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Starmer dwarfs Sunak on the leadership front – politicalbetting.com
Starmer dwarfs Sunak on the leadership front – politicalbetting.com
Starmer vs Sunak (4 June):Starmer leads on EVERY SINGLE leadership characteristic polled, including:Can bring British ppl together (47% | 29%)Can build a strong economy (42% | 36%)Is a strong leader (38% | 33%)Can work well with foreign leaders (40% | 38%) pic.twitter.com/mulFDlkJQq
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"Dams like the Dnipro dam in Nova Kahkovka are protected by the laws of war and the Geneva convention. Destroying it would be considered a weapon of mass destruction and an indiscriminate war crime. Article 56 of the 1977 Additional Protocol I provides:
'Works and installations containing dangerous forces, namely dams, dykes and nuclear electrical generating stations, shall not be made the object of attack, even where these objects are military objectives, if such attack may cause the release of dangerous forces and consequent severe losses among the civilian population. Other military objectives located at or in the vicinity of these works or installations shall not be made the object of attack if such attack may cause the release of dangerous forces from the works or installations and consequent severe losses among the civilian population.'
Model of the worse case attached.
SOURCE: https://cornucopia.se/2022/10/worst-case-modelling-for-nova-kakhovka-dam-break/
https://twitter.com/igorsushko/status/1665940031381594112?s=20
Sir Keir Starmer will be able to appoint Sue Gray as his chief of staff in the autumn after government advisers rejected calls for her to be banned from the role for more than a year.
The Times has been told the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba) has recommended Gray, a former senior civil servant, should take just six months’ gardening leave.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/f74a67fe-03e1-11ee-b1f9-dbcd37af20fb?shareToken=9ef4df4b683fa16d231b818b673e1642
https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/CA/PST045222
...Since mid-February, 2023, either deliberately or as a result of neglect, the damaged dam at Nova Kakhovka has not been adjusting to the seasonal increase in water flow, to the point that water is washing over the top of the dam and land above it has been flooded. Water levels in the reservoir have reached a 30-year high...
The damage could be immense.
Idiots like Hodges had condemned her in advance.
Since the Russians are in charge of the power station, sadly I'd veer towards the latter.
https://www.itv.com/watch/vicky-mcclure-my-grandads-war/10a3075
Perhaps it is that these people hate somebody so much that they're unable to see the wood for the trees
I'm beginning to wonder if being a Royal flunkey, no matter how intelligent or capable, sets up the wrong attitudes to be Cabinet Secretary in a democracy.
We know the mother of all retreats is coming.
If you are convinced SKS is rubbish, you are going to lose a lot of money IMHO
Colin Powell said they stopped when they realised it would cause more damage than nuking Baghdad and realised they would likely face war crimes charges.
That it was some grand conspiracy was for morons and partisans.
The Tories are in trouble. How will they come back?
And you didn't actually answer my question.
A top civil servant was repeatedly smeared by the likes of Dan Hodges and cheered by people on here.
That's a smear job.
And as for currygate: again, Starmer could not say that he had not broken the law. That is from a big-brained lawyer who I believe voted for the relevant legislation. If he had his doubts, why didn't you (and that's going away from the utter stupidity of the event anyway).
Perhaps those people so keen to clear Labour of things hate other parties so much they're unable to see the wood for the trees...
The international community will just make sure that Ukraine is rebuilt so as to be a shining beacon of how shitty its Russian neighbour looks in comparison.
(Not that I think one was likely anyway; but the Russian may well be able to totally discount it now, allowing them to reposition their troops.)
Sounds like the Russians are giving up the idea of holding Crimea.
And sink the ferries too.
They have all the weaponry needed.
https://twitter.com/Marslauncher/status/1665908398225850368
And yes, the appointment system is cr@p. But that's a bit of your own whataboutery...
"According to official Russian statistics, the Crimean agricultural industry fully overcame the consequences of the blocking of the North Crimean Canal and crop yields grew by a factor of 1.5 from 2013 by 2016. The reported rapid growth in agricultural production in Crimea is due to the fact that, with the help of subsidies in the order of 2–3 billion rubles a year from the budget of the Russian Federation, agricultural producers in Crimea were able to increase their fleet of agricultural machinery.
These official statistics contrast with reports of a massive shrinkage in the area under cultivation in Crimea, from 130,000 hectares in 2013 to just 14,000 in 2017, and an empty canal and a nearly dry reservoir resulting in widespread water shortages, with water only being available for three to five hours a day in 2021."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Crimean_Canal#:~:text=In Crimea, numerous smaller canals,to the city of Simferopol.
The price of Bitcoin plunged after the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange and its founder were accused of a “web of deception” by US regulators.
The largest crypto token lost more than 3pc to fall below £21,000 as Binance and its chief executive Changpeng Zhao faced allegations of misusing investor funds, operating as an unregistered exchange and violating a slew of US securities laws.
The lawsuit filed by the SEC lists thirteen charges against the crypto trading platform — including mingling and diverting customer assets to an entity Mr Zhao owned called Sigma Chain.
The charges echo accusations levelled at the second largest cryptocurrency exchange, FTX, and its founder Sam Bankman-Fried after its collapse last year.
SEC chairman Gary Gensler in a written statement that Zhao and Binance “engaged in an extensive web of deception, conflicts of interest, lack of disclosure, and calculated evasion of the law”.
He added: “The public should beware of investing any of their hard-earned assets with or on these unlawful platforms.”
In a social media post, Binance said that it has been cooperating with the SEC’s investigation but said that the agency “chose to act unilaterally and litigate.”
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2023/06/06/ftse-100-markets-live-news-crypto-binance-live/
This may be just Russian figures being Russian figures...
FWIW a Ukraine spokesman on R4 thought there should be no immediate danger to the plant.
You can't let Beergate go, despite what appeared to be rather a rigerous review by Durham Constabulary. It looks like you also can't accept that Gray was impartial, even though her report was the dampest of damp squibs and pretty much let Johnson off the hook.
Again, look at the conditional I put in my statement. That's important.
They appear to have been fairly straightforward matters of fact.
If you distrust her, then by all means dispute the enquiry. But even then, why should she not take the appointment ?
I do accept Gray was impartial now; my comments are about why it was reasonable to feel it was sniffy *at that time*.
Aside from that, well done!
It also detailed the general bullshitting about economic matters that has been going on for years.
https://twitter.com/Gerashchenko_en/status/1665957716202868737?t=OPLqFl6ikNyuY8h37YjP8w&s=19
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2010/aug/08/red-plenty-francis-spufford
There are also rumours that China's economy is also gravely overstated, for similar reasons...
And completely irrelevant to this case.
Chakrabati was not a civil servant. She worked in the third sector. She was asked to lead a report on Labour. She was subsequently appointed to the Lords, where she now sits, receiving a salary for life, but from the Lords, not from the Labour Party. All this, of course, was under a different Labour leadership.
The two women’s initial situations are different. Their final roles are different. The rules and oversight surrounding their situations are different. They are, OK, both women who have a relationship with the Labour Party. Their first names also begin with the letter S, I guess. They both worked on reports, but they were reports of a very different nature and form.
I think what happened with Chakrabati looked bad. Both Labour and the Conservatives have, undeniably, done various Bad Things over the years. I don’t think this Chakrabati=Gray argument is going to sway the election result. From a political betting point of view, it’s a complete irrelevance. The Tories may try to attack Labour over Gray again, but I rather suspect reminding voters of Partygate is an unwise move.
But I understand - the Tories are deliberately throwing dust into the air to obscure things. The Gray report was lauded as exonerating Johnson by the same people who later decried it for being biased. If it was the stitch-up job they claim, then the stitch-up was exonerating the man.
Its the same as government vs government-appointed Covid enquiry. They want to change its remit because its insisting on investigating Covid - not what they envisaged a Covid Enquiry to do. So no you can't see our WhatsApp messages as they are irrelevant. As the ones they tried to hide about the Everard vigil policing which was totally relevant. And as Johnson hands over all he has including the allegedly locked phone which has the rest. They're taking themselves to court to protect Johnson's right to privacy which he has given up.
So clearly as the Borisgraph printed yesterday, the real scandal is that we locked down at all...
*lockdown wasn't all or nothing, it was graduated and restrictions being eased. When looking at the incidents that occurred, this is often ignored. Fortunately for SKS the Durham police realise this.
You may be surprised but I agree with your comments
It was correct beergate was investigated and reviewed by Durham Police and on Sue Gray, I have consistently affirmed her report on Johnson was fair and indeed possibly too fair
The question was whether she was approached properly and the decision to impose 6 months gardening leave seems reasonable in the circumstances
Prior to destroying the dam, Russians raised the water level of the reservoir to a historic record high by restricting outflow by keeping most gates closed to maximize damage to Ukraine from the flooding
https://twitter.com/igorsushko/status/1665971219643138049?s=20
Partygate on the other hand, a series of events that you appear comfortable to dismiss as trivial, was slam-dunk illegal and 120 FPNs confirm that, including one for Sunak (who was ambushed by a cake) and Johnson who, evidence suggests, deserved several more. Now there was a police investigation without rigour.
Of course, to certain Tories, this was a fiendish trick designed to bounce the police into clearing him.
What is now clear - there is no question - is that she was approached properly, hence the imposition of the usual period of garden leave. Senior figure, headhunted by the opposition, who did their job for the current employer scrupulously and professionally with the praise of their clients.
There is no scandal. Not that some won't continue desperately to suggest there was and still is.
And remember, Starmer repeatedly wanted harder and longer lockdowns. Except, of course, when he and his mates (well, and Rayner...) wanted a party and curry.
And you're correct: the timing of such events matters. A trap others have fallen into on here, e.g. Boris's hospital handshake on March 3rd 2020.
His assessment of the layers of lies was interesting.
I understand your father was taken ill
I hope he is improving and send my best wishes to you and your family for his recovery
The funny one for me that DWARFS the rest is 'stopping the boats'. I heard yesterday that only ONE IN TWENTY SIX asylum seekers arrive by boat!
So he has not only set himself a very silly test even passing it is pointless.
Meeting for work was either legal or it was illegal. And with campaigning it was legal - and all parties did it including PM Johnson. The idea that Starmer was doing something wrong is at best partisan hackery and at worst an obsessional grudge.
The flood will subside fairly quickly as it drains into the Black Sea, so any water obstacle downstream is likely to fade quickly, so the Russians cannot really leave the area undefended.
An anecdote: many decades ago, Markeaton Lake in Derby was partially drained for some work to be done. A series of increasingly larger machines got stuck in the mud, as they tried to pull them out.
"They are all at it" is a projection of those who are all at it.
My son in law lost his mother last year and his father a couple of weeks ago and it is a very emotional time for the family
It should teach us all to respect and look after the elderly
It really isn't. And if that is your claim, you might want to look in the mirror...
Go on, find a post where I have.
At 12, I was in Auschwitz. My parents and seven siblings were murdered. Here is how I built a life
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/jun/06/at-12-i-was-in-auschwitz-my-parents-and-seven-siblings-were-murdered-here-is-how-i-built-a-life
...Decades later, he was a witness in the war crimes trial of the Auschwitz guard Oskar Gröning. “In walks a frail, old man with a walking frame, one nurse either side. What was the first thought I had?” His answer is pity.
He does not claim an exceptional gift for compassion. When he is asked by schoolchildren: “Do you hate the Germans?” he replies: “Why do you say ‘the Germans’? Who were my guards? Hungarians, Ukrainians, Poles, French, Estonians.” If he went down that road, he says, he would end up hating everyone. “No, I think what I hate is what human beings allow themselves to do.”
This should not be misread as a state of philosophical calm. Perl is clear and frank that he is haunted by that year of his life. He describes a visit to Sandringham: “You’ve got a beautiful garden with a wire fence and forests at the back. What do you think the first thing came to my mind?” The subcamp of Dachau, fenced off in the middle of a forest, where Perl was held nearly 80 years ago...
Do you think that Durham takeaway curry's are so good that they attract casual diners from London on a regular basis?