founder and President of the Tavini Party since he founded the party (which was then known as the Polynesian Liberation Front) in the 1970s. They've shared power in coalitions but this is the first time they've won an outright majority.
The question is where do they go from here and how will France react?
Anti-independence parties however, won the majority of votes, so a referendum is not going to be won, any time soon.
TBH, I can't see why any overseas territory would wish to break from France. The deal they get is incredible.
Sovereignty. The same as any other territory wanting to run its own affairs, colonial and post colonial history has any number of examples.
The only honest slogan that the Brexiteers could have used here would have been "Poorer, but Sovereign". Of course that wasn't what they campaigned on.
Our arguments rage over tiny amounts of GDP per head.
This seems rather more fundamental to me. And if it's a case of exchanging French sovereignty for Chinese sovereignty, I'd prefer the former.
I could fully see democracy going into reverse this century.
I think people underestimate how much its development and spread has been predicated on the belief it delivers better economic outcomes for more, and that all coincided with the extraordinary 1750-2000 growth period.
Growth is continuing to progress, although often delivered in consumer surplus rather than via financial flows. The biggest problem is "cost disease" in property, higher education and healthcare, mainly driven through incredible returns to the rich driving up prices and costs.
The benefit of democracy is that it has an escape valve before the point of revolution, as long as elections are capable of changing policy. I think a big redistribution push will come in the next 20 years or so.
This is a good comment.
The first para packs in three separate, but pretty acute and profound, truths about the modern economy.
As for the latter, I hope so, but 20 years is a long time away. It’s not obvious our political systems can cope with two more decades of boomer-driven stagnation.
I’m just trying to work out which is the RICHEST colony in the world
Seems to be a close contest between the Faroes - $69k gdp per capita - and the Falklands - $70k GDP per capita
Unless anyone knows of anywhere else?
While not, strictly speaking, a colony, the Isle of Man is on $98k USD.
The big drawback for independence for micro-states is that they depend upon big powers to defend them.
Also, would you want to live there or Gibraltar?
I actually love Gibraltar, it's effectively an outpost of the UK, but you'd live in an expensive pokey flat and microstate your way around the same 2 square miles of territory ad-infinitum.
To be meaningfully wealthy you need the number, and the means to deploy it and enjoy it.
Indeed, two thirds of the seats in the Assembly reversing the 2018 result. It's been a long political road for Oscar Temaru, the founder and President of the Tavini Party since he founded the party (which was then known as the Polynesian Liberation Front) in the 1970s. They've shared power in coalitions but this is the first time they've won an outright majority.
The question is where do they go from here and how will France react?
Anti-independence parties however, won the majority of votes, so a referendum is not going to be won, any time soon.
TBH, I can't see why any overseas territory would wish to break from France. The deal they get is incredible.
Sovereignty. The same as any other territory wanting to run its own affairs, colonial and post colonial history has any number of examples.
The only honest slogan that the Brexiteers could have used here would have been "Poorer, but Sovereign". Of course that wasn't what they campaigned on.
Indeed, two thirds of the seats in the Assembly reversing the 2018 result. It's been a long political road for Oscar Temaru, the founder and President of the Tavini Party since he founded the party (which was then known as the Polynesian Liberation Front) in the 1970s. They've shared power in coalitions but this is the first time they've won an outright majority.
The question is where do they go from here and how will France react?
Anti-independence parties however, won the majority of votes, so a referendum is not going to be won, any time soon.
TBH, I can't see why any overseas territory would wish to break from France. The deal they get is incredible.
Sovereignty. The same as any other territory wanting to run its own affairs, colonial and post colonial history has any number of examples.
The only honest slogan that the Brexiteers could have used here would have been "Poorer, but Sovereign". Of course that wasn't what they campaigned on.
Our arguments rage over tiny amounts of GDP per head.
This seems rather more fundamental to me. And if it's a case of exchanging French sovereignty for Chinese sovereignty, I'd prefer the former.
I could fully see democracy going into reverse this century.
I think people underestimate how much its development and spread has been predicated on the belief it delivers better economic outcomes for more, and that all coincided with the extraordinary 1750-2000 growth period.
Nothing much ever gets done in a democracy due to fear of upsetting one interest group or another. The singapore model is arguably superior, eben Xis china has its advantages.
But, non-democracies are rarely led by Lee Kwan Yiew and his son. They’re more commonly led by the Duvaliers and Ceaucescus.
This land is next to the largest jobs catchment area in Europe, and one where house prices are crowding out the productive middle classes.
You could, literally, build a kind of “Dubai” here, and it would indeed be self-sustaining. It would need to be a massive project, though, and not one the British have much of a track record in.
For a start, you’d need to overcome the cultural snobbery that underpins much of British life.
Indeed, two thirds of the seats in the Assembly reversing the 2018 result. It's been a long political road for Oscar Temaru, the founder and President of the Tavini Party since he founded the party (which was then known as the Polynesian Liberation Front) in the 1970s. They've shared power in coalitions but this is the first time they've won an outright majority.
The question is where do they go from here and how will France react?
Anti-independence parties however, won the majority of votes, so a referendum is not going to be won, any time soon.
TBH, I can't see why any overseas territory would wish to break from France. The deal they get is incredible.
Sovereignty. The same as any other territory wanting to run its own affairs, colonial and post colonial history has any number of examples.
The only honest slogan that the Brexiteers could have used here would have been "Poorer, but Sovereign". Of course that wasn't what they campaigned on.
Our arguments rage over tiny amounts of GDP per head.
This seems rather more fundamental to me. And if it's a case of exchanging French sovereignty for Chinese sovereignty, I'd prefer the former.
I could fully see democracy going into reverse this century.
'Artificial intelligence' is still a bit of a misnomer at the moment, and hopefully it won't happen in my lifetime, but I think in this century there will be bigger issues for the human race to deal with than how they govern themselves.
This is 100 new homes, being built on a floodplain. Connecting to a single main road which is already at crush capacity, loading another 100 families onto already overloaded schools and medical facilities.
Stick 100 new homes in and you don't cause a problem. Do it again and again and again and again and then wonder why people are against new homes. Local topography doesn't allow new roads. Local impoverished council budgets means no new facilities. Littleborough - and frankly the small towns over the top like Mytholmroyd - are overcrowded in a way that feels simply unbelievable compared to how it was in the 80s and 90s.
Planning laws mean that developers build what they want where they want it. No concern for facilities or infrastructure. Just throw them up, charge £stupid to people who are desperate, move on and leave the problem behind.
So yes, build new towns. On the edge of existing towns is more likely and does happen in various places. But stop crushing shitbox new build rabbit hutches in.
Based on this, the Tories are flatlining, Labour still declining, and the Greens should become the biggest party by late Autumn. Is that how this works?
Indeed, two thirds of the seats in the Assembly reversing the 2018 result. It's been a long political road for Oscar Temaru, the founder and President of the Tavini Party since he founded the party (which was then known as the Polynesian Liberation Front) in the 1970s. They've shared power in coalitions but this is the first time they've won an outright majority.
The question is where do they go from here and how will France react?
Anti-independence parties however, won the majority of votes, so a referendum is not going to be won, any time soon.
TBH, I can't see why any overseas territory would wish to break from France. The deal they get is incredible.
Sovereignty. The same as any other territory wanting to run its own affairs, colonial and post colonial history has any number of examples.
The only honest slogan that the Brexiteers could have used here would have been "Poorer, but Sovereign". Of course that wasn't what they campaigned on.
Our arguments rage over tiny amounts of GDP per head.
This seems rather more fundamental to me. And if it's a case of exchanging French sovereignty for Chinese sovereignty, I'd prefer the former.
I could fully see democracy going into reverse this century.
'Artificial intelligence' is still a bit of a misnomer at the moment, and hopefully it won't happen in my lifetime, but I think in this century there will be bigger issues for the human race to deal with than how they govern themselves.
Indeed, two thirds of the seats in the Assembly reversing the 2018 result. It's been a long political road for Oscar Temaru, the founder and President of the Tavini Party since he founded the party (which was then known as the Polynesian Liberation Front) in the 1970s. They've shared power in coalitions but this is the first time they've won an outright majority.
The question is where do they go from here and how will France react?
Anti-independence parties however, won the majority of votes, so a referendum is not going to be won, any time soon.
TBH, I can't see why any overseas territory would wish to break from France. The deal they get is incredible.
Sovereignty. The same as any other territory wanting to run its own affairs, colonial and post colonial history has any number of examples.
The only honest slogan that the Brexiteers could have used here would have been "Poorer, but Sovereign". Of course that wasn't what they campaigned on.
Our arguments rage over tiny amounts of GDP per head.
This seems rather more fundamental to me. And if it's a case of exchanging French sovereignty for Chinese sovereignty, I'd prefer the former.
I could fully see democracy going into reverse this century.
'Artificial intelligence' is still a bit of a misnomer at the moment, and hopefully it won't happen in my lifetime, but I think in this century there will be bigger issues for the human race to deal with than how they govern themselves.
Interesting article on AI as a time wasting exercise here, and also why time wasting is such a driver of technological development
This is 100 new homes, being built on a floodplain. Connecting to a single main road which is already at crush capacity, loading another 100 families onto already overloaded schools and medical facilities.
Stick 100 new homes in and you don't cause a problem. Do it again and again and again and again and then wonder why people are against new homes. Local topography doesn't allow new roads. Local impoverished council budgets means no new facilities. Littleborough - and frankly the small towns over the top like Mytholmroyd - are overcrowded in a way that feels simply unbelievable compared to how it was in the 80s and 90s.
Planning laws mean that developers build what they want where they want it. No concern for facilities or infrastructure. Just throw them up, charge £stupid to people who are desperate, move on and leave the problem behind.
So yes, build new towns. On the edge of existing towns is more likely and does happen in various places. But stop crushing shitbox new build rabbit hutches in.
Indeed, two thirds of the seats in the Assembly reversing the 2018 result. It's been a long political road for Oscar Temaru, the founder and President of the Tavini Party since he founded the party (which was then known as the Polynesian Liberation Front) in the 1970s. They've shared power in coalitions but this is the first time they've won an outright majority.
The question is where do they go from here and how will France react?
Anti-independence parties however, won the majority of votes, so a referendum is not going to be won, any time soon.
TBH, I can't see why any overseas territory would wish to break from France. The deal they get is incredible.
Agreed, but I'm not sure it always works that way.
Pride has no price.
It's basically a choice between living in a first world nation or a third world kleptocracy. It's surprising how many would prefer the latter.
Mauritius is not a third world kleptocracy. Nor is Singapore. Nor is Brunei
Interestingly, though, none of those have human rights to what we'd call Western standards.
Singapore has just ruthlessly executed one guy who got caught with 2 pounds of gear.
To be fair with drugs we need to either go the singapore route where drug dealers are executed or have full legalisation to cut out the criminal gangs. This halfway house we have benefits noone.
Not to mention the rich get their drugs on prescription. And often re-written as NHS prescriptions
I’m just trying to work out which is the RICHEST colony in the world
Seems to be a close contest between the Faroes - $69k gdp per capita - and the Falklands - $70k GDP per capita
Unless anyone knows of anywhere else?
While not, strictly speaking, a colony, the Isle of Man is on $98k USD.
The big drawback for independence for micro-states is that they depend upon big powers to defend them.
Also, would you want to live there or Gibraltar?
I actually love Gibraltar, it's effectively an outpost of the UK, but you'd live in an expensive pokey flat and microstate your way around the same 2 square miles of territory ad-infinitum.
To be meaningfully wealthy you need the number, and the means to deploy it and enjoy it.
That’s where the US low tax states like Colorado and Nevada work well. The super rich can live there and own a vast ranch, but still spend much of their time hobnobbing in NYC or San Francisco.
Based on this, the Tories are flatlining, Labour still declining, and the Greens should become the biggest party by late Autumn. Is that how this works?
Torturing data like that breaks several UN conventions.
Indeed, two thirds of the seats in the Assembly reversing the 2018 result. It's been a long political road for Oscar Temaru, the founder and President of the Tavini Party since he founded the party (which was then known as the Polynesian Liberation Front) in the 1970s. They've shared power in coalitions but this is the first time they've won an outright majority.
The question is where do they go from here and how will France react?
Anti-independence parties however, won the majority of votes, so a referendum is not going to be won, any time soon.
TBH, I can't see why any overseas territory would wish to break from France. The deal they get is incredible.
Agreed, but I'm not sure it always works that way.
Pride has no price.
It's basically a choice between living in a first world nation or a third world kleptocracy. It's surprising how many would prefer the latter.
Mauritius is not a third world kleptocracy. Nor is Singapore. Nor is Brunei
Interestingly, though, none of those have human rights to what we'd call Western standards.
Singapore has just ruthlessly executed one guy who got caught with 2 pounds of gear.
Ruthlessly executed, eh? Better than that wokist compassionate merciful execution nonsense.
Based on this, the Tories are flatlining, Labour still declining, and the Greens should become the biggest party by late Autumn. Is that how this works?
Torturing data like that breaks several UN conventions.
This land is next to the largest jobs catchment area in Europe, and one where house prices are crowding out the productive middle classes.
You could, literally, build a kind of “Dubai” here, and it would indeed be self-sustaining. It would need to be a massive project, though, and not one the British have much of a track record in.
For a start, you’d need to overcome the cultural snobbery that underpins much of British life.
The estuary seems an obvious opportunity. Water resources might be an issue, but then, Dubai. Would need 2 or 3 more river crossings to properly link up the economic zones North and South.
Some good potential viticultural land around there though, so that would need to be preserved.
Indeed, two thirds of the seats in the Assembly reversing the 2018 result. It's been a long political road for Oscar Temaru, the founder and President of the Tavini Party since he founded the party (which was then known as the Polynesian Liberation Front) in the 1970s. They've shared power in coalitions but this is the first time they've won an outright majority.
The question is where do they go from here and how will France react?
Anti-independence parties however, won the majority of votes, so a referendum is not going to be won, any time soon.
TBH, I can't see why any overseas territory would wish to break from France. The deal they get is incredible.
Agreed, but I'm not sure it always works that way.
Pride has no price.
It's basically a choice between living in a first world nation or a third world kleptocracy. It's surprising how many would prefer the latter.
Mauritius is not a third world kleptocracy. Nor is Singapore. Nor is Brunei
Interestingly, though, none of those have human rights to what we'd call Western standards.
Singapore has just ruthlessly executed one guy who got caught with 2 pounds of gear.
Ruthlessly executed, eh? Better than that wokist compassionate merciful execution nonsense.
Surely
“Vegan trans wokist compassionate merciful execution“ ?
This land is next to the largest jobs catchment area in Europe, and one where house prices are crowding out the productive middle classes.
You could, literally, build a kind of “Dubai” here, and it would indeed be self-sustaining. It would need to be a massive project, though, and not one the British have much of a track record in.
For a start, you’d need to overcome the cultural snobbery that underpins much of British life.
The estuary seems an obvious opportunity. Water resources might be an issue, but then, Dubai. Would need 2 or 3 more river crossings to properly link up the economic zones North and South.
Some good potential viticultural land around there though, so that would need to be preserved.
Also: think big
Plan a Hong Kong style city with immense towers. Space for 2m people. Which can go up to 5m. Be ambitious. Aim for scale
He will always have Ireland, if only he could remember it.
Yay, at last, thank you, thank you. Like an anxious batsman I have been stuck on 99 off topics for months now. I have finally made my century! Today has not been wasted after all.
I got offtopicked the other day for a post that was (shock) on topic! It stuck out to me because roughly 0.1% of my posts are on topic, so why they chose that one is a mystery.
He will always have Ireland, if only he could remember it.
Yay, at last, thank you, thank you. Like an anxious batsman I have been stuck on 99 off topics for months now. I have finally made my century! Today has not been wasted after all.
I got offtopicked the other day for a post that was (shock) on topic! It stuck out to me because roughly 0.1% of my posts are on topic, so why they chose that one is a mystery.
Indeed, two thirds of the seats in the Assembly reversing the 2018 result. It's been a long political road for Oscar Temaru, the founder and President of the Tavini Party since he founded the party (which was then known as the Polynesian Liberation Front) in the 1970s. They've shared power in coalitions but this is the first time they've won an outright majority.
The question is where do they go from here and how will France react?
Anti-independence parties however, won the majority of votes, so a referendum is not going to be won, any time soon.
TBH, I can't see why any overseas territory would wish to break from France. The deal they get is incredible.
Sovereignty. The same as any other territory wanting to run its own affairs, colonial and post colonial history has any number of examples.
The only honest slogan that the Brexiteers could have used here would have been "Poorer, but Sovereign". Of course that wasn't what they campaigned on.
Do you support Scottish Independence?
If the Scots vote for it, then yes, obviously.
So, you think they should use the honest slogan "Poorer, but Sovereign" to secure that vote then?
This land is next to the largest jobs catchment area in Europe, and one where house prices are crowding out the productive middle classes.
You could, literally, build a kind of “Dubai” here, and it would indeed be self-sustaining. It would need to be a massive project, though, and not one the British have much of a track record in.
For a start, you’d need to overcome the cultural snobbery that underpins much of British life.
The estuary seems an obvious opportunity. Water resources might be an issue, but then, Dubai. Would need 2 or 3 more river crossings to properly link up the economic zones North and South.
Some good potential viticultural land around there though, so that would need to be preserved.
Also: think big
Plan a Hong Kong style city with immense towers. Space for 2m people. Which can go up to 5m. Be ambitious. Aim for scale
This land is next to the largest jobs catchment area in Europe, and one where house prices are crowding out the productive middle classes.
You could, literally, build a kind of “Dubai” here, and it would indeed be self-sustaining. It would need to be a massive project, though, and not one the British have much of a track record in.
For a start, you’d need to overcome the cultural snobbery that underpins much of British life.
The estuary seems an obvious opportunity. Water resources might be an issue, but then, Dubai. Would need 2 or 3 more river crossings to properly link up the economic zones North and South.
Some good potential viticultural land around there though, so that would need to be preserved.
Also: think big
Plan a Hong Kong style city with immense towers. Space for 2m people. Which can go up to 5m. Be ambitious. Aim for scale
I agree with the sentiment, but I suspect you’ve lost most of the board already.
It seems to be case that the places that people WANT to live - think Paris, Amsterdam, the Upper West Side of Manhattan - are around six floors high and arranged in terraces, squares, and canals. Britain has its own domestic forms in London, Bath and Edinburgh.
We could do worse than ask AI to design a garden city, interlaced with canals, in the style of Robert Adam.
Indeed, two thirds of the seats in the Assembly reversing the 2018 result. It's been a long political road for Oscar Temaru, the founder and President of the Tavini Party since he founded the party (which was then known as the Polynesian Liberation Front) in the 1970s. They've shared power in coalitions but this is the first time they've won an outright majority.
The question is where do they go from here and how will France react?
Anti-independence parties however, won the majority of votes, so a referendum is not going to be won, any time soon.
TBH, I can't see why any overseas territory would wish to break from France. The deal they get is incredible.
Agreed, but I'm not sure it always works that way.
Pride has no price.
It's basically a choice between living in a first world nation or a third world kleptocracy. It's surprising how many would prefer the latter.
Mauritius is not a third world kleptocracy. Nor is Singapore. Nor is Brunei
Interestingly, though, none of those have human rights to what we'd call Western standards.
Singapore has just ruthlessly executed one guy who got caught with 2 pounds of gear.
Ruthlessly executed, eh? Better than that wokist compassionate merciful execution nonsense.
Indeed, two thirds of the seats in the Assembly reversing the 2018 result. It's been a long political road for Oscar Temaru, the founder and President of the Tavini Party since he founded the party (which was then known as the Polynesian Liberation Front) in the 1970s. They've shared power in coalitions but this is the first time they've won an outright majority.
The question is where do they go from here and how will France react?
Anti-independence parties however, won the majority of votes, so a referendum is not going to be won, any time soon.
TBH, I can't see why any overseas territory would wish to break from France. The deal they get is incredible.
Sovereignty. The same as any other territory wanting to run its own affairs, colonial and post colonial history has any number of examples.
The only honest slogan that the Brexiteers could have used here would have been "Poorer, but Sovereign". Of course that wasn't what they campaigned on.
Our arguments rage over tiny amounts of GDP per head.
This seems rather more fundamental to me. And if it's a case of exchanging French sovereignty for Chinese sovereignty, I'd prefer the former.
I could fully see democracy going into reverse this century.
'Artificial intelligence' is still a bit of a misnomer at the moment, and hopefully it won't happen in my lifetime, but I think in this century there will be bigger issues for the human race to deal with than how they govern themselves.
It will happen in the next 10-15 years
Who knows when - it's quite possible that at the moment they are barking up the wrong tree, or even the wrong tree in the wrong forest on the wrong continent (as Ben Goertzel suggests) - but I don't see any reason to think it won't happen sooner or later.
Indeed, two thirds of the seats in the Assembly reversing the 2018 result. It's been a long political road for Oscar Temaru, the founder and President of the Tavini Party since he founded the party (which was then known as the Polynesian Liberation Front) in the 1970s. They've shared power in coalitions but this is the first time they've won an outright majority.
The question is where do they go from here and how will France react?
Anti-independence parties however, won the majority of votes, so a referendum is not going to be won, any time soon.
TBH, I can't see why any overseas territory would wish to break from France. The deal they get is incredible.
Sovereignty. The same as any other territory wanting to run its own affairs, colonial and post colonial history has any number of examples.
The only honest slogan that the Brexiteers could have used here would have been "Poorer, but Sovereign". Of course that wasn't what they campaigned on.
Do you support Scottish Independence?
If the Scots vote for it, then yes, obviously.
So, you think they should use the honest slogan "Poorer, but Sovereign" to secure that vote then?
I prefer the slogan, “Poorer, but more Sovereign in a way that is hard to measure objectively but is somehow felt (especially when reading the Daily Mail).”
He will always have Ireland, if only he could remember it.
Yay, at last, thank you, thank you. Like an anxious batsman I have been stuck on 99 off topics for months now. I have finally made my century! Today has not been wasted after all.
I got offtopicked the other day for a post that was (shock) on topic! It stuck out to me because roughly 0.1% of my posts are on topic, so why they chose that one is a mystery.
Fat fingers/scrolling on a touch screen device.
Yeah, I do that all the time. The Off-Topic button seems to be just where I put my thumb to scroll. I usually notice and un-Off-Topic the post but probably miss the odd instance.
This land is next to the largest jobs catchment area in Europe, and one where house prices are crowding out the productive middle o
You could, literally, build a kind of “Dubai” here, and it would indeed be self-sustaining. It would need to be a massive project, though, and not one the British have much of a track record in.
For a start, you’d need to overcome the cultural snobbery that underpins much of British life.
You been to Thurrock?
Shithole doesn't come close. And even if it were undeveloped it's a muddy estuary leading out to the North Sea.
No-one wants to live there. It's possibly one of the least attractive places in Britain.
This land is next to the largest jobs catchment area in Europe, and one where house prices are crowding out the productive middle o
You could, literally, build a kind of “Dubai” here, and it would indeed be self-sustaining. It would need to be a massive project, though, and not one the British have much of a track record in.
For a start, you’d need to overcome the cultural snobbery that underpins much of British life.
You been to Thurrock?
Shithole doesn't come close. And even if it were undeveloped it's a muddy estuary leading out to the North Sea.
No-one wants to live there. It's possibly one of the least attractive places in Britain.
Precisely because it’s a shithole, it makes a good place to develop. London *is* essentially a “muddy estuary”.
Indeed, two thirds of the seats in the Assembly reversing the 2018 result. It's been a long political road for Oscar Temaru, the founder and President of the Tavini Party since he founded the party (which was then known as the Polynesian Liberation Front) in the 1970s. They've shared power in coalitions but this is the first time they've won an outright majority.
The question is where do they go from here and how will France react?
Anti-independence parties however, won the majority of votes, so a referendum is not going to be won, any time soon.
TBH, I can't see why any overseas territory would wish to break from France. The deal they get is incredible.
Sovereignty. The same as any other territory wanting to run its own affairs, colonial and post colonial history has any number of examples.
The only honest slogan that the Brexiteers could have used here would have been "Poorer, but Sovereign". Of course that wasn't what they campaigned on.
Our arguments rage over tiny amounts of GDP per head.
This seems rather more fundamental to me. And if it's a case of exchanging French sovereignty for Chinese sovereignty, I'd prefer the former.
I could fully see democracy going into reverse this century.
I think people underestimate how much its development and spread has been predicated on the belief it delivers better economic outcomes for more, and that all coincided with the extraordinary 1750-2000 growth period.
Nothing much ever gets done in a democracy due to fear of upsetting one interest group or another. The singapore model is arguably superior, eben Xis china has its advantages.
Superior right up to the point you have a political opinion or run in with the law.
And, then, you will get the full Henry VIII treatment.
Indeed, two thirds of the seats in the Assembly reversing the 2018 result. It's been a long political road for Oscar Temaru, the founder and President of the Tavini Party since he founded the party (which was then known as the Polynesian Liberation Front) in the 1970s. They've shared power in coalitions but this is the first time they've won an outright majority.
The question is where do they go from here and how will France react?
Anti-independence parties however, won the majority of votes, so a referendum is not going to be won, any time soon.
TBH, I can't see why any overseas territory would wish to break from France. The deal they get is incredible.
Sovereignty. The same as any other territory wanting to run its own affairs, colonial and post colonial history has any number of examples.
The only honest slogan that the Brexiteers could have used here would have been "Poorer, but Sovereign". Of course that wasn't what they campaigned on.
Our arguments rage over tiny amounts of GDP per head.
This seems rather more fundamental to me. And if it's a case of exchanging French sovereignty for Chinese sovereignty, I'd prefer the former.
I could fully see democracy going into reverse this century.
'Artificial intelligence' is still a bit of a misnomer at the moment, and hopefully it won't happen in my lifetime, but I think in this century there will be bigger issues for the human race to deal with than how they govern themselves.
Interesting article on AI as a time wasting exercise here, and also why time wasting is such a driver of technological development
It seems as though the Local Plans won't have a lot of power but it's often those which bring down local administrations when the electorate perceive what is being planned as not being in keeping with what is there.
That's the thing - Conservatives throw accusations of NIMBYism around at Liberal Democrats, Residents and others opposed to proposed developments but there's a world of difference between being opposed to housing (whichb no one is) and being opposed to high density developments on greenfield sites without adequate supporting infrastructure which seem to be more about maximising the profits of developers than providing sustainable local communities.
Many would also argue brownfield sites should be the starting point (in my part of the world that's really all there is) but of course we know that reduces developer profits because of the need to decontaminate or do additional preparatory work.
Supporting infrastructure such as schools, transport and GP surgeries also needs to be considered in order not to put unreasonable pressure on what's there and most larger developments should contain retail and other business opportunities to provide jobs for the new residents.
From an electoral point of view, and probably also an infrastructure and environmental one, surely the best option is to go really big in one of two places only. High density, hundreds of thousands of new units, proper infrastructure and services to go with them.
You only lose possibly a dozen or so of council seats in areas affected as opposed to hundreds across vast swathes of the country when you go for sprawling patchy development: an estate here, a new village there, the odd few houses in every community.
You get better value for money from concentrated public services: new hospital, new primary and secondary schools, train, tram and bus routes. And you get to retain 99% of the remaining green space in the rest of the country.
2 new cities, that’s what I’d go for. One somewhere like Cambridgeshire on the East Coast mainline, the other between Manchester and Sheffield along the NPR line. And of course the Anglesey metropolis with its preferential 15% corporate tax rate and tunnel to Ireland, but that can come later.
A new city of tower blocks in the Peak District national park.
Full marks for originality but fewer for practicality.
Actually the Manchester-Leeds axis is perhaps more promising. Somewhere near Halifax.
A problem being that Halifax is already there.
Unless you want to build on the moors you're not going to fit a new city in between Leeds and Manchester.
There’s lots of space
Ever heard of the Pennines ?
That's where the 'space' is.
Here’s a screenshot from Google maps of the area immediately around Halifax. Moorland is hello-brown, the green is farmland. There’s more green space further South and East too.
At reasonable densities you could easily get a city with the population of Sheffield there.
At higher densities you could pretty much get Kowloon plus Rio in there. Two cities unbothered about mountain obstacles.
The same is true of lots of other areas where people assume there is no space. We’ve only built on a fraction of usable land.
Take a look at how big Sheffield is and how much available land there is in your screenshot.
A lot of what you think is green is actually grey.
This land is next to the largest jobs catchment area in Europe, and one where house prices are crowding out the productive middle o
You could, literally, build a kind of “Dubai” here, and it would indeed be self-sustaining. It would need to be a massive project, though, and not one the British have much of a track record in.
For a start, you’d need to overcome the cultural snobbery that underpins much of British life.
You been to Thurrock?
Shithole doesn't come close. And even if it were undeveloped it's a muddy estuary leading out to the North Sea.
No-one wants to live there. It's possibly one of the least attractive places in Britain.
Precisely because it’s a shithole, it makes a good place to develop. London *is* essentially a “muddy estuary”.
So is Antwerp, and much of the Netherlands.
Yes quite. Build sea walls. Plant forests all around to soften the winds
If the Times is right and we are looking at 700k-1m net migration for the foreseeable future (which is apparently fabulous news for all pb-ers) then a few new garden cities are not going to cut it. We don’t have enough room
We will have to build towers in great and spectacular clusters
Indeed, two thirds of the seats in the Assembly reversing the 2018 result. It's been a long political road for Oscar Temaru, the founder and President of the Tavini Party since he founded the party (which was then known as the Polynesian Liberation Front) in the 1970s. They've shared power in coalitions but this is the first time they've won an outright majority.
The question is where do they go from here and how will France react?
Anti-independence parties however, won the majority of votes, so a referendum is not going to be won, any time soon.
TBH, I can't see why any overseas territory would wish to break from France. The deal they get is incredible.
Sovereignty. The same as any other territory wanting to run its own affairs, colonial and post colonial history has any number of examples.
The only honest slogan that the Brexiteers could have used here would have been "Poorer, but Sovereign". Of course that wasn't what they campaigned on.
Do you support Scottish Independence?
If the Scots vote for it, then yes, obviously.
So, you think they should use the honest slogan "Poorer, but Sovereign" to secure that vote then?
I prefer the slogan, “Poorer, but more Sovereign in a way that is hard to measure objectively but is somehow felt (especially when reading the Daily Mail).”
My point is that people don't give a toss about economics when it aligns with their values.
Plenty of people who hate Brexit, and criticise it vehemently on economic grounds, are quite happy to acquiesce or tub-thumb for Scottish Independence where the economic case is far more tenuous.
The problem with building a city between Manchester and Leeds is that there’s absolutely no economic demand for it.
Just densify existing cities, like they do everywhere else in the western world.
I think building a new City in North Lincolnshire is the way forward.
Yep. Something I have advocated before. Although usually I suggest southern Lincolnshire. But your suggestion - say around Grimsby/Scunthorpe with good access to the Humber estuary makes very good sense.
That said I also agree withGardenwalker on increasing the population density of existing cities. Build up not out.
Trouble is that most Britons want a semi-detached or detached.
Trouble with that argument is twofold.
First is that Britons want lots of things (preserve countryside, lower taxes with good public services, affordable houses) which you can't easily have if everyone has a detached house with a big garden.
Second is that some high density housing (Georgian squares for example) are highly desirable, as shown by the prices they sell for.
Get location and quality right, and people don't mind density.
This is 100 new homes, being built on a floodplain. Connecting to a single main road which is already at crush capacity, loading another 100 families onto already overloaded schools and medical facilities.
Stick 100 new homes in and you don't cause a problem. Do it again and again and again and again and then wonder why people are against new homes. Local topography doesn't allow new roads. Local impoverished council budgets means no new facilities. Littleborough - and frankly the small towns over the top like Mytholmroyd - are overcrowded in a way that feels simply unbelievable compared to how it was in the 80s and 90s.
Planning laws mean that developers build what they want where they want it. No concern for facilities or infrastructure. Just throw them up, charge £stupid to people who are desperate, move on and leave the problem behind.
So yes, build new towns. On the edge of existing towns is more likely and does happen in various places. But stop crushing shitbox new build rabbit hutches in.
This land is next to the largest jobs catchment area in Europe, and one where house prices are crowding out the productive middle classes.
You could, literally, build a kind of “Dubai” here, and it would indeed be self-sustaining. It would need to be a massive project, though, and not one the British have much of a track record in.
For a start, you’d need to overcome the cultural snobbery that underpins much of British life.
The estuary seems an obvious opportunity. Water resources might be an issue, but then, Dubai. Would need 2 or 3 more river crossings to properly link up the economic zones North and South.
Some good potential viticultural land around there though, so that would need to be preserved.
Also: think big
Plan a Hong Kong style city with immense towers. Space for 2m people. Which can go up to 5m. Be ambitious. Aim for scale
The low rise apartment blocks you see towards the centres of many European cities seem to work alright. That way you achieve a high housing density for those who like living in the bustle of the city, which also attracts service businesses, and you leave room for decently sized houses in the suburbs for people to move to later in life. Some of the most miserable places here are where tiny shoebox houses with stamp-sized, frequently unkempt gardens are crammed into packed monoculture developments, so that people are forced to live in cramped conditions, but the population density still isn't high enough to support local businesses.
This land is next to the largest jobs catchment area in Europe, and one where house prices are crowding out the productive middle classes.
You could, literally, build a kind of “Dubai” here, and it would indeed be self-sustaining. It would need to be a massive project, though, and not one the British have much of a track record in.
For a start, you’d need to overcome the cultural snobbery that underpins much of British life.
The estuary seems an obvious opportunity. Water resources might be an issue, but then, Dubai. Would need 2 or 3 more river crossings to properly link up the economic zones North and South.
Some good potential viticultural land around there though, so that would need to be preserved.
Also: think big
Plan a Hong Kong style city with immense towers. Space for 2m people. Which can go up to 5m. Be ambitious. Aim for scale
I agree with the sentiment, but I suspect you’ve lost most of the board already.
It seems to be case that the places that people WANT to live - think Paris, Amsterdam, the Upper West Side of Manhattan - are around six floors high and arranged in terraces, squares, and canals. Britain has its own domestic forms in London, Bath and Edinburgh.
We could do worse than ask AI to design a garden city, interlaced with canals, in the style of Robert Adam.
If people wanted to live like that I suspect they would be living like that.
Given that most people instead live in semis and detacheds then I suspect that they prefer to live like that.
Indeed, two thirds of the seats in the Assembly reversing the 2018 result. It's been a long political road for Oscar Temaru, the founder and President of the Tavini Party since he founded the party (which was then known as the Polynesian Liberation Front) in the 1970s. They've shared power in coalitions but this is the first time they've won an outright majority.
The question is where do they go from here and how will France react?
Anti-independence parties however, won the majority of votes, so a referendum is not going to be won, any time soon.
TBH, I can't see why any overseas territory would wish to break from France. The deal they get is incredible.
Agreed, but I'm not sure it always works that way.
Pride has no price.
It's basically a choice between living in a first world nation or a third world kleptocracy. It's surprising how many would prefer the latter.
Mauritius is not a third world kleptocracy. Nor is Singapore. Nor is Brunei
Interestingly, though, none of those have human rights to what we'd call Western standards.
Singapore has just ruthlessly executed one guy who got caught with 2 pounds of gear.
The Mauritians would point to Elizabeth II's governments treatment of the Chagos Islanders if you started talking about 'Western standards' of human rights.
This land is next to the largest jobs catchment area in Europe, and one where house prices are crowding out the productive middle classes.
You could, literally, build a kind of “Dubai” here, and it would indeed be self-sustaining. It would need to be a massive project, though, and not one the British have much of a track record in.
For a start, you’d need to overcome the cultural snobbery that underpins much of British life.
The estuary seems an obvious opportunity. Water resources might be an issue, but then, Dubai. Would need 2 or 3 more river crossings to properly link up the economic zones North and South.
Some good potential viticultural land around there though, so that would need to be preserved.
Also: think big
Plan a Hong Kong style city with immense towers. Space for 2m people. Which can go up to 5m. Be ambitious. Aim for scale
The low rise apartment blocks you see towards the centres of many European cities seem to work alright. That way you achieve a high housing density for those who like living in the bustle of the city, which also attracts service businesses, and you leave room for decently sized houses in the suburbs for people to move to later in life. Some of the most miserable places here are where tiny shoebox houses with stamp-sized, frequently unkempt gardens are crammed into packed monoculture developments, so that people are forced to live in cramped conditions, but the population density still isn't high enough to support local businesses.
This should be Keir’s great project. Homes Fit for the Hopeful.
This land is next to the largest jobs catchment area in Europe, and one where house prices are crowding out the productive middle classes.
You could, literally, build a kind of “Dubai” here, and it would indeed be self-sustaining. It would need to be a massive project, though, and not one the British have much of a track record in.
For a start, you’d need to overcome the cultural snobbery that underpins much of British life.
The estuary seems an obvious opportunity. Water resources might be an issue, but then, Dubai. Would need 2 or 3 more river crossings to properly link up the economic zones North and South.
Some good potential viticultural land around there though, so that would need to be preserved.
they are planning a river crossing there right now. It might be finished in 20 years time, fingers crossed.
He will always have Ireland, if only he could remember it.
Yay, at last, thank you, thank you. Like an anxious batsman I have been stuck on 99 off topics for months now. I have finally made my century! Today has not been wasted after all.
I got offtopicked the other day for a post that was (shock) on topic! It stuck out to me because roughly 0.1% of my posts are on topic, so why they chose that one is a mystery.
Fat fingers/scrolling on a touch screen device.
Yeah, I do that all the time. The Off-Topic button seems to be just where I put my thumb to scroll. I usually notice and un-Off-Topic the post but probably miss the odd instance.
Can't we just get rid of the off-topic button? It serves no useful purpose. If this leads to more inadvertent likes, then who will complain?
Indeed, two thirds of the seats in the Assembly reversing the 2018 result. It's been a long political road for Oscar Temaru, the founder and President of the Tavini Party since he founded the party (which was then known as the Polynesian Liberation Front) in the 1970s. They've shared power in coalitions but this is the first time they've won an outright majority.
The question is where do they go from here and how will France react?
Anti-independence parties however, won the majority of votes, so a referendum is not going to be won, any time soon.
TBH, I can't see why any overseas territory would wish to break from France. The deal they get is incredible.
Sovereignty. The same as any other territory wanting to run its own affairs, colonial and post colonial history has any number of examples.
The only honest slogan that the Brexiteers could have used here would have been "Poorer, but Sovereign". Of course that wasn't what they campaigned on.
Do you support Scottish Independence?
If the Scots vote for it, then yes, obviously.
So, you think they should use the honest slogan "Poorer, but Sovereign" to secure that vote then?
Yes, I think that recognition that the early years of independence will be tough would be beneficial, other wise there would be a similar phenomenon to the widespread Bregret afflicting the UK.
This land is next to the largest jobs catchment area in Europe, and one where house prices are crowding out the productive middle classes.
You could, literally, build a kind of “Dubai” here, and it would indeed be self-sustaining. It would need to be a massive project, though, and not one the British have much of a track record in.
For a start, you’d need to overcome the cultural snobbery that underpins much of British life.
The estuary seems an obvious opportunity. Water resources might be an issue, but then, Dubai. Would need 2 or 3 more river crossings to properly link up the economic zones North and South.
Some good potential viticultural land around there though, so that would need to be preserved.
Also: think big
Plan a Hong Kong style city with immense towers. Space for 2m people. Which can go up to 5m. Be ambitious. Aim for scale
I agree with the sentiment, but I suspect you’ve lost most of the board already.
It seems to be case that the places that people WANT to live - think Paris, Amsterdam, the Upper West Side of Manhattan - are around six floors high and arranged in terraces, squares, and canals. Britain has its own domestic forms in London, Bath and Edinburgh.
We could do worse than ask AI to design a garden city, interlaced with canals, in the style of Robert Adam.
If people wanted to live like that I suspect they would be living like that.
Given that most people instead live in semis and detacheds then I suspect that they prefer to live like that.
This is a fallacy, as it implies we must all be content with the status quo.
It’s also, factually wrong in that only 42% of Britons live in detached or semi-detached housing.
This land is next to the largest jobs catchment area in Europe, and one where house prices are crowding out the productive middle classes.
You could, literally, build a kind of “Dubai” here, and it would indeed be self-sustaining. It would need to be a massive project, though, and not one the British have much of a track record in.
For a start, you’d need to overcome the cultural snobbery that underpins much of British life.
The estuary seems an obvious opportunity. Water resources might be an issue, but then, Dubai. Would need 2 or 3 more river crossings to properly link up the economic zones North and South.
Some good potential viticultural land around there though, so that would need to be preserved.
Also: think big
Plan a Hong Kong style city with immense towers. Space for 2m people. Which can go up to 5m. Be ambitious. Aim for scale
The low rise apartment blocks you see towards the centres of many European cities seem to work alright. That way you achieve a high housing density for those who like living in the bustle of the city, which also attracts service businesses, and you leave room for decently sized houses in the suburbs for people to move to later in life. Some of the most miserable places here are where tiny shoebox houses with stamp-sized, frequently unkempt gardens are crammed into packed monoculture developments, so that people are forced to live in cramped conditions, but the population density still isn't high enough to support local businesses.
It should be made much easier to convert retail property in town centres into residential.
He will always have Ireland, if only he could remember it.
Yay, at last, thank you, thank you. Like an anxious batsman I have been stuck on 99 off topics for months now. I have finally made my century! Today has not been wasted after all.
I got offtopicked the other day for a post that was (shock) on topic! It stuck out to me because roughly 0.1% of my posts are on topic, so why they chose that one is a mystery.
I think you can largely ignore off topics. 99% of the time they are either people doing it by accident, or simply using it as a means of expressing anonymous disapproval.
This land is next to the largest jobs catchment area in Europe, and one where house prices are crowding out the productive middle classes.
You could, literally, build a kind of “Dubai” here, and it would indeed be self-sustaining. It would need to be a massive project, though, and not one the British have much of a track record in.
For a start, you’d need to overcome the cultural snobbery that underpins much of British life.
The estuary seems an obvious opportunity. Water resources might be an issue, but then, Dubai. Would need 2 or 3 more river crossings to properly link up the economic zones North and South.
Some good potential viticultural land around there though, so that would need to be preserved.
Also: think big
Plan a Hong Kong style city with immense towers. Space for 2m people. Which can go up to 5m. Be ambitious. Aim for scale
I agree with the sentiment, but I suspect you’ve lost most of the board already.
It seems to be case that the places that people WANT to live - think Paris, Amsterdam, the Upper West Side of Manhattan - are around six floors high and arranged in terraces, squares, and canals. Britain has its own domestic forms in London, Bath and Edinburgh.
We could do worse than ask AI to design a garden city, interlaced with canals, in the style of Robert Adam.
If people wanted to live like that I suspect they would be living like that.
Given that most people instead live in semis and detacheds then I suspect that they prefer to live like that.
Plenty of people want to live in London. And can’t afford to.
Indeed, two thirds of the seats in the Assembly reversing the 2018 result. It's been a long political road for Oscar Temaru, the founder and President of the Tavini Party since he founded the party (which was then known as the Polynesian Liberation Front) in the 1970s. They've shared power in coalitions but this is the first time they've won an outright majority.
The question is where do they go from here and how will France react?
Anti-independence parties however, won the majority of votes, so a referendum is not going to be won, any time soon.
TBH, I can't see why any overseas territory would wish to break from France. The deal they get is incredible.
Agreed, but I'm not sure it always works that way.
Pride has no price.
It's basically a choice between living in a first world nation or a third world kleptocracy. It's surprising how many would prefer the latter.
Mauritius is not a third world kleptocracy. Nor is Singapore. Nor is Brunei
Interestingly, though, none of those have human rights to what we'd call Western standards.
Singapore has just ruthlessly executed one guy who got caught with 2 pounds of gear.
The Mauritians would point to Elizabeth II's governments treatment of the Chagos Islanders if you started talking about 'Western standards' of human rights.
Would you like to live under Chinese standards of governance?
This land is next to the largest jobs catchment area in Europe, and one where house prices are crowding out the productive middle classes.
You could, literally, build a kind of “Dubai” here, and it would indeed be self-sustaining. It would need to be a massive project, though, and not one the British have much of a track record in.
For a start, you’d need to overcome the cultural snobbery that underpins much of British life.
The estuary seems an obvious opportunity. Water resources might be an issue, but then, Dubai. Would need 2 or 3 more river crossings to properly link up the economic zones North and South.
Some good potential viticultural land around there though, so that would need to be preserved.
Also: think big
Plan a Hong Kong style city with immense towers. Space for 2m people. Which can go up to 5m. Be ambitious. Aim for scale
I agree with the sentiment, but I suspect you’ve lost most of the board already.
It seems to be case that the places that people WANT to live - think Paris, Amsterdam, the Upper West Side of Manhattan - are around six floors high and arranged in terraces, squares, and canals. Britain has its own domestic forms in London, Bath and Edinburgh.
We could do worse than ask AI to design a garden city, interlaced with canals, in the style of Robert Adam.
If people wanted to live like that I suspect they would be living like that.
Given that most people instead live in semis and detacheds then I suspect that they prefer to live like that.
This is a fallacy, as it implies we must all be content with the status quo.
It’s also, factually wrong in that only 42% of Britons live in detached or semi-detached housing.
Tory thinking in action!
Wasnt there a theory that we havent had revolutions because the english are too busy doing their gardens.
The English gardeners were (probably: I've not checked) the only people to have a revolution then reverse it, abolishing then re-establishing the monarchy. Charles I, Charles II, what comes next in this sequence? Find out on Saturday!
This land is next to the largest jobs catchment area in Europe, and one where house prices are crowding out the productive middle classes.
You could, literally, build a kind of “Dubai” here, and it would indeed be self-sustaining. It would need to be a massive project, though, and not one the British have much of a track record in.
For a start, you’d need to overcome the cultural snobbery that underpins much of British life.
The estuary seems an obvious opportunity. Water resources might be an issue, but then, Dubai. Would need 2 or 3 more river crossings to properly link up the economic zones North and South.
Some good potential viticultural land around there though, so that would need to be preserved.
Also: think big
Plan a Hong Kong style city with immense towers. Space for 2m people. Which can go up to 5m. Be ambitious. Aim for scale
I agree with the sentiment, but I suspect you’ve lost most of the board already.
It seems to be case that the places that people WANT to live - think Paris, Amsterdam, the Upper West Side of Manhattan - are around six floors high and arranged in terraces, squares, and canals. Britain has its own domestic forms in London, Bath and Edinburgh.
We could do worse than ask AI to design a garden city, interlaced with canals, in the style of Robert Adam.
If people wanted to live like that I suspect they would be living like that.
Given that most people instead live in semis and detacheds then I suspect that they prefer to live like that.
I think that ideas of these things change over time. Few want big gardens now (evidenced by the unkempt nature of many gardens) but do want to have enough space to park out front, and sit outside on a nice day and let the children play securely.
When my father lived in Paris in a small block of a dozen flats each flat had parking in the basement*, and there were two large balconies getting the sun. It was a very nice place to live.
* being France, there was a wine cave in the cellar for each flat too!
Indeed, two thirds of the seats in the Assembly reversing the 2018 result. It's been a long political road for Oscar Temaru, the founder and President of the Tavini Party since he founded the party (which was then known as the Polynesian Liberation Front) in the 1970s. They've shared power in coalitions but this is the first time they've won an outright majority.
The question is where do they go from here and how will France react?
Anti-independence parties however, won the majority of votes, so a referendum is not going to be won, any time soon.
TBH, I can't see why any overseas territory would wish to break from France. The deal they get is incredible.
Agreed, but I'm not sure it always works that way.
Pride has no price.
It's basically a choice between living in a first world nation or a third world kleptocracy. It's surprising how many would prefer the latter.
Mauritius is not a third world kleptocracy. Nor is Singapore. Nor is Brunei
Interestingly, though, none of those have human rights to what we'd call Western standards.
Singapore has just ruthlessly executed one guy who got caught with 2 pounds of gear.
The Mauritians would point to Elizabeth II's governments treatment of the Chagos Islanders if you started talking about 'Western standards' of human rights.
Would you like to live under Chinese standards of governance?
Given most people do not want to overthrow their government provided water and electricity keep flowing, probably more than you'd think. Look at democracy failing to take root after various Middle East tyrants were deposed.
This is 100 new homes, being built on a floodplain. Connecting to a single main road which is already at crush capacity, loading another 100 families onto already overloaded schools and medical facilities.
Stick 100 new homes in and you don't cause a problem. Do it again and again and again and again and then wonder why people are against new homes. Local topography doesn't allow new roads. Local impoverished council budgets means no new facilities. Littleborough - and frankly the small towns over the top like Mytholmroyd - are overcrowded in a way that feels simply unbelievable compared to how it was in the 80s and 90s.
Planning laws mean that developers build what they want where they want it. No concern for facilities or infrastructure. Just throw them up, charge £stupid to people who are desperate, move on and leave the problem behind.
So yes, build new towns. On the edge of existing towns is more likely and does happen in various places. But stop crushing shitbox new build rabbit hutches in.
And make them beautiful
At the very least, liveable.
"It's about the infrastructure" is the NIMBY version of "I'm not racist, but.."
This land is next to the largest jobs catchment area in Europe, and one where house prices are crowding out the productive middle classes.
You could, literally, build a kind of “Dubai” here, and it would indeed be self-sustaining. It would need to be a massive project, though, and not one the British have much of a track record in.
For a start, you’d need to overcome the cultural snobbery that underpins much of British life.
The estuary seems an obvious opportunity. Water resources might be an issue, but then, Dubai. Would need 2 or 3 more river crossings to properly link up the economic zones North and South.
Some good potential viticultural land around there though, so that would need to be preserved.
Also: think big
Plan a Hong Kong style city with immense towers. Space for 2m people. Which can go up to 5m. Be ambitious. Aim for scale
I agree with the sentiment, but I suspect you’ve lost most of the board already.
It seems to be case that the places that people WANT to live - think Paris, Amsterdam, the Upper West Side of Manhattan - are around six floors high and arranged in terraces, squares, and canals. Britain has its own domestic forms in London, Bath and Edinburgh.
We could do worse than ask AI to design a garden city, interlaced with canals, in the style of Robert Adam.
If people wanted to live like that I suspect they would be living like that.
Given that most people instead live in semis and detacheds then I suspect that they prefer to live like that.
This is a fallacy, as it implies we must all be content with the status quo.
It’s also, factually wrong in that only 42% of Britons live in detached or semi-detached housing.
Tory thinking in action!
England and Wales:
7.8 million households (31.5% of all households) were in semi-detached properties, up from 31.3% (7.3 million) in 2011 5.8 million (23.2%) were in detached properties, up from 5.3 million (22.7%) in 2011
Fucking amazing interview with Prigozhin on dzen (kind of like a Russian reddit but not really). He really is a funny guy and uses rich language replete with criminal slang in a way that is rarely heard these days. Something for everyone whether you are a SMObot or idiotically susceptible to the unquestioning amplification of Ukrainian psy-ops on Twitter.
* Slags off the RF armed forces mightily calling them undisciplined, untrained and unequipped. * Expects to be killed by a sniper in his SPb office and has instructions on the wall to help them range him. * Despises Shoigu and Krivoruchka, likes Surovikin and Teplinsky. * Plenty of Ukrainians are getting rich by selling supplies to RF armed forces * Ukraine are taking 500 casualties/day in whatever the fuck is left of Bakhmutlepool * Describes Russian MoD leadership as "mentally ill" * Wants to know why the fuck RF is still selling oil to the West via India * RF has enough supplies to fight for 6 months while expending 80,000 shells/day * Said there should be no celebration on May 9th because Russia hasn't earned it * The SMO is crippled by political infighting in the RF government * Confirms that PMC Wagner will not turn around and march on Moscow (actual lol)
This land is next to the largest jobs catchment area in Europe, and one where house prices are crowding out the productive middle classes.
You could, literally, build a kind of “Dubai” here, and it would indeed be self-sustaining. It would need to be a massive project, though, and not one the British have much of a track record in.
For a start, you’d need to overcome the cultural snobbery that underpins much of British life.
The estuary seems an obvious opportunity. Water resources might be an issue, but then, Dubai. Would need 2 or 3 more river crossings to properly link up the economic zones North and South.
Some good potential viticultural land around there though, so that would need to be preserved.
Also: think big
Plan a Hong Kong style city with immense towers. Space for 2m people. Which can go up to 5m. Be ambitious. Aim for scale
I agree with the sentiment, but I suspect you’ve lost most of the board already.
It seems to be case that the places that people WANT to live - think Paris, Amsterdam, the Upper West Side of Manhattan - are around six floors high and arranged in terraces, squares, and canals. Britain has its own domestic forms in London, Bath and Edinburgh.
We could do worse than ask AI to design a garden city, interlaced with canals, in the style of Robert Adam.
If people wanted to live like that I suspect they would be living like that.
Given that most people instead live in semis and detacheds then I suspect that they prefer to live like that.
Plenty of people want to live in London. And can’t afford to.
Yes but only the nice bits of London. Cant imagine many people dream of living in Barking or Woolwich.
People do live there though - because it's cheaper or more accessible than the other options.
Indeed, two thirds of the seats in the Assembly reversing the 2018 result. It's been a long political road for Oscar Temaru, the founder and President of the Tavini Party since he founded the party (which was then known as the Polynesian Liberation Front) in the 1970s. They've shared power in coalitions but this is the first time they've won an outright majority.
The question is where do they go from here and how will France react?
Anti-independence parties however, won the majority of votes, so a referendum is not going to be won, any time soon.
TBH, I can't see why any overseas territory would wish to break from France. The deal they get is incredible.
Agreed, but I'm not sure it always works that way.
Pride has no price.
It's basically a choice between living in a first world nation or a third world kleptocracy. It's surprising how many would prefer the latter.
Mauritius is not a third world kleptocracy. Nor is Singapore. Nor is Brunei
Interestingly, though, none of those have human rights to what we'd call Western standards.
Singapore has just ruthlessly executed one guy who got caught with 2 pounds of gear.
The Mauritians would point to Elizabeth II's governments treatment of the Chagos Islanders if you started talking about 'Western standards' of human rights.
Would you like to live under Chinese standards of governance?
Given most people do not want to overthrow their government provided water and electricity keep flowing, probably more than you'd think. Look at democracy failing to take root after various Middle East tyrants were deposed.
When democracy means one person one vote once, one can understand why unpopular minorities will back the status quo.
This land is next to the largest jobs catchment area in Europe, and one where house prices are crowding out the productive middle classes.
You could, literally, build a kind of “Dubai” here, and it would indeed be self-sustaining. It would need to be a massive project, though, and not one the British have much of a track record in.
For a start, you’d need to overcome the cultural snobbery that underpins much of British life.
The estuary seems an obvious opportunity. Water resources might be an issue, but then, Dubai. Would need 2 or 3 more river crossings to properly link up the economic zones North and South.
Some good potential viticultural land around there though, so that would need to be preserved.
Also: think big
Plan a Hong Kong style city with immense towers. Space for 2m people. Which can go up to 5m. Be ambitious. Aim for scale
I agree with the sentiment, but I suspect you’ve lost most of the board already.
It seems to be case that the places that people WANT to live - think Paris, Amsterdam, the Upper West Side of Manhattan - are around six floors high and arranged in terraces, squares, and canals. Britain has its own domestic forms in London, Bath and Edinburgh.
We could do worse than ask AI to design a garden city, interlaced with canals, in the style of Robert Adam.
If people wanted to live like that I suspect they would be living like that.
Given that most people instead live in semis and detacheds then I suspect that they prefer to live like that.
I think that ideas of these things change over time. Few want big gardens now (evidenced by the unkempt nature of many gardens) but do want to have enough space to park out front, and sit outside on a nice day and let the children play securely.
When my father lived in Paris in a small block of a dozen flats each flat had parking in the basement*, and there were two large balconies getting the sun. It was a very nice place to live.
* being France, there was a wine cave in the cellar for each flat too!
I could not do without a fair-sized garden, now. It’s incredibly peaceful and relaxing.
Fucking amazing interview with Prigozhin on dzen (kind of like a Russian reddit but not really). He really is a funny guy and uses rich language replete with criminal slang in a way that is rarely heard these days...
With great effort holding back the urge to post the "funny how" scene, I still have to ask: these days? When was the last time you were familiar with Russian criminal talk?
This land is next to the largest jobs catchment area in Europe, and one where house prices are crowding out the productive middle classes.
You could, literally, build a kind of “Dubai” here, and it would indeed be self-sustaining. It would need to be a massive project, though, and not one the British have much of a track record in.
For a start, you’d need to overcome the cultural snobbery that underpins much of British life.
The estuary seems an obvious opportunity. Water resources might be an issue, but then, Dubai. Would need 2 or 3 more river crossings to properly link up the economic zones North and South.
Some good potential viticultural land around there though, so that would need to be preserved.
Also: think big
Plan a Hong Kong style city with immense towers. Space for 2m people. Which can go up to 5m. Be ambitious. Aim for scale
I agree with the sentiment, but I suspect you’ve lost most of the board already.
It seems to be case that the places that people WANT to live - think Paris, Amsterdam, the Upper West Side of Manhattan - are around six floors high and arranged in terraces, squares, and canals. Britain has its own domestic forms in London, Bath and Edinburgh.
We could do worse than ask AI to design a garden city, interlaced with canals, in the style of Robert Adam.
If people wanted to live like that I suspect they would be living like that.
Given that most people instead live in semis and detacheds then I suspect that they prefer to live like that.
Plenty of people want to live in London. And can’t afford to.
Yes but only the nice bits of London. Cant imagine many people dream of living in Barking or Woolwich.
As a borough, Barking delivered England's World Cup win via the West Ham three and Sir Alf, and had a walk-on part in foiling the Gunpowder Plot. It is also home to Britain's thickest police who did not suspect foul play even after four bodies were found in more-or-less the same place.
This land is next to the largest jobs catchment area in Europe, and one where house prices are crowding out the productive middle classes.
You could, literally, build a kind of “Dubai” here, and it would indeed be self-sustaining. It would need to be a massive project, though, and not one the British have much of a track record in.
For a start, you’d need to overcome the cultural snobbery that underpins much of British life.
The estuary seems an obvious opportunity. Water resources might be an issue, but then, Dubai. Would need 2 or 3 more river crossings to properly link up the economic zones North and South.
Some good potential viticultural land around there though, so that would need to be preserved.
Also: think big
Plan a Hong Kong style city with immense towers. Space for 2m people. Which can go up to 5m. Be ambitious. Aim for scale
I agree with the sentiment, but I suspect you’ve lost most of the board already.
It seems to be case that the places that people WANT to live - think Paris, Amsterdam, the Upper West Side of Manhattan - are around six floors high and arranged in terraces, squares, and canals. Britain has its own domestic forms in London, Bath and Edinburgh.
We could do worse than ask AI to design a garden city, interlaced with canals, in the style of Robert Adam.
If people wanted to live like that I suspect they would be living like that.
Given that most people instead live in semis and detacheds then I suspect that they prefer to live like that.
This is a fallacy, as it implies we must all be content with the status quo.
It’s also, factually wrong in that only 42% of Britons live in detached or semi-detached housing.
Tory thinking in action!
England and Wales:
7.8 million households (31.5% of all households) were in semi-detached properties, up from 31.3% (7.3 million) in 2011 5.8 million (23.2%) were in detached properties, up from 5.3 million (22.7%) in 2011
I think there's a real risk that Trump could edge this race.
I hope not, I've laid him to the bone.
My view is that the (current) age of populism has peaked and Democrats/Independents at large are now too wise to his potential path to allow him through again.
I am convinced that Trump is too toxic with independents now to win. The legal troubles will also serve as a constant drip-drip all the way through the next 18 months.
I think the GOP base are mad enough to nominate him, I think they’re screwed for the general election if they do, however.
Given De Santis is divisive within the GOP you have to think there’s a non-negligible chance of a third candidate coming through the middle for the nomination. Like Truss. They’d need to be on the conservative right of course, but the conditions are surely there.
What the GOP really need is a “compassionate conservative” telegenic, charismatic governor who can appeal to moderates. A Republican Bill Clinton if you like. If there was such a candidate I think they’d walk 2024.
But there is no chance of the base putting them forwards, so it’s a fantasy.
Pence and Haley are perhaps the ones to take a closer look at to assess their chances, Haley seems to be popular but I would need to look into her politics a bit more to be convinced she would be able to step up if Trump/DeSantis faltered.
George W Bush was of course just such a 'compassionate conservative' governor in 2000 and won. Also the only Republican Presidential candidate this century to win the popular vote as he did in 2004
Have you not seen his humourous commentary about signing off the execution of, I believe, a mentally ill female death rower. How he laughed.
When I first read that I thought you were referring to an oarswoman!
This is 100 new homes, being built on a floodplain. Connecting to a single main road which is already at crush capacity, loading another 100 families onto already overloaded schools and medical facilities.
Stick 100 new homes in and you don't cause a problem. Do it again and again and again and again and then wonder why people are against new homes. Local topography doesn't allow new roads. Local impoverished council budgets means no new facilities. Littleborough - and frankly the small towns over the top like Mytholmroyd - are overcrowded in a way that feels simply unbelievable compared to how it was in the 80s and 90s.
Planning laws mean that developers build what they want where they want it. No concern for facilities or infrastructure. Just throw them up, charge £stupid to people who are desperate, move on and leave the problem behind.
So yes, build new towns. On the edge of existing towns is more likely and does happen in various places. But stop crushing shitbox new build rabbit hutches in.
And make them beautiful
At the very least, liveable.
"It's about the infrastructure" is the NIMBY version of "I'm not racist, but.."
Infrastructure can be built. And much more easily for planned medium density urban developments than endless add on suburbs.
Indeed, two thirds of the seats in the Assembly reversing the 2018 result. It's been a long political road for Oscar Temaru, the founder and President of the Tavini Party since he founded the party (which was then known as the Polynesian Liberation Front) in the 1970s. They've shared power in coalitions but this is the first time they've won an outright majority.
The question is where do they go from here and how will France react?
Anti-independence parties however, won the majority of votes, so a referendum is not going to be won, any time soon.
TBH, I can't see why any overseas territory would wish to break from France. The deal they get is incredible.
Agreed, but I'm not sure it always works that way.
Pride has no price.
It's basically a choice between living in a first world nation or a third world kleptocracy. It's surprising how many would prefer the latter.
Mauritius is not a third world kleptocracy. Nor is Singapore. Nor is Brunei
Interestingly, though, none of those have human rights to what we'd call Western standards.
Singapore has just ruthlessly executed one guy who got caught with 2 pounds of gear.
Ruthlessly executed, eh? Better than that wokist compassionate merciful execution nonsense.
I'm sure this was a killer point in your head.
No. It was a joke. Perhaps a very bad one but, nevertheless, a concept that is notoriously alien to your way of thinking.
I think new towns or new villages (like the one I mentioned in Leics) are quite viable both politically and economically if situated appropriately and equipped with infrastructure and transport links. Plonking a high density new city of 500 000 in a random part of Leaverstan is not viable, not least because construction would take decades. It took 3 decades for Milton Keynes to reach a quarter million population, and that is quite well situated.
A lot of greenfield sites in Britain are low quality monoculture wildlife deserts, with little or no scenic qualities, and quite appropriate to develop.
This land is next to the largest jobs catchment area in Europe, and one where house prices are crowding out the productive middle classes.
You could, literally, build a kind of “Dubai” here, and it would indeed be self-sustaining. It would need to be a massive project, though, and not one the British have much of a track record in.
For a start, you’d need to overcome the cultural snobbery that underpins much of British life.
The estuary seems an obvious opportunity. Water resources might be an issue, but then, Dubai. Would need 2 or 3 more river crossings to properly link up the economic zones North and South.
Some good potential viticultural land around there though, so that would need to be preserved.
Also: think big
Plan a Hong Kong style city with immense towers. Space for 2m people. Which can go up to 5m. Be ambitious. Aim for scale
The low rise apartment blocks you see towards the centres of many European cities seem to work alright. That way you achieve a high housing density for those who like living in the bustle of the city, which also attracts service businesses, and you leave room for decently sized houses in the suburbs for people to move to later in life. Some of the most miserable places here are where tiny shoebox houses with stamp-sized, frequently unkempt gardens are crammed into packed monoculture developments, so that people are forced to live in cramped conditions, but the population density still isn't high enough to support local businesses.
This should be Keir’s great project. Homes Fit for the Hopeful.
New build homes are largely appalling. And the whole "executive homes for middle class people" lie is in itself a problem. And we end up with thrown together houses crushed in together, with gangs of bored kids making these estates hell for the majority. And that is when you then get gardens filled with rubbish etc etc. And the price of some of these houses!!!!
So yes, lets build medium density housing. Nice apartments where the developer hasn't fitted them with InfernoQwik panels. Its the solution that works basically everywhere else. Why not here?
It seems as though the Local Plans won't have a lot of power but it's often those which bring down local administrations when the electorate perceive what is being planned as not being in keeping with what is there.
That's the thing - Conservatives throw accusations of NIMBYism around at Liberal Democrats, Residents and others opposed to proposed developments but there's a world of difference between being opposed to housing (whichb no one is) and being opposed to high density developments on greenfield sites without adequate supporting infrastructure which seem to be more about maximising the profits of developers than providing sustainable local communities.
Many would also argue brownfield sites should be the starting point (in my part of the world that's really all there is) but of course we know that reduces developer profits because of the need to decontaminate or do additional preparatory work.
Supporting infrastructure such as schools, transport and GP surgeries also needs to be considered in order not to put unreasonable pressure on what's there and most larger developments should contain retail and other business opportunities to provide jobs for the new residents.
From an electoral point of view, and probably also an infrastructure and environmental one, surely the best option is to go really big in one of two places only. High density, hundreds of thousands of new units, proper infrastructure and services to go with them.
You only lose possibly a dozen or so of council seats in areas affected as opposed to hundreds across vast swathes of the country when you go for sprawling patchy development: an estate here, a new village there, the odd few houses in every community.
You get better value for money from concentrated public services: new hospital, new primary and secondary schools, train, tram and bus routes. And you get to retain 99% of the remaining green space in the rest of the country.
2 new cities, that’s what I’d go for. One somewhere like Cambridgeshire on the East Coast mainline, the other between Manchester and Sheffield along the NPR line. And of course the Anglesey metropolis with its preferential 15% corporate tax rate and tunnel to Ireland, but that can come later.
A new city of tower blocks in the Peak District national park.
Full marks for originality but fewer for practicality.
Actually the Manchester-Leeds axis is perhaps more promising. Somewhere near Halifax.
A problem being that Halifax is already there.
Unless you want to build on the moors you're not going to fit a new city in between Leeds and Manchester.
There’s lots of space
Ever heard of the Pennines ?
That's where the 'space' is.
Here’s a screenshot from Google maps of the area immediately around Halifax. Moorland is hello-brown, the green is farmland. There’s more green space further South and East too.
At reasonable densities you could easily get a city with the population of Sheffield there.
At higher densities you could pretty much get Kowloon plus Rio in there. Two cities unbothered about mountain obstacles.
The same is true of lots of other areas where people assume there is no space. We’ve only built on a fraction of usable land.
Or a bit south east of that and the area around Huddersfield/Dewsbury.
This land is next to the largest jobs catchment area in Europe, and one where house prices are crowding out the productive middle classes.
You could, literally, build a kind of “Dubai” here, and it would indeed be self-sustaining. It would need to be a massive project, though, and not one the British have much of a track record in.
For a start, you’d need to overcome the cultural snobbery that underpins much of British life.
The estuary seems an obvious opportunity. Water resources might be an issue, but then, Dubai. Would need 2 or 3 more river crossings to properly link up the economic zones North and South.
Some good potential viticultural land around there though, so that would need to be preserved.
Also: think big
Plan a Hong Kong style city with immense towers. Space for 2m people. Which can go up to 5m. Be ambitious. Aim for scale
I agree with the sentiment, but I suspect you’ve lost most of the board already.
It seems to be case that the places that people WANT to live - think Paris, Amsterdam, the Upper West Side of Manhattan - are around six floors high and arranged in terraces, squares, and canals. Britain has its own domestic forms in London, Bath and Edinburgh.
We could do worse than ask AI to design a garden city, interlaced with canals, in the style of Robert Adam.
If people wanted to live like that I suspect they would be living like that.
Given that most people instead live in semis and detacheds then I suspect that they prefer to live like that.
I think that ideas of these things change over time. Few want big gardens now (evidenced by the unkempt nature of many gardens) but do want to have enough space to park out front, and sit outside on a nice day and let the children play securely.
When my father lived in Paris in a small block of a dozen flats each flat had parking in the basement*, and there were two large balconies getting the sun. It was a very nice place to live.
* being France, there was a wine cave in the cellar for each flat too!
Agreed.
You rarely see new build housing with big gardens nowadays.
Instead there are often medium sized communal green spaces.
What I don't sense though is much desire for high density living outside of large cities.
What I suspect the 'average person' wants is a bit of moderation with some garden, some nice communal area and some easy access to the countryside.
But there will be will be extremes who want big gardens or no gardens, big communal areas or no communal areas, lots of countryside access or no countryside access.
Fortunately we can build some housing to suit all types.
But instead we get into these discussions where someone starts declaring we need to build X in location Y according to their own great masterplan.
Fucking amazing interview with Prigozhin on dzen (kind of like a Russian reddit but not really). He really is a funny guy and uses rich language replete with criminal slang in a way that is rarely heard these days...
With great effort holding back the urge to post the "funny how" scene, I still have to ask: these days? When was the last time you were familiar with Russian criminal talk?
Criminal slang (fenya/blatnoy yazik) was very commonly heard in the cities even by non criminal elements and had a deep connection to Russian culture. It probably started going out of usage in the noughties as the Internet and globalisation encroached.
This land is next to the largest jobs catchment area in Europe, and one where house prices are crowding out the productive middle classes.
You could, literally, build a kind of “Dubai” here, and it would indeed be self-sustaining. It would need to be a massive project, though, and not one the British have much of a track record in.
For a start, you’d need to overcome the cultural snobbery that underpins much of British life.
The estuary seems an obvious opportunity. Water resources might be an issue, but then, Dubai. Would need 2 or 3 more river crossings to properly link up the economic zones North and South.
Some good potential viticultural land around there though, so that would need to be preserved.
Also: think big
Plan a Hong Kong style city with immense towers. Space for 2m people. Which can go up to 5m. Be ambitious. Aim for scale
I agree with the sentiment, but I suspect you’ve lost most of the board already.
It seems to be case that the places that people WANT to live - think Paris, Amsterdam, the Upper West Side of Manhattan - are around six floors high and arranged in terraces, squares, and canals. Britain has its own domestic forms in London, Bath and Edinburgh.
We could do worse than ask AI to design a garden city, interlaced with canals, in the style of Robert Adam.
If people wanted to live like that I suspect they would be living like that.
Given that most people instead live in semis and detacheds then I suspect that they prefer to live like that.
This is a fallacy, as it implies we must all be content with the status quo.
It’s also, factually wrong in that only 42% of Britons live in detached or semi-detached housing.
Tory thinking in action!
Wasnt there a theory that we havent had revolutions because the english are too busy doing their gardens.
The English gardeners were (probably: I've not checked) the only people to have a revolution then reverse it, abolishing then re-establishing the monarchy. Charles I, Charles II, what comes next in this sequence? Find out on Saturday!
The fact is that Charles II survived because there was a convenient oak tree,
Fucking amazing interview with Prigozhin on dzen (kind of like a Russian reddit but not really). He really is a funny guy and uses rich language replete with criminal slang in a way that is rarely heard these days...
With great effort holding back the urge to post the "funny how" scene, I still have to ask: these days? When was the last time you were familiar with Russian criminal talk?
Criminal slang (fenya/blatnoy yazik) was very commonly heard in the cities even by non criminal elements and had a deep connection to Russian culture. It probably started going out of usage in the noughties as the Internet and globalisation encroached.
Same here. Watch The Sweeney or Minder and it's a different language.
Indeed, two thirds of the seats in the Assembly reversing the 2018 result. It's been a long political road for Oscar Temaru, the founder and President of the Tavini Party since he founded the party (which was then known as the Polynesian Liberation Front) in the 1970s. They've shared power in coalitions but this is the first time they've won an outright majority.
The question is where do they go from here and how will France react?
Anti-independence parties however, won the majority of votes, so a referendum is not going to be won, any time soon.
TBH, I can't see why any overseas territory would wish to break from France. The deal they get is incredible.
Agreed, but I'm not sure it always works that way.
Pride has no price.
It's basically a choice between living in a first world nation or a third world kleptocracy. It's surprising how many would prefer the latter.
Mauritius is not a third world kleptocracy. Nor is Singapore. Nor is Brunei
Interestingly, though, none of those have human rights to what we'd call Western standards.
Singapore has just ruthlessly executed one guy who got caught with 2 pounds of gear.
Ruthlessly executed, eh? Better than that wokist compassionate merciful execution nonsense.
I'm sure this was a killer point in your head.
No. It was a joke. Perhaps a very bad one but, nevertheless, a concept that is notoriously alien to your way of thinking.
Indeed, two thirds of the seats in the Assembly reversing the 2018 result. It's been a long political road for Oscar Temaru, the founder and President of the Tavini Party since he founded the party (which was then known as the Polynesian Liberation Front) in the 1970s. They've shared power in coalitions but this is the first time they've won an outright majority.
The question is where do they go from here and how will France react?
Anti-independence parties however, won the majority of votes, so a referendum is not going to be won, any time soon.
TBH, I can't see why any overseas territory would wish to break from France. The deal they get is incredible.
Agreed, but I'm not sure it always works that way.
Pride has no price.
It's basically a choice between living in a first world nation or a third world kleptocracy. It's surprising how many would prefer the latter.
Mauritius is not a third world kleptocracy. Nor is Singapore. Nor is Brunei
Interestingly, though, none of those have human rights to what we'd call Western standards.
Singapore has just ruthlessly executed one guy who got caught with 2 pounds of gear.
The Mauritians would point to Elizabeth II's governments treatment of the Chagos Islanders if you started talking about 'Western standards' of human rights.
Would you like to live under Chinese standards of governance?
Of course not. Doesn't make our treatment of the Chagos Islanders any less shameful.
I think new towns or new villages (like the one I mentioned in Leics) are quite viable both politically and economically if situated appropriately and equipped with infrastructure and transport links. Plonking a high density new city of 500 000 in a random part of Leaverstan is not viable, not least because construction would take decades. It took 3 decades for Milton Keynes to reach a quarter million population, and that is quite well situated.
A lot of greenfield sites in Britain are low quality monoculture wildlife deserts, with little or no scenic qualities, and quite appropriate to develop.
Monocultural and monotonous.
Continuing my theme of moderation and a bit of everything I don't think you can beat a mixed landscape of agricultural land, ancient woodland, plantation woodland, re-wilded old industrial land and outer suburbia.
Not the sort of thing you see on 'Beautiful Britain' calendars but its always interesting to walk through.
Despite the recurring meme that Russia promotes Scottish secession, here's a proud Unionist pooping out Kremlin talking points. Won't be long before he's doing the whole 'Ukraine is actually part of Russia' schtik (unless he's sectioned first).
Indeed, two thirds of the seats in the Assembly reversing the 2018 result. It's been a long political road for Oscar Temaru, the founder and President of the Tavini Party since he founded the party (which was then known as the Polynesian Liberation Front) in the 1970s. They've shared power in coalitions but this is the first time they've won an outright majority.
The question is where do they go from here and how will France react?
Anti-independence parties however, won the majority of votes, so a referendum is not going to be won, any time soon.
TBH, I can't see why any overseas territory would wish to break from France. The deal they get is incredible.
Agreed, but I'm not sure it always works that way.
Pride has no price.
It's basically a choice between living in a first world nation or a third world kleptocracy. It's surprising how many would prefer the latter.
Mauritius is not a third world kleptocracy. Nor is Singapore. Nor is Brunei
Interestingly, though, none of those have human rights to what we'd call Western standards.
Singapore has just ruthlessly executed one guy who got caught with 2 pounds of gear.
The Mauritians would point to Elizabeth II's governments treatment of the Chagos Islanders if you started talking about 'Western standards' of human rights.
Would you like to live under Chinese standards of governance?
Of course not. Doesn't make our treatment of the Chagos Islanders any less shameful.
“Tucked into page 8 is a stipulation outlawing all assignments involving “direct communication” between students and their federal, state or local officials – short-circuiting the training young Texans receive to participate in democracy itself.” https://twitter.com/profsassy/status/1653008098783555588
Indeed, two thirds of the seats in the Assembly reversing the 2018 result. It's been a long political road for Oscar Temaru, the founder and President of the Tavini Party since he founded the party (which was then known as the Polynesian Liberation Front) in the 1970s. They've shared power in coalitions but this is the first time they've won an outright majority.
The question is where do they go from here and how will France react?
Anti-independence parties however, won the majority of votes, so a referendum is not going to be won, any time soon.
TBH, I can't see why any overseas territory would wish to break from France. The deal they get is incredible.
Agreed, but I'm not sure it always works that way.
Pride has no price.
It's basically a choice between living in a first world nation or a third world kleptocracy. It's surprising how many would prefer the latter.
Mauritius is not a third world kleptocracy. Nor is Singapore. Nor is Brunei
Interestingly, though, none of those have human rights to what we'd call Western standards.
Singapore has just ruthlessly executed one guy who got caught with 2 pounds of gear.
The Mauritians would point to Elizabeth II's governments treatment of the Chagos Islanders if you started talking about 'Western standards' of human rights.
Would you like to live under Chinese standards of governance?
Of course not. Doesn't make our treatment of the Chagos Islanders any less shameful.
Ok, but you seem much more interested in Whataboutery rather than engaging with it.
Based on this, the Tories are flatlining, Labour still declining, and the Greens should become the biggest party by late Autumn. Is that how this works?
Torturing data like that breaks several UN conventions.
Comments
It just needs the GCR to be rebuilt right into the city centre…
(If only. My dad taught in Birstall and we used to live in Rearsby, so I know the area quite well.)
The benefit of democracy is that it has an escape valve before the point of revolution, as long as elections are capable of changing policy. I think a big redistribution push will come in the next 20 years or so.
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/apr/30/king-charles-urged-to-push-for-break-up-of-uks-network-of-satellite-tax-havens?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
The first para packs in three separate, but pretty acute and profound, truths about the modern economy.
As for the latter, I hope so, but 20 years is a long time away. It’s not obvious our political systems can cope with two more decades of boomer-driven stagnation.
I actually love Gibraltar, it's effectively an outpost of the UK, but you'd live in an expensive pokey flat and microstate your way around the same 2 square miles of territory ad-infinitum.
To be meaningfully wealthy you need the number, and the means to deploy it and enjoy it.
You could, literally, build a kind of “Dubai” here, and it would indeed be self-sustaining.
It would need to be a massive project, though, and not one the British have much of a track record in.
For a start, you’d need to overcome the cultural snobbery that underpins much of British life.
This is 100 new homes, being built on a floodplain. Connecting to a single main road which is already at crush capacity, loading another 100 families onto already overloaded schools and medical facilities.
Stick 100 new homes in and you don't cause a problem. Do it again and again and again and again and then wonder why people are against new homes. Local topography doesn't allow new roads. Local impoverished council budgets means no new facilities. Littleborough - and frankly the small towns over the top like Mytholmroyd - are overcrowded in a way that feels simply unbelievable compared to how it was in the 80s and 90s.
Planning laws mean that developers build what they want where they want it. No concern for facilities or infrastructure. Just throw them up, charge £stupid to people who are desperate, move on and leave the problem behind.
So yes, build new towns. On the edge of existing towns is more likely and does happen in various places. But stop crushing shitbox new build rabbit hutches in.
Based on this, the Tories are flatlining, Labour still declining, and the Greens should become the biggest party by late Autumn. Is that how this works?
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/04/ai-technology-productivity-time-wasting/673880/?utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share
(Physician, heal thyself...)
Some good potential viticultural land around there though, so that would need to be preserved.
“Vegan trans wokist compassionate merciful execution“ ?
Death by….. venison!
Plan a Hong Kong style city with immense towers. Space for 2m people. Which can go up to 5m. Be ambitious. Aim for scale
https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/judgedredd/images/b/bc/640px-Dredd-Film-City-View.png
It seems to be case that the places that people WANT to live - think Paris, Amsterdam, the Upper West Side of Manhattan - are around six floors high and arranged in terraces, squares, and canals. Britain has its own domestic forms in London, Bath and Edinburgh.
We could do worse than ask AI to design a garden city, interlaced with canals, in the style of Robert Adam.
Shithole doesn't come close. And even if it were undeveloped it's a muddy estuary leading out to the North Sea.
No-one wants to live there. It's possibly one of the least attractive places in Britain.
So is Antwerp, and much of the Netherlands.
And, then, you will get the full Henry VIII treatment.
Time to read up on your Paul Scofield.
A lot of what you think is green is actually grey.
If the Times is right and we are looking at 700k-1m net migration for the foreseeable future (which is apparently fabulous news for all pb-ers) then a few new garden cities are not going to cut it. We don’t have enough room
We will have to build towers in great and spectacular clusters
Plenty of people who hate Brexit, and criticise it vehemently on economic grounds, are quite happy to acquiesce or tub-thumb for Scottish Independence where the economic case is far more tenuous.
First is that Britons want lots of things (preserve countryside, lower taxes with good public services, affordable houses) which you can't easily have if everyone has a detached house with a big garden.
Second is that some high density housing (Georgian squares for example) are highly desirable, as shown by the prices they sell for.
Get location and quality right, and people don't mind density.
Given that most people instead live in semis and detacheds then I suspect that they prefer to live like that.
Homes Fit for the Hopeful.
It’s also, factually wrong in that only 42% of Britons live in detached or semi-detached housing.
Tory thinking in action!
99% of the time they are either people doing it by accident, or simply using it as a means of expressing anonymous disapproval.
If I really don’t like your posts, I say so.
When my father lived in Paris in a small block of a dozen flats each flat had parking in the basement*, and there were two large balconies getting the sun. It was a very nice place to live.
* being France, there was a wine cave in the cellar for each flat too!
7.8 million households (31.5% of all households) were in semi-detached properties, up from 31.3% (7.3 million) in 2011
5.8 million (23.2%) were in detached properties, up from 5.3 million (22.7%) in 2011
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/housing/bulletins/housingenglandandwales/census2021#:~:text=In 2021, there were 24.8,2011 (from 23.4 million).
That's 54.7% in either detached or semi-detached.
What's more is that those who do live in terraced or flats are often doing so because they cannot afford a semi or a detached.
Having experience of London or New York is not always a good guide to the wider countries.
* Slags off the RF armed forces mightily calling them undisciplined, untrained and unequipped.
* Expects to be killed by a sniper in his SPb office and has instructions on the wall to help them range him.
* Despises Shoigu and Krivoruchka, likes Surovikin and Teplinsky.
* Plenty of Ukrainians are getting rich by selling supplies to RF armed forces
* Ukraine are taking 500 casualties/day in whatever the fuck is left of Bakhmutlepool
* Describes Russian MoD leadership as "mentally ill"
* Wants to know why the fuck RF is still selling oil to the West via India
* RF has enough supplies to fight for 6 months while expending 80,000 shells/day
* Said there should be no celebration on May 9th because Russia hasn't earned it
* The SMO is crippled by political infighting in the RF government
* Confirms that PMC Wagner will not turn around and march on Moscow (actual lol)
Your last sentence is of course a classic of the patronising, little England kind. A mentality that is suffocating the country.
And much more easily for planned medium density urban developments than endless add on suburbs.
A lot of greenfield sites in Britain are low quality monoculture wildlife deserts, with little or no scenic qualities, and quite appropriate to develop.
So yes, lets build medium density housing. Nice apartments where the developer hasn't fitted them with InfernoQwik panels. Its the solution that works basically everywhere else. Why not here?
You rarely see new build housing with big gardens nowadays.
Instead there are often medium sized communal green spaces.
What I don't sense though is much desire for high density living outside of large cities.
What I suspect the 'average person' wants is a bit of moderation with some garden, some nice communal area and some easy access to the countryside.
But there will be will be extremes who want big gardens or no gardens, big communal areas or no communal areas, lots of countryside access or no countryside access.
Fortunately we can build some housing to suit all types.
But instead we get into these discussions where someone starts declaring we need to build X in location Y according to their own great masterplan.
https://www.racingpost.com/news/festivals/guineas-festival/royal-runner-slipofthepen-to-miss-the-2000-guineas-on-coronation-day-with-15-left-in-contention-aEonj6v09Ez5/
The King won't be popping into Ladbroke's on his way to the Abbey.
Ok here's the chance - can one of you take him out?
Continuing my theme of moderation and a bit of everything I don't think you can beat a mixed landscape of agricultural land, ancient woodland, plantation woodland, re-wilded old industrial land and outer suburbia.
Not the sort of thing you see on 'Beautiful Britain' calendars but its always interesting to walk through.
The Tortoise interview with Jolyon Maugham KC
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQnAbdMFdgA
“Tucked into page 8 is a stipulation outlawing all assignments involving “direct communication” between students and their federal, state or local officials – short-circuiting the training young Texans receive to participate in democracy itself.”
https://twitter.com/profsassy/status/1653008098783555588
And beware of the Doug giving out silly likes.