Interesting piece if you can get past the paywall. I suspect I would like Nadine Dorries if I met her. Clearly has things going for her, including creating a successful business in difficult circumstances. Also someone the phrase "own worst enemy" could have been invented for.
Poll: SNP face defeat by Labour in dramatic boost for Starmer new
Labour is poised to win more seats than Nationalists at the next general election as financial scandals turn voters off Nicola Sturgeon’s party
Labour will defeat SNP at the next election for the first time since 2010 to become Scotland’s largest party at Westminster, according to a landmark new poll.
In a seismic reversal of fortunes, the Labour party would end a decade of electoral mediocrity north of the border to win a majority of seats by returning 26 MPs — an astonishing surge from their current bedrock of one.
Such a scenario will dramatically boost Sir Keir Starmer’s chances of entering Downing Street next year. The SNP would likely be cast into turmoil with Labour cannibalising most of their new votes from the Nationalists, who would lose more than half of their 45 seats.
The Panelbase Poll for The Sunday Times — the first to be wholly conducted since Nicola Sturgeon was arrested last Sunday — signals a significant downturn for the SNP. The party would hold just 21 seats and the next general election, their poorest result for 13 years.
Sir John Curtice, the Strathclyde University professor and polling expert, said that Sturgeon’s arrest last weekend amid a police investigation into SNP finances “has undermined the confidence of Yes supporters in her and her party in a way the arrest two months ago of her husband, Peter Murrell, did not”.
“Panelbase found that Sturgeon’s popularity has fallen by 38 points since February”
From +20 to -18 in 3 and a half months
That is OUTSTANDING
Genuinely. Has any politician ever fallen so fast, so hard, and so dramatically? Quite astonishing
Can anyone on PB think of a similar tumble?
Do we have the ratings for Major before and after Black Wednesday?
(I would also wonder about Thorpe, but I don't think we have polling for him.)
I’d be amazed if Major, personally, fell that hard and bad. Also Sturgeon has gone from being really popular to really unpopular. Not “unpopular to even more unpopular”
Her descent is quite unique
Major was extremely popular in 1991. After Black Wednesday, much less so, although it might well be that the later Maastricht, back to basics, Arms to Iraq, Cash for Questions were more significant.
Certainly, Sturgeon's fall from grace is very spectacular.
Another KY site/sight for Leon to consider, is a flying visit to the late Queen Elizabeth's favorite American destination - Lexington.
The historical, cultural and economic hub of famed Bluegrass region, where geology (lots of limestone), climate and other factors combine to create perhaps the best natural horse raising, rearing and racing complex this side of the Curragh of Kildare.
Museum of the Horse is worth a visit; while downtown see the girlhood home of Mary Todd Lincoln and campuses of Transylvania University (famed not for Dracula studies but rather as the first college west of the Allegheny mountains) and the University of Kentucky (famed as a major NCAA Div 1 men's basketball powerhouse.
My guess is that, if Leon swings though Lexington, he will find bit less of the US urban blight than he's so keen on.
You are superlatively well-travelled.
Naw, certainly nothing compared to you and MANY other peripatetic PBs.
Just have been where I've been - and that happens to include where Leon happens to be now.
I confess I am un-enthused by “the museum of the horse”
However I might check out Lexington. I have two full days left - with not much left to see
I'm currently road tripping in New England, right now in St Johnstown Vermont
In case you are wondering, don't go out of your way to visit
Lol
I’m in Point Pleasant WV. Quite a famous battle was fought exactly here (some say the 1st real battle of the American revolution) - it is also in a majestic setting - where the Ohio river greets the Kanawha river. There is greenery and sunshine
If this was anywhere in Europe there would be cafes and bars with outdoor tables. Places to sit and have a beer and look out over this mighty view in this historic place. Here? Nothing. A car lot. A weird museum to the mothman. A laundromat. Nothing and nowhere to eat and drink
Poll: SNP face defeat by Labour in dramatic boost for Starmer new
Labour is poised to win more seats than Nationalists at the next general election as financial scandals turn voters off Nicola Sturgeon’s party
Labour will defeat SNP at the next election for the first time since 2010 to become Scotland’s largest party at Westminster, according to a landmark new poll.
In a seismic reversal of fortunes, the Labour party would end a decade of electoral mediocrity north of the border to win a majority of seats by returning 26 MPs — an astonishing surge from their current bedrock of one.
Such a scenario will dramatically boost Sir Keir Starmer’s chances of entering Downing Street next year. The SNP would likely be cast into turmoil with Labour cannibalising most of their new votes from the Nationalists, who would lose more than half of their 45 seats.
The Panelbase Poll for The Sunday Times — the first to be wholly conducted since Nicola Sturgeon was arrested last Sunday — signals a significant downturn for the SNP. The party would hold just 21 seats and the next general election, their poorest result for 13 years.
Sir John Curtice, the Strathclyde University professor and polling expert, said that Sturgeon’s arrest last weekend amid a police investigation into SNP finances “has undermined the confidence of Yes supporters in her and her party in a way the arrest two months ago of her husband, Peter Murrell, did not”.
Poll: SNP face defeat by Labour in dramatic boost for Starmer new
Labour is poised to win more seats than Nationalists at the next general election as financial scandals turn voters off Nicola Sturgeon’s party
Labour will defeat SNP at the next election for the first time since 2010 to become Scotland’s largest party at Westminster, according to a landmark new poll.
In a seismic reversal of fortunes, the Labour party would end a decade of electoral mediocrity north of the border to win a majority of seats by returning 26 MPs — an astonishing surge from their current bedrock of one.
Such a scenario will dramatically boost Sir Keir Starmer’s chances of entering Downing Street next year. The SNP would likely be cast into turmoil with Labour cannibalising most of their new votes from the Nationalists, who would lose more than half of their 45 seats.
The Panelbase Poll for The Sunday Times — the first to be wholly conducted since Nicola Sturgeon was arrested last Sunday — signals a significant downturn for the SNP. The party would hold just 21 seats and the next general election, their poorest result for 13 years.
Sir John Curtice, the Strathclyde University professor and polling expert, said that Sturgeon’s arrest last weekend amid a police investigation into SNP finances “has undermined the confidence of Yes supporters in her and her party in a way the arrest two months ago of her husband, Peter Murrell, did not”.
Poll: SNP face defeat by Labour in dramatic boost for Starmer new
Labour is poised to win more seats than Nationalists at the next general election as financial scandals turn voters off Nicola Sturgeon’s party
Labour will defeat SNP at the next election for the first time since 2010 to become Scotland’s largest party at Westminster, according to a landmark new poll.
In a seismic reversal of fortunes, the Labour party would end a decade of electoral mediocrity north of the border to win a majority of seats by returning 26 MPs — an astonishing surge from their current bedrock of one.
Such a scenario will dramatically boost Sir Keir Starmer’s chances of entering Downing Street next year. The SNP would likely be cast into turmoil with Labour cannibalising most of their new votes from the Nationalists, who would lose more than half of their 45 seats.
The Panelbase Poll for The Sunday Times — the first to be wholly conducted since Nicola Sturgeon was arrested last Sunday — signals a significant downturn for the SNP. The party would hold just 21 seats and the next general election, their poorest result for 13 years.
Sir John Curtice, the Strathclyde University professor and polling expert, said that Sturgeon’s arrest last weekend amid a police investigation into SNP finances “has undermined the confidence of Yes supporters in her and her party in a way the arrest two months ago of her husband, Peter Murrell, did not”.
1/ The Russian Army has reportedly recruited thousands of prisoners, including murderers, rapists and habitual thieves, following the exclusion of the Wagner Group from recruiting in prisons. A commander says their mindset makes it "more pleasant to work with them."..,
… 8/ Tambov himself – real name Pavel Alyokhin – murdered a 91-year-old pensioner while working as a taxi driver. After driving her home, he learned that she lived on her own and kept her savings at home. He hit her over the head with a bottle and strangled her with a towel...
… 11/ Commenting on the criminal records of the men under his hand, Pachurin comments: "Understandably, everyone stumbles for some reason in life. For different reasons. Anyone could have been in their shoes." https://twitter.com/ChrisO_wiki/status/1669671534741401605
Those English PBers who apparently wish only the best for the Scotland football team will be glad to know they have turned around a one goal deficit to Norway to a 1-2 win in the last five minutes.
You can stick your one trillion £ sovereign wealth fund up yer etc.
Poll: SNP face defeat by Labour in dramatic boost for Starmer new
Labour is poised to win more seats than Nationalists at the next general election as financial scandals turn voters off Nicola Sturgeon’s party
Labour will defeat SNP at the next election for the first time since 2010 to become Scotland’s largest party at Westminster, according to a landmark new poll.
In a seismic reversal of fortunes, the Labour party would end a decade of electoral mediocrity north of the border to win a majority of seats by returning 26 MPs — an astonishing surge from their current bedrock of one.
Such a scenario will dramatically boost Sir Keir Starmer’s chances of entering Downing Street next year. The SNP would likely be cast into turmoil with Labour cannibalising most of their new votes from the Nationalists, who would lose more than half of their 45 seats.
The Panelbase Poll for The Sunday Times — the first to be wholly conducted since Nicola Sturgeon was arrested last Sunday — signals a significant downturn for the SNP. The party would hold just 21 seats and the next general election, their poorest result for 13 years.
Sir John Curtice, the Strathclyde University professor and polling expert, said that Sturgeon’s arrest last weekend amid a police investigation into SNP finances “has undermined the confidence of Yes supporters in her and her party in a way the arrest two months ago of her husband, Peter Murrell, did not”.
“Panelbase found that Sturgeon’s popularity has fallen by 38 points since February”
From +20 to -18 in 3 and a half months
That is OUTSTANDING
A similar thing will happen to support for Labour.
And yet there are many here who seem to think Labour and Starmer have a general election victory nailed on. Some may even be of the type who enjoy saying "Events, dear boy."
The price for Labour not winning a plurality of seats is currently 5.4 at Betfair.
Of course I could be wrong and thoughts about immigration weren't a big factor in the rise of UKIP or in the Leave victory in the EU membership referendum, or they were a big factor but most of the relevant voters are either satisfied now with the huge changes in policy in that area or else they have forgotten the topic for other reasons and have swung behind the knightly Starmer forever, because of something to do with the NHS - and they don't mind where the nurses' grandparents came from, or anything like that.
Interesting piece if you can get past the paywall. I suspect I would like Nadine Dorries if I met her. Clearly has things going for her, including creating a successful business in difficult circumstances. Also someone the phrase "own worst enemy" could have been invented for.
For some years, I have been amused by what you might call "negative tribalism" among sports fans. For example, a friend, who graduated from Washington State University, once told me that he cheered for two teams, Washington State -- and whoever was playing their hated cross-state rival, the University of Washington.
I would not be surprised to learn that there are similar examples in the UK.
And yes, I must admit that occasionally I have sucumbed to negative tribalism, myself. As a kid, for example, I really wanted the New York Yankees baseball team to lose.
Most of our neighbours support anyone but England.
In Connecticut there’s “baseball line” that bisects the state roughly north/south, entering Long Island Sound just east of New Haven . It moves a bit depending on the relative success of the teams but people to the east of the line support the Red Socks and those to the West the Yankees. When my wife taught English composition at the University of New Haven she allowed any topic to be written about with the exceptions of abortion and baseball as they invariably caused tempers to flair unacceptably in class discussion.
For some years, I have been amused by what you might call "negative tribalism" among sports fans. For example, a friend, who graduated from Washington State University, once told me that he cheered for two teams, Washington State -- and whoever was playing their hated cross-state rival, the University of Washington.
I would not be surprised to learn that there are similar examples in the UK.
And yes, I must admit that occasionally I have sucumbed to negative tribalism, myself. As a kid, for example, I really wanted the New York Yankees baseball team to lose.
Most of our neighbours support anyone but England.
In Connecticut there’s “baseball line” that bisects the state roughly north/south, entering Long Island Sound just east of New Haven . It moves a bit depending on the relative success of the teams but people to the east of the line support the Red Socks and those to the West the Yankees. When my wife taught English composition at the University of New Haven she allowed any topic to be written about with the exceptions of abortion and baseball as they invariably caused tempers to flair unacceptably in class discussion.
Think we know which side of the line YOU and/or you and/or Mrs Seal are/were on.
Seeing as how you correctly spell "Yankees" but misspell "Red SOX"!
Will Bean Town EVER forgive you & your???
Erm…I may be in the dog house tonight as she’s a card carrying, Wellesley grad, New Englander. I stand suitably ashamed. I’m going there in 3 weeks so you have to promise not to tell. I don’t really understand baseball and in the Fall I’m a 49ers fan anyway so personally no skin in the game. Although I am planning to go see the minor league Hartford Yard Goats when I’m in CT so maybe that will awaken an interest.
Poll: SNP face defeat by Labour in dramatic boost for Starmer new
Labour is poised to win more seats than Nationalists at the next general election as financial scandals turn voters off Nicola Sturgeon’s party
Labour will defeat SNP at the next election for the first time since 2010 to become Scotland’s largest party at Westminster, according to a landmark new poll.
In a seismic reversal of fortunes, the Labour party would end a decade of electoral mediocrity north of the border to win a majority of seats by returning 26 MPs — an astonishing surge from their current bedrock of one.
Such a scenario will dramatically boost Sir Keir Starmer’s chances of entering Downing Street next year. The SNP would likely be cast into turmoil with Labour cannibalising most of their new votes from the Nationalists, who would lose more than half of their 45 seats.
The Panelbase Poll for The Sunday Times — the first to be wholly conducted since Nicola Sturgeon was arrested last Sunday — signals a significant downturn for the SNP. The party would hold just 21 seats and the next general election, their poorest result for 13 years.
Sir John Curtice, the Strathclyde University professor and polling expert, said that Sturgeon’s arrest last weekend amid a police investigation into SNP finances “has undermined the confidence of Yes supporters in her and her party in a way the arrest two months ago of her husband, Peter Murrell, did not”.
Interesting piece if you can get past the paywall. I suspect I would like Nadine Dorries if I met her. Clearly has things going for her, including creating a successful business in difficult circumstances. Also someone the phrase "own worst enemy" could have been invented for.
Given recent events having 44% of Scots still backing independence and a plurality wanting a referendum inside 10 years isn't that great.
Better than it was though.
Yes, the reason I've hoied the previous figures on there is because I've got a pet theory that things won't be as bad for the SNP in an election as the polling is showing. The indy/union margin is reasonably stable. There was a large spike for YES in the immediate aftermath of Truss, but we're back to YES being a little bit down on most of the rest of 2022. NO is ahead, let's say about 5 points with the unknowns in place, or about 6 points if you remove the unknowns.
The question is, where do those voters go come an election? They might stay at home. They might drift towards Green//Alba. They might vote for unionist parties (indy isn't the only thing on people's minds). But I think some of the SNP support that's drained will come back if they do think about indy and they don't have faith in Green/Alba to get anywhere in a FPTP election.
A lot could depend on how much the unionist parties allow/push focus on constitutional matters.
Of course, Labour's revival hurts the SNP disproportionately more than the Con revival a few years ago, so a slight downtick in SNP support will count more in the central belt and tip a few constituencies. But I think I'd be tempted to back SNP largest party at even shortish prices. Depending on what happens with legal cases!
Your last sentence is important here. Unfortunately pollsters can't ask questions such as "Do you think Nicola Sturgeon will go to jail?", and even less can they ask "Do you think she has committed any money-related crimes?" But these are the kinds of question that are in a lot of voters' conversations in Scotland right now. A standard SNP strategy would be to blame the troubles all on England, Westminster, the London media, dirty foreigners who don't know a kilt from a sporran but who love to talk Scotland down, etc., but on these particular topics of interest that has become a bit difficult. So they can faff and act like lame ducks and that's about it.
Go to Point Park, where the waters of the New > Kanawha at last flow into the mighty and beautiful Ohio.
Perhaps NOT among the Great Wonders of the World. But a pleasant spot, hence the name.
You can watch natural history, human history and current economics flowing by. As for the latter, considerable barge traffic on the Ohio (and some on the Kanawha) shipping mostly raw materials back & forth, all the way from Pittsburgh (and a bit above that on Allegheny and Monongahelia Rivers) all the way to the Mississippi, then up and down the Father of Waters from St Paul to Baton Rouge.
Go to Point Park, where the waters of the New > Kanawha at last flow into the mighty and beautiful Ohio.
Perhaps NOT among the Great Wonders of the World. But a pleasant spot, hence the name.
You can watch natural history, human history and current economics flowing by. As for the latter, considerable barge traffic on the Ohio (and some on the Kanawha) shipping mostly raw materials back & forth, all the way from Pittsburgh (and a bit above that on Allegheny and Monongahelia Rivers) all the way to the Mississippi, then up and down the Father of Waters from St Paul to Baton Rouge.
I’m there right now. Searching and failing to find a beer or even a coffee
For some years, I have been amused by what you might call "negative tribalism" among sports fans. For example, a friend, who graduated from Washington State University, once told me that he cheered for two teams, Washington State -- and whoever was playing their hated cross-state rival, the University of Washington.
I would not be surprised to learn that there are similar examples in the UK.
And yes, I must admit that occasionally I have sucumbed to negative tribalism, myself. As a kid, for example, I really wanted the New York Yankees baseball team to lose.
Most of our neighbours support anyone but England.
In Connecticut there’s “baseball line” that bisects the state roughly north/south, entering Long Island Sound just east of New Haven . It moves a bit depending on the relative success of the teams but people to the east of the line support the Red Socks and those to the West the Yankees. When my wife taught English composition at the University of New Haven she allowed any topic to be written about with the exceptions of abortion and baseball as they invariably caused tempers to flair unacceptably in class discussion.
Think we know which side of the line YOU and/or you and/or Mrs Seal are/were on.
Seeing as how you correctly spell "Yankees" but misspell "Red SOX"!
Will Bean Town EVER forgive you & your???
Erm…I may be in the dog house tonight as she’s a card carrying, Wellesley grad, New Englander. I stand suitably ashamed. I’m going there in 3 weeks so you have to promise not to tell. I don’t really understand baseball and in the Fall I’m a 49ers fan anyway so personally no skin in the game. Although I am planning to go see the minor league Hartford Yard Goats when I’m in CT so maybe that will awaken an interest.
Just had seance with old Boston Irish Wise Guy friend of mine; from beyond the grave, he says you're forgiven.
Do I just keep wandering into the worst possible towns by accident?
I had a look inside “decor corner” - it appears to be shut - to see if I could get some decorating ideas
With only a few exceptions American towns and cities are soulless stripmalls with offensive street furniture, and anandoned stores or empty lots. The US National and State Parks and monuments are usually beautiful and well kept. Its the absence of commercial activity that keeps them that way.
Certainly, [Boris] Johnson is much less popular with the public than he seems to imagine. James Johnson (no relation), of pollsters JL Partners, who was Theresa May’s Downing Street polling expert, said: “The red wall prefers Rishi Sunak to him by more than 20 points. He is less popular with the British public than Phillip Schofield and Xi Jinping. If Conservative MPs want any chance of winning their seats, they will need to stop peddling the Boris fantasy and move on.”
The flipside is that Johnson still has huge support among the Tory membership — and this will give him outsize influence inside the Conservative Party. To a large degree the whole country is living in a world shaped by his personal decisions. And if Johnson believes he is not finished and wants to return, that is something Sunak and his successors will have to deal with.
So this is why Rishi doesn't want those WhatsApp messages released.
Johnson’s allies may now seek to expose the prime minister’s role in his downfall. Friends believe there is a cache of WhatsApp messages sent during the pandemic that will reveal how Sunak and Dominic Cummings, Johnson’s former chief advisor, actively conspired to oust Johnson. “Some cabinet ministers were even being promised jobs by Sunak’s camp if they got on board,” a senior government source said.
Earlier this month, the government said it would not hand over internal WhatsApp messages requested by a public inquiry into its handling of the pandemic and would instead seek a legal challenge to resist. Downing Street denies a plot.
Poll: SNP face defeat by Labour in dramatic boost for Starmer new
Labour is poised to win more seats than Nationalists at the next general election as financial scandals turn voters off Nicola Sturgeon’s party
Labour will defeat SNP at the next election for the first time since 2010 to become Scotland’s largest party at Westminster, according to a landmark new poll.
In a seismic reversal of fortunes, the Labour party would end a decade of electoral mediocrity north of the border to win a majority of seats by returning 26 MPs — an astonishing surge from their current bedrock of one.
Such a scenario will dramatically boost Sir Keir Starmer’s chances of entering Downing Street next year. The SNP would likely be cast into turmoil with Labour cannibalising most of their new votes from the Nationalists, who would lose more than half of their 45 seats.
The Panelbase Poll for The Sunday Times — the first to be wholly conducted since Nicola Sturgeon was arrested last Sunday — signals a significant downturn for the SNP. The party would hold just 21 seats and the next general election, their poorest result for 13 years.
Sir John Curtice, the Strathclyde University professor and polling expert, said that Sturgeon’s arrest last weekend amid a police investigation into SNP finances “has undermined the confidence of Yes supporters in her and her party in a way the arrest two months ago of her husband, Peter Murrell, did not”.
“Panelbase found that Sturgeon’s popularity has fallen by 38 points since February”
From +20 to -18 in 3 and a half months
That is OUTSTANDING
A similar thing will happen to support for Labour.
And yet there are many here who seem to think Labour and Starmer have a general election victory nailed on. Some may even be of the type who enjoy saying "Events, dear boy."
The price for Labour not winning a plurality of seats is currently 5.4 at Betfair.
Of course I could be wrong and thoughts about immigration weren't a big factor in the rise of UKIP or in the Leave victory in the EU membership referendum, or they were a big factor but most of the relevant voters are either satisfied now with the huge changes in policy in that area or else they have forgotten the topic for other reasons and have swung behind the knightly Starmer forever, because of something to do with the NHS - and they don't mind where the nurses' grandparents came from, or anything like that.
Why do you think Labour's popularity will sharply decline?
Nothing is certain in politics but when it becomes clear that all the current problems will not be magicked away by a change in government then support is likely to drain away. The modern voter is quite fickle and both politicians and the media peddle the line that everything can be done and no-one need ever pay is not a good recipe to change it.
Edit. To be clear I do expect a Labour win and the honeymoon period will not last long.
Do I just keep wandering into the worst possible towns by accident?
I had a look inside “decor corner” - it appears to be shut - to see if I could get some decorating ideas
With only a few exceptions American towns and cities are soulless stripmalls with offensive street furniture, and anandoned stores or empty lots. The US National and State Parks and monuments are usually beautiful and well kept. Its the absence of commercial activity that keeps them that way.
I don't think I could live in America again.
I think that’s a bit harsh - I’ve seen a few pleasant small towns as well (Maryland is nice) and of course many many people live in beautiful green suburbs in big houses, where life can be idyllic
But yeah something has gone wrong with Main Street USA and known problems have gotten significantly worse
So this is why Rishi doesn't want those WhatsApp messages released.
Johnson’s allies may now seek to expose the prime minister’s role in his downfall. Friends believe there is a cache of WhatsApp messages sent during the pandemic that will reveal how Sunak and Dominic Cummings, Johnson’s former chief advisor, actively conspired to oust Johnson. “Some cabinet ministers were even being promised jobs by Sunak’s camp if they got on board,” a senior government source said.
Earlier this month, the government said it would not hand over internal WhatsApp messages requested by a public inquiry into its handling of the pandemic and would instead seek a legal challenge to resist. Downing Street denies a plot.
Well, if true that leaves me with a dilemma.
Does my opinion of Sunak go up for ousting the FLSOJ, or down for conspiring with an empty failure like Cummings?
So this is why Rishi doesn't want those WhatsApp messages released.
Johnson’s allies may now seek to expose the prime minister’s role in his downfall. Friends believe there is a cache of WhatsApp messages sent during the pandemic that will reveal how Sunak and Dominic Cummings, Johnson’s former chief advisor, actively conspired to oust Johnson. “Some cabinet ministers were even being promised jobs by Sunak’s camp if they got on board,” a senior government source said.
Earlier this month, the government said it would not hand over internal WhatsApp messages requested by a public inquiry into its handling of the pandemic and would instead seek a legal challenge to resist. Downing Street denies a plot.
Many a foreign correspondent, sent to an obscure country of which he knows nothing but which has suddenly drawn the world’s attention to itself by a terrible but soon-to-be-forgotten crisis, has based his report from the country on what the taxi driver told him on the way from the airport to the country’s one five-star hotel, at whose bar he will soon be sitting.
This is lazy, but not necessarily stupid, for taxi drivers are often well-informed, having overheard a great deal; and they are besides blessed with that knowledge of human nature that derives from experience rather than from reading or theorizing. They are often derided as being prejudiced, but there is no one more prejudiced than he who has a theory to preserve against all evidence.
I have had many delightful and illuminating discussions with taxi drivers. In Paris, an African driver told me that he was returning to Senegal in order to be freer than he was in France. I knew what he meant: In many respects, life is freer in Africa than it is in Europe, provided only (and it is an important proviso) that you have a little money. Regulation in Africa is much less oppressive and restrictive than in Europe, and such regulations as there are can easily be got round by a little bribery. Bribery is much more efficient than bureaucracy, especially when the latter is large and honest (there is nothing like size and honesty to render a bureaucracy stupid)."
Having done business in Europe and Africa, this is completely wrong.
I mean, not just a little wrong, but wildly inaccurate.
It's taken me over a year to get companies registered in Africa. In no country in Europe will it take more than an hour.
Oil companies will choose to import even the most basic of components from the developed world, rather that getting them made locally in Africa, because (once you account for the time and the bribes), it's cheaper. And I mean dramatically cheaper.
Yep, I suspect the real message in this Dalrymple piece is that if you want to get something illegal done in Africa it is much easier as long as you have money. To get legal stuff done takes far longer and also needs money. The main difference between Europe and Africa (or many other places around the world) is that there is a good chance in Europe that you will simply told 'no' to something illegal/against the rules.
Do I just keep wandering into the worst possible towns by accident?
I had a look inside “decor corner” - it appears to be shut - to see if I could get some decorating ideas
With only a few exceptions American towns and cities are soulless stripmalls with offensive street furniture, and anandoned stores or empty lots. The US National and State Parks and monuments are usually beautiful and well kept. Its the absence of commercial activity that keeps them that way.
I don't think I could live in America again.
I think that’s a bit harsh - I’ve seen a few pleasant small towns as well (Maryland is nice) and of course many many people live in beautiful green suburbs in big houses, where life can be idyllic
But yeah something has gone wrong with Main Street USA and known problems have gotten significantly worse
Lexington will be bit more upscale and upbeat, methinks.
Seeing how Bluegrass is historically land of milk and plenty (if not for everyone necessarily) while Appalachia is NOT.
Boundary between the two on I-64 heading west, being approximately Morehead KY.
(Not sure IF that's what you'd call "truth in advertising" again seek local knowledge . . . or not . . .)
Certainly, [Boris] Johnson is much less popular with the public than he seems to imagine. James Johnson (no relation), of pollsters JL Partners, who was Theresa May’s Downing Street polling expert, said: “The red wall prefers Rishi Sunak to him by more than 20 points. He is less popular with the British public than Phillip Schofield and Xi Jinping. If Conservative MPs want any chance of winning their seats, they will need to stop peddling the Boris fantasy and move on.”
The flipside is that Johnson still has huge support among the Tory membership — and this will give him outsize influence inside the Conservative Party. To a large degree the whole country is living in a world shaped by his personal decisions. And if Johnson believes he is not finished and wants to return, that is something Sunak and his successors will have to deal with.
Emmanuel Macron is trying to block Ben Wallace from becoming the next Nato secretary-general because the UK has left the European Union.
The Defence Secretary has been touted as a potential successor to Jens Stoltenberg when the Norwegian’s mandate comes to an end this autumn. The front-runner to replace him is Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen.
However The Telegraph understands that French officials have told Nato colleagues that they want a figurehead from the EU. The move is part of a push from France to make the bloc militarily independent and less reliant on Washington for its security.
A source told The Telegraph: “He is not from an EU member state. Many countries, mainly France, insist the next secretary-general must come from an EU country.”
Mr Macron is supported by Germany and a majority of the bloc’s 22 members that are also part of Nato. The Netherlands and Poland are understood to be among the EU countries that could break away to back a British candidate.
Do I just keep wandering into the worst possible towns by accident?
I had a look inside “decor corner” - it appears to be shut - to see if I could get some decorating ideas
With only a few exceptions American towns and cities are soulless stripmalls with offensive street furniture, and anandoned stores or empty lots. The US National and State Parks and monuments are usually beautiful and well kept. Its the absence of commercial activity that keeps them that way.
I don't think I could live in America again.
I think that’s a bit harsh - I’ve seen a few pleasant small towns as well (Maryland is nice) and of course many many people live in beautiful green suburbs in big houses, where life can be idyllic
But yeah something has gone wrong with Main Street USA and known problems have gotten significantly worse
Lexington will be bit more upscale and upbeat, methinks.
Seeing how Bluegrass is historically land of milk and plenty (if not for everyone necessarily) while Appalachia is NOT.
Boundary between the two on I-64 heading west, being approximately Morehead KY.
(Not sure IF that's what you'd call "truth in advertising" again seek local knowledge . . . or not . . .)
I’m definitely going to Lexington if only to cheer myself up about the state of American urbanism
And now I am going to drive down the banks of the Ohio River, searching for that perfect riverside pub
Poll: SNP face defeat by Labour in dramatic boost for Starmer new
Labour is poised to win more seats than Nationalists at the next general election as financial scandals turn voters off Nicola Sturgeon’s party
Labour will defeat SNP at the next election for the first time since 2010 to become Scotland’s largest party at Westminster, according to a landmark new poll.
In a seismic reversal of fortunes, the Labour party would end a decade of electoral mediocrity north of the border to win a majority of seats by returning 26 MPs — an astonishing surge from their current bedrock of one.
Such a scenario will dramatically boost Sir Keir Starmer’s chances of entering Downing Street next year. The SNP would likely be cast into turmoil with Labour cannibalising most of their new votes from the Nationalists, who would lose more than half of their 45 seats.
The Panelbase Poll for The Sunday Times — the first to be wholly conducted since Nicola Sturgeon was arrested last Sunday — signals a significant downturn for the SNP. The party would hold just 21 seats and the next general election, their poorest result for 13 years.
Sir John Curtice, the Strathclyde University professor and polling expert, said that Sturgeon’s arrest last weekend amid a police investigation into SNP finances “has undermined the confidence of Yes supporters in her and her party in a way the arrest two months ago of her husband, Peter Murrell, did not”.
“Panelbase found that Sturgeon’s popularity has fallen by 38 points since February”
From +20 to -18 in 3 and a half months
That is OUTSTANDING
A similar thing will happen to support for Labour.
And yet there are many here who seem to think Labour and Starmer have a general election victory nailed on. Some may even be of the type who enjoy saying "Events, dear boy."
The price for Labour not winning a plurality of seats is currently 5.4 at Betfair.
Of course I could be wrong and thoughts about immigration weren't a big factor in the rise of UKIP or in the Leave victory in the EU membership referendum, or they were a big factor but most of the relevant voters are either satisfied now with the huge changes in policy in that area or else they have forgotten the topic for other reasons and have swung behind the knightly Starmer forever, because of something to do with the NHS - and they don't mind where the nurses' grandparents came from, or anything like that.
Do I just keep wandering into the worst possible towns by accident?
I had a look inside “decor corner” - it appears to be shut - to see if I could get some decorating ideas
With only a few exceptions American towns and cities are soulless stripmalls with offensive street furniture, and anandoned stores or empty lots. The US National and State Parks and monuments are usually beautiful and well kept. Its the absence of commercial activity that keeps them that way.
I don't think I could live in America again.
I think that’s a bit harsh - I’ve seen a few pleasant small towns as well (Maryland is nice) and of course many many people live in beautiful green suburbs in big houses, where life can be idyllic
But yeah something has gone wrong with Main Street USA and known problems have gotten significantly worse
Economy in West Virginia has been in free fall for decades. Good industrial jobs have dried up, especially in places like Point Pleasant.
Which BTW is not far from what used to be a MAJOR aluminum plant that employed few thousand workers, including plenty who commuted from PP and other nearby towns and counties.
Most of those jobs are gone . . . along with the dollars that their paychecks brought to these communities.
And while tourists are coming to the New River Gorge, damn few are lingering in the Kanawha and Mid-Ohio Valleys.
Do I just keep wandering into the worst possible towns by accident?
I had a look inside “decor corner” - it appears to be shut - to see if I could get some decorating ideas
With only a few exceptions American towns and cities are soulless stripmalls with offensive street furniture, and anandoned stores or empty lots. The US National and State Parks and monuments are usually beautiful and well kept. Its the absence of commercial activity that keeps them that way.
I don't think I could live in America again.
I think that’s a bit harsh - I’ve seen a few pleasant small towns as well (Maryland is nice) and of course many many people live in beautiful green suburbs in big houses, where life can be idyllic
But yeah something has gone wrong with Main Street USA and known problems have gotten significantly worse
Lexington will be bit more upscale and upbeat, methinks.
Seeing how Bluegrass is historically land of milk and plenty (if not for everyone necessarily) while Appalachia is NOT.
Boundary between the two on I-64 heading west, being approximately Morehead KY.
(Not sure IF that's what you'd call "truth in advertising" again seek local knowledge . . . or not . . .)
I’m definitely going to Lexington if only to cheer myself up about the state of American urbanism
And now I am going to drive down the banks of the Ohio River, searching for that perfect riverside pub
Wish me luck
Which side? Ohio side more scenic, less traffic. But may not find semi-suitable watering hole before Huntington.
EDIT - Gallipolis may be your best bet. Also more lively than Point Pleasant, or least was back in the day.
Given recent events having 44% of Scots still backing independence and a plurality wanting a referendum inside 10 years isn't that great.
Better than it was though.
Yes, the reason I've hoied the previous figures on there is because I've got a pet theory that things won't be as bad for the SNP in an election as the polling is showing. The indy/union margin is reasonably stable. There was a large spike for YES in the immediate aftermath of Truss, but we're back to YES being a little bit down on most of the rest of 2022. NO is ahead, let's say about 5 points with the unknowns in place, or about 6 points if you remove the unknowns.
The question is, where do those voters go come an election? They might stay at home. They might drift towards Green//Alba. They might vote for unionist parties (indy isn't the only thing on people's minds). But I think some of the SNP support that's drained will come back if they do think about indy and they don't have faith in Green/Alba to get anywhere in a FPTP election.
A lot could depend on how much the unionist parties allow/push focus on constitutional matters.
Of course, Labour's revival hurts the SNP disproportionately more than the Con revival a few years ago, so a slight downtick in SNP support will count more in the central belt and tip a few constituencies. But I think I'd be tempted to back SNP largest party at even shortish prices. Depending on what happens with legal cases!
Your last sentence is important here. Unfortunately pollsters can't ask questions such as "Do you think Nicola Sturgeon will go to jail?", and even less can they ask "Do you think she has committed any money-related crimes?" But these are the kinds of question that are in a lot of voters' conversations in Scotland right now. A standard SNP strategy would be to blame the troubles all on England, Westminster, the London media, dirty foreigners who don't know a kilt from a sporran but who love to talk Scotland down, etc., but on these particular topics of interest that has become a bit difficult. So they can faff and act like lame ducks and that's about it.
It's not really been the SNP way under Sturgeon to blame things on "dirty foreigners", despite what some in the unionist camp want to think. I don't imaging Yousaf will be indulging in that kind of thing either.
The other straw the SNP can cling to is Brexit. I don't know how much it'll land with the electorate, but for example today's £43 consignment tax and the effect on small businesses is a good angle to point out the practical effects of something that's being done to Scotland despite the Scotland Remain vote. It could land well if we see businesses folding as a result, and Labour aren't in a strong position on that.
The SNP position will have to be about practical issues like that for them to have a comeback, and that will probably need the legal problems to be behind them for them to get that focus. If there are vindications all around on the legal front and the SNP campaign smart, it could be good news. If there are convictions and they fanny about with abstract constitutional bollocks, then it could go very badly indeed for them.
I think that's fair enough. There's a lot of fantasising south of the border that I don't recognise, such as on PB. Particularly the kind of British nationalist which takes the wish for autonomy as a personal insult and can only conclude it's all about racism.
So this is why Rishi doesn't want those WhatsApp messages released.
Johnson’s allies may now seek to expose the prime minister’s role in his downfall. Friends believe there is a cache of WhatsApp messages sent during the pandemic that will reveal how Sunak and Dominic Cummings, Johnson’s former chief advisor, actively conspired to oust Johnson. “Some cabinet ministers were even being promised jobs by Sunak’s camp if they got on board,” a senior government source said.
Earlier this month, the government said it would not hand over internal WhatsApp messages requested by a public inquiry into its handling of the pandemic and would instead seek a legal challenge to resist. Downing Street denies a plot.
100 run first innings lead for Aus looks to be on the cards.
Optimist, I foresee an Aussie lead of 250 runs.
If Foakes had been around to take that stumping Aus might have been all out by now.
Yeah but England would have been 200 all out if Foakes was in ahead of Bairstow.
I think most people wanted both Bairstow and Foakes to play. Probably would have been Crawley making way to do so, and, to be fair, he played well for his 61.
If we're going to play on these types of pitches, then Foakes should be in the team.
Interesting piece if you can get past the paywall. I suspect I would like Nadine Dorries if I met her. Clearly has things going for her, including creating a successful business in difficult circumstances. Also someone the phrase "own worst enemy" could have been invented for.
She seems to have the same relationship with the truth that Boris Johnson and Donald Trump do.
Yes and no, I think. Dorries lies for a purpose unlike the other two, I believe, mostly to protect herself or other people. But she's so transparent the lies don't work.
Do I just keep wandering into the worst possible towns by accident?
I had a look inside “decor corner” - it appears to be shut - to see if I could get some decorating ideas
With only a few exceptions American towns and cities are soulless stripmalls with offensive street furniture, and anandoned stores or empty lots. The US National and State Parks and monuments are usually beautiful and well kept. Its the absence of commercial activity that keeps them that way.
I don't think I could live in America again.
I think that’s a bit harsh - I’ve seen a few pleasant small towns as well (Maryland is nice) and of course many many people live in beautiful green suburbs in big houses, where life can be idyllic
But yeah something has gone wrong with Main Street USA and known problems have gotten significantly worse
Economy in West Virginia has been in free fall for decades. Good industrial jobs have dried up, especially in places like Point Pleasant.
Which BTW is not far from what used to be a MAJOR aluminum plant that employed few thousand workers, including plenty who commuted from PP and other nearby towns and counties.
Most of those jobs are gone . . . along with the dollars that their paychecks brought to these communities.
And while tourists are coming to the New River Gorge, damn few are lingering in the Kanawha and Mid-Ohio Valleys.
Some jobs returning, many thanks to Biden’s legislation.
Do I just keep wandering into the worst possible towns by accident?
I had a look inside “decor corner” - it appears to be shut - to see if I could get some decorating ideas
With only a few exceptions American towns and cities are soulless stripmalls with offensive street furniture, and anandoned stores or empty lots. The US National and State Parks and monuments are usually beautiful and well kept. Its the absence of commercial activity that keeps them that way.
I don't think I could live in America again.
I think that’s a bit harsh - I’ve seen a few pleasant small towns as well (Maryland is nice) and of course many many people live in beautiful green suburbs in big houses, where life can be idyllic
But yeah something has gone wrong with Main Street USA and known problems have gotten significantly worse
Economy in West Virginia has been in free fall for decades. Good industrial jobs have dried up, especially in places like Point Pleasant.
Which BTW is not far from what used to be a MAJOR aluminum plant that employed few thousand workers, including plenty who commuted from PP and other nearby towns and counties.
Most of those jobs are gone . . . along with the dollars that their paychecks brought to these communities.
And while tourists are coming to the New River Gorge, damn few are lingering in the Kanawha and Mid-Ohio Valleys.
Do I just keep wandering into the worst possible towns by accident?
I had a look inside “decor corner” - it appears to be shut - to see if I could get some decorating ideas
How do they compare to Newent?
I think Wick is a more apt comparison
But you never did get to see Pulteneytown - a classic of urban planning. So not fair.
Haven't been to Wick recently but I recall a somewhat pleasant and neat place with stone built houses and a feeling that nothing has happened there since at least 1950. The town is certainly very beautifully situated on a river with an attractive harbour and great coastal scenery. What have they done to it?
Given recent events having 44% of Scots still backing independence and a plurality wanting a referendum inside 10 years isn't that great.
Better than it was though.
Yes, the reason I've hoied the previous figures on there is because I've got a pet theory that things won't be as bad for the SNP in an election as the polling is showing. The indy/union margin is reasonably stable. There was a large spike for YES in the immediate aftermath of Truss, but we're back to YES being a little bit down on most of the rest of 2022. NO is ahead, let's say about 5 points with the unknowns in place, or about 6 points if you remove the unknowns.
The question is, where do those voters go come an election? They might stay at home. They might drift towards Green//Alba. They might vote for unionist parties (indy isn't the only thing on people's minds). But I think some of the SNP support that's drained will come back if they do think about indy and they don't have faith in Green/Alba to get anywhere in a FPTP election.
A lot could depend on how much the unionist parties allow/push focus on constitutional matters.
Of course, Labour's revival hurts the SNP disproportionately more than the Con revival a few years ago, so a slight downtick in SNP support will count more in the central belt and tip a few constituencies. But I think I'd be tempted to back SNP largest party at even shortish prices. Depending on what happens with legal cases!
Your last sentence is important here. Unfortunately pollsters can't ask questions such as "Do you think Nicola Sturgeon will go to jail?", and even less can they ask "Do you think she has committed any money-related crimes?" But these are the kinds of question that are in a lot of voters' conversations in Scotland right now. A standard SNP strategy would be to blame the troubles all on England, Westminster, the London media, dirty foreigners who don't know a kilt from a sporran but who love to talk Scotland down, etc., but on these particular topics of interest that has become a bit difficult. So they can faff and act like lame ducks and that's about it.
It's not really been the SNP way under Sturgeon to blame things on "dirty foreigners", despite what some in the unionist camp want to think. I don't imaging Yousaf will be indulging in that kind of thing either.
The other straw the SNP can cling to is Brexit. I don't know how much it'll land with the electorate, but for example today's £43 consignment tax and the effect on small businesses is a good angle to point out the practical effects of something that's being done to Scotland despite the Scotland Remain vote. It could land well if we see businesses folding as a result, and Labour aren't in a strong position on that.
The SNP position will have to be about practical issues like that for them to have a comeback, and that will probably need the legal problems to be behind them for them to get that focus. If there are vindications all around on the legal front and the SNP campaign smart, it could be good news. If there are convictions and they fanny about with abstract constitutional bollocks, then it could go very badly indeed for them.
The SNP position should be about practical issues. But will that be drowned out by flag waving and 'because reasons'? They made an utter ballsup of the #indyref1 campaign and seem to have spent the 10yrs since giving zero thought to any of the questions raised (whether about the campaign or concrete issues).
Emmanuel Macron is trying to block Ben Wallace from becoming the next Nato secretary-general because the UK has left the European Union.
The Defence Secretary has been touted as a potential successor to Jens Stoltenberg when the Norwegian’s mandate comes to an end this autumn. The front-runner to replace him is Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen.
However The Telegraph understands that French officials have told Nato colleagues that they want a figurehead from the EU. The move is part of a push from France to make the bloc militarily independent and less reliant on Washington for its security.
A source told The Telegraph: “He is not from an EU member state. Many countries, mainly France, insist the next secretary-general must come from an EU country.”
Mr Macron is supported by Germany and a majority of the bloc’s 22 members that are also part of Nato. The Netherlands and Poland are understood to be among the EU countries that could break away to back a British candidate.
Another KY site/sight for Leon to consider, is a flying visit to the late Queen Elizabeth's favorite American destination - Lexington.
The historical, cultural and economic hub of famed Bluegrass region, where geology (lots of limestone), climate and other factors combine to create perhaps the best natural horse raising, rearing and racing complex this side of the Curragh of Kildare.
Museum of the Horse is worth a visit; while downtown see the girlhood home of Mary Todd Lincoln and campuses of Transylvania University (famed not for Dracula studies but rather as the first college west of the Allegheny mountains) and the University of Kentucky (famed as a major NCAA Div 1 men's basketball powerhouse.
My guess is that, if Leon swings though Lexington, he will find bit less of the US urban blight than he's so keen on.
You are superlatively well-travelled.
Naw, certainly nothing compared to you and MANY other peripatetic PBs.
Just have been where I've been - and that happens to include where Leon happens to be now.
I confess I am un-enthused by “the museum of the horse”
However I might check out Lexington. I have two full days left - with not much left to see
I'm currently road tripping in New England, right now in St Johnstown Vermont
In case you are wondering, don't go out of your way to visit
Lol
I’m in Point Pleasant WV. Quite a famous battle was fought exactly here (some say the 1st real battle of the American revolution) - it is also in a majestic setting - where the Ohio river greets the Kanawha river. There is greenery and sunshine
If this was anywhere in Europe there would be cafes and bars with outdoor tables. Places to sit and have a beer and look out over this mighty view in this historic place. Here? Nothing. A car lot. A weird museum to the mothman. A laundromat. Nothing and nowhere to eat and drink
America is so strange
A horizon at that angle is most strange. to be sure.
Very minor, but good decision on bogof to delay but implement when the economy and prices more stable. Little things, like getting these right first time rather than u-turning after sending Shapps out to pledge absolutely no u-turns, are probably going to be one of the main differences between Sunak and Johnson.
The real point of The Tebbit Test was not about cricket. It was which side people will cheer for when buses explode….
Pretty predictably dumb of him to choose the England cricket team a symbol of national unity in that case.
‘You Jocks not happy to be bored shitless by an endless Boycott innings? Traitors, you might as well join the IRA!’
I know quite a few Scots who support England for cricket. I guess they are not true Scots in your ideal of racial purity and obsession with the Saltire. Nothing that a good bit of ethnic cleansing wouldn't sort out eh?
You're completely insane
Could there be bigger racist arsehole than that idiot, someone Scottish must have pulled his pigtails at some time.
Hey Mr Thicky! I wondered when you would start your infantile abuse. Independence is dooooomed. Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahah. Anglophobe racist Scottish nationalists have only ever had two FMs. Both have been the subject of criminal investigations.
Get back on your meds pyscho
Projecting again are you Malc? Here is the odd thing about Scottish Nationalism. There definitely are shades. It is a bit like Brexit followers. In fact, very like Brexit followers. You are the equivalent of an extreme Faragist. Based on your posts, and using a little deduction, I'd guess you are fairly short (often accounts for anger), bald and very overweight. You are over retirement age but still having to work, somewhere like Halfords or Tesco - nothing wrong with that but it makes you very bitter.
You are an extremist: a misogynist homophobe with a racist hatred toward the English, probably because you once had a teacher who was English, maybe female, that you didn't like. Now here is a thing Mr. Thicky: I am not racially pure English! maybe that is even more things for you to hate about me?
I genuinely feel sorry for anyone like you that has so much hate and anger. I also feel sorry for the other nationalists on here that don't disassociate themselves from you. You are the very very ugly face of nationalism. The stereotype.
No mate, I don't approve of that behaviour. Not that I would call it fascism. Something doesn't have to be fascism for us to think it stupid and nasty.
But you know, the way you and malcolm go at each is actually the same. I think you both think you're cleverer than the other but you aren't. You're both idiots.
OK, let me explain . Malcolm is an objectionable rude cynical little prat of very low intellect that makes zero contribution to this otherwise fun site. He is rude to pretty much everyone, and he makes boring low-intellect comments that essentially add up to his cynical belief that everyone is on the make except his idol Alex Salmond.
On the contrary, I don't think he thinks he is cleverer than me because he knows he is stupid. He has no wit, just abuse. I respond to him when he is rude. Otherwise I ignore him. I do respond to other Nats like @Theuniondivvie when they make remarks that are essentially divisive (referring to his idea of wit which include the words "Scotch" and "Jocks" which are code for his own Anglophobia) When I respond to this nonsense it normally draws in playground abuse from Malcolm.
I personally don't think you are an idiot. In fact I quite like your posts. It is obviously up to you, but maybe you should get off your high horse and stop being an apologist for arseholes like Malcolm perhaps?
Foremain you are the scumbags of scumbags, you flatter yourself that I give a shit about a cretin like you, just f**k off and stop commenting about me.
Farooq, you are just an arsehole who thinks he is smart, harmless compared to shitstain.
Comments
https://twitter.com/henrymance/status/1669673208511971328
Better than it was though.
Certainly, Sturgeon's fall from grace is very spectacular.
I’m in Point Pleasant WV. Quite a famous battle was fought exactly here (some say the 1st real battle of the American revolution) - it is also in a majestic setting - where the Ohio river greets the
Kanawha river. There is greenery and sunshine
If this was anywhere in Europe there would be cafes and bars with outdoor tables. Places to sit and have a beer and look out over this mighty view in this historic place. Here? Nothing. A car lot. A weird museum to the mothman. A laundromat. Nothing and nowhere to eat and drink
America is so strange
FWIW Electoral Calculus produces that seat outcome based on SNP 35%, Lab 34%, Con 18%, LD 8%.
Don't know the actual shares, given the paywall.
… 8/ Tambov himself – real name Pavel Alyokhin – murdered a 91-year-old pensioner while working as a taxi driver. After driving her home, he learned that she lived on her own and kept her savings at home. He hit her over the head with a bottle and strangled her with a towel...
… 11/ Commenting on the criminal records of the men under his hand, Pachurin comments: "Understandably, everyone stumbles for some reason in life. For different reasons. Anyone could have been in their shoes."
https://twitter.com/ChrisO_wiki/status/1669671534741401605
You can stick your one trillion £ sovereign wealth fund up yer etc.
And yet there are many here who seem to think Labour and Starmer have a general election victory nailed on. Some may even be of the type who enjoy saying "Events, dear boy."
The price for Labour not winning a plurality of seats is currently 5.4 at Betfair.
Of course I could be wrong and thoughts about immigration weren't a big factor in the rise of UKIP or in the Leave victory in the EU membership referendum, or they were a big factor but most of the relevant voters are either satisfied now with the huge changes in policy in that area or else they have forgotten the topic for other reasons and have swung behind the knightly Starmer forever, because of something to do with the NHS - and they don't mind where the nurses' grandparents came from, or anything like that.
Seeing as how you correctly spell "Yankees" but misspell "Red SOX"!
Will Bean Town EVER forgive you & your???
I had a look inside “decor corner” - it appears to be shut - to see if I could get some decorating ideas
Perhaps NOT among the Great Wonders of the World. But a pleasant spot, hence the name.
You can watch natural history, human history and current economics flowing by. As for the latter, considerable barge traffic on the Ohio (and some on the Kanawha) shipping mostly raw materials back & forth, all the way from Pittsburgh (and a bit above that on Allegheny and Monongahelia Rivers) all the way to the Mississippi, then up and down the Father of Waters from St Paul to Baton Rouge.
But watch it!
I don't think I could live in America again.
The flipside is that Johnson still has huge support among the Tory membership — and this will give him outsize influence inside the Conservative Party. To a large degree the whole country is living in a world shaped by his personal decisions. And if Johnson believes he is not finished and wants to return, that is something Sunak and his successors will have to deal with.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/boris-johnson-still-thinking-he-can-do-a-churchill-80q22s0mx
So this is why Rishi doesn't want those WhatsApp messages released.
Johnson’s allies may now seek to expose the prime minister’s role in his downfall. Friends believe there is a cache of WhatsApp messages sent during the pandemic that will reveal how Sunak and Dominic Cummings, Johnson’s former chief advisor, actively conspired to oust Johnson. “Some cabinet ministers were even being promised jobs by Sunak’s camp if they got on board,” a senior government source said.
Earlier this month, the government said it would not hand over internal WhatsApp messages requested by a public inquiry into its handling of the pandemic and would instead seek a legal challenge to resist. Downing Street denies a plot.
Anyway, that store appears though it would be great for the North American branch of your Flint Dildo business!
Note that just over a century ago, an intrepid Englishman - a friend and benefactor of Eugene V Debs no less - came to WV, and established
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blenko_Glass_Company
Edit. To be clear I do expect a Labour win and the honeymoon period will not last long.
But yeah something has gone wrong with Main Street USA and known problems have gotten significantly worse
Does my opinion of Sunak go up for ousting the FLSOJ, or down for conspiring with an empty failure like Cummings?
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/jun/17/just-an-ex-mp-rishi-sunaks-allies-pour-scorn-on-beaten-boris-johnson
Further down the page an interesting article by Mark Carney
ttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2023/06/16/mark-carney-interview-brexit-inflation-interest-rates/
'Brexit Responsible for inflation'
(Cue for the 3 Witches)
Seeing how Bluegrass is historically land of milk and plenty (if not for everyone necessarily) while Appalachia is NOT.
Boundary between the two on I-64 heading west, being approximately Morehead KY.
(Not sure IF that's what you'd call "truth in advertising" again seek local knowledge . . . or not . . .)
Gary Indiana 2022: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISajeWJ3Cts
He may go for laughs, and is certain a clown - but Trump is deadly serious in way BoJo will never be.
Emmanuel Macron is trying to block Ben Wallace from becoming the next Nato secretary-general because the UK has left the European Union.
The Defence Secretary has been touted as a potential successor to Jens Stoltenberg when the Norwegian’s mandate comes to an end this autumn. The front-runner to replace him is Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen.
However The Telegraph understands that French officials have told Nato colleagues that they want a figurehead from the EU. The move is part of a push from France to make the bloc militarily independent and less reliant on Washington for its security.
A source told The Telegraph: “He is not from an EU member state. Many countries, mainly France, insist the next secretary-general must come from an EU country.”
Mr Macron is supported by Germany and a majority of the bloc’s 22 members that are also part of Nato. The Netherlands and Poland are understood to be among the EU countries that could break away to back a British candidate.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2023/06/17/macron-block-ben-wallace-bid-top-nato-post-citing-brexit/
And now I am going to drive down the banks of the Ohio River, searching for that perfect riverside pub
Wish me luck
Which BTW is not far from what used to be a MAJOR aluminum plant that employed few thousand workers, including plenty who commuted from PP and other nearby towns and counties.
Most of those jobs are gone . . . along with the dollars that their paychecks brought to these communities.
And while tourists are coming to the New River Gorge, damn few are lingering in the Kanawha and Mid-Ohio Valleys.
EDIT - Gallipolis may be your best bet. Also more lively than Point Pleasant, or least was back in the day.
Could we get two birds with one stone?
Also a poll from Savanta, in case it hasn't been picked up here that one is SNP 38, Lab 34, Con 17, LD 7.
All of the Panelbase poll postdates Sturgeon's arrest, part of the Savanta one does so too.
"Mothman versus Nessi" - what a movie THAT would make!
If we're going to play on these types of pitches, then Foakes should be in the team.
https://twitter.com/jamesrwithers/status/1670135800648876033?s=61&t=LYVEHh2mqFy1oUJAdCfe-Q
It doesn't make it right of course.
BHE Renewables and WV announce $500m investment to build global aerospace manufacturing hub powered by renewable energy microgrid
https://governor.wv.gov/News/press-releases/2022/Pages/Gov.-Justice-BHE-Renewables-and-WV-announce-$500m-investment-to-build-global-aerospace-manufacturing-hub-powered-by-renewa.aspx
The Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America Agenda: Delivering for West Virginia
Companies have committed to invest over $4 billion in West Virginia since President Biden took office
https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/IIA-All-State-Fact-Sheets-West-Virginia.pdf
MANCHIN ANNOUNCES MULTI-BILLION DOLLAR CLEAN AMMONIA MANUFACTURING INVESTMENT IN MINGO COUNTY, WV
https://www.manchin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/manchin-announces-multi-billion-dollar-clean-ammonia-manufacturing-investment-in-mingo-county-wv
NEW THREAD
So France then. Because they want someone French.
Foremain you are the scumbags of scumbags, you flatter yourself that I give a shit about a cretin like you, just f**k off and stop commenting about me.
Farooq, you are just an arsehole who thinks he is smart, harmless compared to shitstain.