"HSBC departure spells doom for isolated experiment of Canary Wharf A moated, gated, privatised space divided from the rest of London may have had its day EDWIN HEATHCOTE"
Remainery pessimistic FT bollocks. Crucially, Canary Wharf has incredible transport connections, now: it has the Tube AND the DLR AND now the Liz Line (offering a cheap direct 45 minute trip to LHR central). It has City Airport on its doorstep, and the Thames. It has 100,000 workers, and multiple hotels, restaurants, bars, the works
Has it been shaken by Covid? Yes. But much less than, say, many downtowns in America
If Canary Wharf is "doomed" then you might as well say London itself is "doomed". Some banks may move out due to WFH but at a certain price point moving back into Canary Wharf (with its amazing views, transport, the like) will become desirable for, say, tech companies or media or whatever
Pure clickbait. Ignore
Unfortunately, like the rest of the UK, it’s no longer part of Europe. Another brexit dividend.
I was unaware that Brexit had physically moved us into the western Hemisphere and made us part of the Americas
There is actually a good article about this pernicious, mastubatory, Remainery pessimism in, yes, the FT
"Britain must break out of its doom loop Brexit, Covid and terrible governments have left their scars but our national despondency is becoming a trap"
Yes, Britain has its probems. Yes, Brexit hasn't helped in many cases. But is Britain actually spiralling into terminal decay? Get a grip. Until a few days ago you might have pointed at France, and said, Look, they are doing much better
Today? - that sounds ridiculous. Ditto everywhere else
All countries are facing headwinds. We can cope with ours. We are over-thinking ourselves into self-destructive despair. As the writer says in that piece, it takes an American to finally snap "FFS, I live in London, it's still one of the greatest cities in the world, stop whining"
The idea Canary Wharf (and London) is doomed and is going to become some sort of ghost town is as absurd as the most facile Leaver optimism in early 2016
As a pedant, it is my duty to point out that the vast majority of the UK always was in the Western Hemisphere.
Where does the Western Hemisphere begin?
Greenwich I assumed. That's where your longitude changes from W to E.
"HSBC departure spells doom for isolated experiment of Canary Wharf A moated, gated, privatised space divided from the rest of London may have had its day EDWIN HEATHCOTE"
Remainery pessimistic FT bollocks. Crucially, Canary Wharf has incredible transport connections, now: it has the Tube AND the DLR AND now the Liz Line (offering a cheap direct 45 minute trip to LHR central). It has City Airport on its doorstep, and the Thames. It has 100,000 workers, and multiple hotels, restaurants, bars, the works
Has it been shaken by Covid? Yes. But much less than, say, many downtowns in America
If Canary Wharf is "doomed" then you might as well say London itself is "doomed". Some banks may move out due to WFH but at a certain price point moving back into Canary Wharf (with its amazing views, transport, the like) will become desirable for, say, tech companies or media or whatever
Pure clickbait. Ignore
Unfortunately, like the rest of the UK, it’s no longer part of Europe. Another brexit dividend.
I was unaware that Brexit had physically moved us into the western Hemisphere and made us part of the Americas
There is actually a good article about this pernicious, mastubatory, Remainery pessimism in, yes, the FT
"Britain must break out of its doom loop Brexit, Covid and terrible governments have left their scars but our national despondency is becoming a trap"
Yes, Britain has its probems. Yes, Brexit hasn't helped in many cases. But is Britain actually spiralling into terminal decay? Get a grip. Until a few days ago you might have pointed at France, and said, Look, they are doing much better
Today? - that sounds ridiculous. Ditto everywhere else
All countries are facing headwinds. We can cope with ours. We are over-thinking ourselves into self-destructive despair. As the writer says in that piece, it takes an American to finally snap "FFS, I live in London, it's still one of the greatest cities in the world, stop whining"
The idea Canary Wharf (and London) is doomed and is going to become some sort of ghost town is as absurd as the most facile Leaver optimism in early 2016
Canary Wharf might actually be doomed, though. It is the nearest thing to the deserted Central Business Districts that you wandered around in the US.
I don't believe the CBDs in most American cities are doomed no more than I believe Canary Wharf is doomed
They will have to adapt, they will become cheaper, people will then realise they have incredible locations, young people, artists, students, start ups, will move in: this is what happened in London in places like Camden, Borough, Shoreditch, Hackney, Wapping (repeat across multiple similar urban zones across the world)
The actual full on Detroit Experience - where a city terminally implodes and never recovers- is (thankfully) quite rare. People like cities and city centres
Downtown Denver will recover. Canary Wharf (which is architecturally notably similar - a mix of Victoriana and towers) will recover. But they will evolve
"HSBC departure spells doom for isolated experiment of Canary Wharf A moated, gated, privatised space divided from the rest of London may have had its day EDWIN HEATHCOTE"
Remainery pessimistic FT bollocks. Crucially, Canary Wharf has incredible transport connections, now: it has the Tube AND the DLR AND now the Liz Line (offering a cheap direct 45 minute trip to LHR central). It has City Airport on its doorstep, and the Thames. It has 100,000 workers, and multiple hotels, restaurants, bars, the works
Has it been shaken by Covid? Yes. But much less than, say, many downtowns in America
If Canary Wharf is "doomed" then you might as well say London itself is "doomed". Some banks may move out due to WFH but at a certain price point moving back into Canary Wharf (with its amazing views, transport, the like) will become desirable for, say, tech companies or media or whatever
Pure clickbait. Ignore
Unfortunately, like the rest of the UK, it’s no longer part of Europe. Another brexit dividend.
I was unaware that Brexit had physically moved us into the western Hemisphere and made us part of the Americas
There is actually a good article about this pernicious, mastubatory, Remainery pessimism in, yes, the FT
"Britain must break out of its doom loop Brexit, Covid and terrible governments have left their scars but our national despondency is becoming a trap"
Yes, Britain has its probems. Yes, Brexit hasn't helped in many cases. But is Britain actually spiralling into terminal decay? Get a grip. Until a few days ago you might have pointed at France, and said, Look, they are doing much better
Today? - that sounds ridiculous. Ditto everywhere else
All countries are facing headwinds. We can cope with ours. We are over-thinking ourselves into self-destructive despair. As the writer says in that piece, it takes an American to finally snap "FFS, I live in London, it's still one of the greatest cities in the world, stop whining"
The idea Canary Wharf (and London) is doomed and is going to become some sort of ghost town is as absurd as the most facile Leaver optimism in early 2016
As a pedant, it is my duty to point out that the vast majority of the UK always was in the Western Hemisphere.
"HSBC departure spells doom for isolated experiment of Canary Wharf A moated, gated, privatised space divided from the rest of London may have had its day EDWIN HEATHCOTE"
Remainery pessimistic FT bollocks. Crucially, Canary Wharf has incredible transport connections, now: it has the Tube AND the DLR AND now the Liz Line (offering a cheap direct 45 minute trip to LHR central). It has City Airport on its doorstep, and the Thames. It has 100,000 workers, and multiple hotels, restaurants, bars, the works
Has it been shaken by Covid? Yes. But much less than, say, many downtowns in America
If Canary Wharf is "doomed" then you might as well say London itself is "doomed". Some banks may move out due to WFH but at a certain price point moving back into Canary Wharf (with its amazing views, transport, the like) will become desirable for, say, tech companies or media or whatever
Pure clickbait. Ignore
Unfortunately, like the rest of the UK, it’s no longer part of Europe. Another brexit dividend.
I was unaware that Brexit had physically moved us into the western Hemisphere and made us part of the Americas
There is actually a good article about this pernicious, mastubatory, Remainery pessimism in, yes, the FT
"Britain must break out of its doom loop Brexit, Covid and terrible governments have left their scars but our national despondency is becoming a trap"
Yes, Britain has its probems. Yes, Brexit hasn't helped in many cases. But is Britain actually spiralling into terminal decay? Get a grip. Until a few days ago you might have pointed at France, and said, Look, they are doing much better
Today? - that sounds ridiculous. Ditto everywhere else
All countries are facing headwinds. We can cope with ours. We are over-thinking ourselves into self-destructive despair. As the writer says in that piece, it takes an American to finally snap "FFS, I live in London, it's still one of the greatest cities in the world, stop whining"
The idea Canary Wharf (and London) is doomed and is going to become some sort of ghost town is as absurd as the most facile Leaver optimism in early 2016
As a pedant, it is my duty to point out that the vast majority of the UK always was in the Western Hemisphere.
The only "leading Tories" (sic) mentioned in the article is Jonathan Gullis, the MP for Stoke North. It's fair to say that not even you could regard Mr Gullis as a leading thinker, even in the current iteration of the Tory Party. He makes Lee Anderson look thoughtful. To put it as politely as I can, Gullis is as thick as pigshit and unpleasant to boot.
Hate to say it, but what is it with teachers who become Conservative MPs? Not just Gullis, but Lia Nici as well. (And not an MP, but just as politically prominent, Fr Calvin Robinson as well.)
I expect they are the ones who like shouting at an unruly class and sending them to detention
"HSBC departure spells doom for isolated experiment of Canary Wharf A moated, gated, privatised space divided from the rest of London may have had its day EDWIN HEATHCOTE"
Remainery pessimistic FT bollocks. Crucially, Canary Wharf has incredible transport connections, now: it has the Tube AND the DLR AND now the Liz Line (offering a cheap direct 45 minute trip to LHR central). It has City Airport on its doorstep, and the Thames. It has 100,000 workers, and multiple hotels, restaurants, bars, the works
Has it been shaken by Covid? Yes. But much less than, say, many downtowns in America
If Canary Wharf is "doomed" then you might as well say London itself is "doomed". Some banks may move out due to WFH but at a certain price point moving back into Canary Wharf (with its amazing views, transport, the like) will become desirable for, say, tech companies or media or whatever
Pure clickbait. Ignore
Unfortunately, like the rest of the UK, it’s no longer part of Europe. Another brexit dividend.
I was unaware that Brexit had physically moved us into the western Hemisphere and made us part of the Americas
There is actually a good article about this pernicious, mastubatory, Remainery pessimism in, yes, the FT
"Britain must break out of its doom loop Brexit, Covid and terrible governments have left their scars but our national despondency is becoming a trap"
Yes, Britain has its probems. Yes, Brexit hasn't helped in many cases. But is Britain actually spiralling into terminal decay? Get a grip. Until a few days ago you might have pointed at France, and said, Look, they are doing much better
Today? - that sounds ridiculous. Ditto everywhere else
All countries are facing headwinds. We can cope with ours. We are over-thinking ourselves into self-destructive despair. As the writer says in that piece, it takes an American to finally snap "FFS, I live in London, it's still one of the greatest cities in the world, stop whining"
The idea Canary Wharf (and London) is doomed and is going to become some sort of ghost town is as absurd as the most facile Leaver optimism in early 2016
Canary Wharf might actually be doomed, though. It is the nearest thing to the deserted Central Business Districts that you wandered around in the US.
How easy/hard would it be to repurpose the area? Easyish to imagine the city reconsolidating in the actual city, but presumably all that space and infrastructure would be good for something at the right price.
The only "leading Tories" (sic) mentioned in the article is Jonathan Gullis, the MP for Stoke North. It's fair to say that not even you could regard Mr Gullis as a leading thinker, even in the current iteration of the Tory Party. He makes Lee Anderson look thoughtful. To put it as politely as I can, Gullis is as thick as pigshit and unpleasant to boot.
Hate to say it, but what is it with teachers who become Conservative MPs? Not just Gullis, but Lia Nici as well. (And not an MP, but just as politically prominent, Fr Calvin Robinson as well.)
Quite. Though in a rare moment of self-awareness, according to Wiki: Upon being elected to Parliament Gullis left work at Fairfax School, and he described the pupils he was responsible for as head of year as "probably happy to see me go". Given he worked in at least four schools in a seven-year career, this may have been a theme with pupils and staff.
The only "leading Tories" (sic) mentioned in the article is Jonathan Gullis, the MP for Stoke North. It's fair to say that not even you could regard Mr Gullis as a leading thinker, even in the current iteration of the Tory Party. He makes Lee Anderson look thoughtful. To put it as politely as I can, Gullis is as thick as pigshit and unpleasant to boot.
Hate to say it, but what is it with teachers who become Conservative MPs? Not just Gullis, but Lia Nici as well. (And not an MP, but just as politically prominent, Fr Calvin Robinson as well.)
I expect they are the ones who like shouting at an unruly class and sending them to detention
Sounds like they would be ideal candidates for Speaker!
"HSBC departure spells doom for isolated experiment of Canary Wharf A moated, gated, privatised space divided from the rest of London may have had its day EDWIN HEATHCOTE"
Remainery pessimistic FT bollocks. Crucially, Canary Wharf has incredible transport connections, now: it has the Tube AND the DLR AND now the Liz Line (offering a cheap direct 45 minute trip to LHR central). It has City Airport on its doorstep, and the Thames. It has 100,000 workers, and multiple hotels, restaurants, bars, the works
Has it been shaken by Covid? Yes. But much less than, say, many downtowns in America
If Canary Wharf is "doomed" then you might as well say London itself is "doomed". Some banks may move out due to WFH but at a certain price point moving back into Canary Wharf (with its amazing views, transport, the like) will become desirable for, say, tech companies or media or whatever
Pure clickbait. Ignore
Unfortunately, like the rest of the UK, it’s no longer part of Europe. Another brexit dividend.
I was unaware that Brexit had physically moved us into the western Hemisphere and made us part of the Americas
There is actually a good article about this pernicious, mastubatory, Remainery pessimism in, yes, the FT
"Britain must break out of its doom loop Brexit, Covid and terrible governments have left their scars but our national despondency is becoming a trap"
Yes, Britain has its probems. Yes, Brexit hasn't helped in many cases. But is Britain actually spiralling into terminal decay? Get a grip. Until a few days ago you might have pointed at France, and said, Look, they are doing much better
Today? - that sounds ridiculous. Ditto everywhere else
All countries are facing headwinds. We can cope with ours. We are over-thinking ourselves into self-destructive despair. As the writer says in that piece, it takes an American to finally snap "FFS, I live in London, it's still one of the greatest cities in the world, stop whining"
The idea Canary Wharf (and London) is doomed and is going to become some sort of ghost town is as absurd as the most facile Leaver optimism in early 2016
Canary Wharf might actually be doomed, though. It is the nearest thing to the deserted Central Business Districts that you wandered around in the US.
How easy/hard would it be to repurpose the area? Easyish to imagine the city reconsolidating in the actual city, but presumably all that space and infrastructure would be good for something at the right price.
Yes, it's all about pricing
Canary Wharf is a highly desirable location, It might not be as desirable as it was - but it is still a brilliantly linked part of a world city (that is still in great demand). I can also remember when it was "doomed" about eight years after they built the first towers. Half of it was empty. It genuinely didn't look good
The only "leading Tories" (sic) mentioned in the article is Jonathan Gullis, the MP for Stoke North. It's fair to say that not even you could regard Mr Gullis as a leading thinker, even in the current iteration of the Tory Party. He makes Lee Anderson look thoughtful. To put it as politely as I can, Gullis is as thick as pigshit and unpleasant to boot.
Hate to say it, but what is it with teachers who become Conservative MPs? Not just Gullis, but Lia Nici as well. (And not an MP, but just as politically prominent, Fr Calvin Robinson as well.)
Quite. Though in a rare moment of self-awareness, according to Wiki: Upon being elected to Parliament Gullis left work at Fairfax School, and he described the pupils he was responsible for as head of year as "probably happy to see me go". Given he worked in at least four schools in a seven-year career, this may have been a theme with pupils and staff.
Next year he will be able to use that quote about his constituents.
Paradoxically. I reckon this will be one the Tories will relish. Pincher is sitting as an independent. And Tamworth has a large majority in the West Midlands/Staffordshire. The last redoubt of enduring Tory strength. I wonder if they'll actively campaign for his recall? A win there could change the narrative.
"HSBC departure spells doom for isolated experiment of Canary Wharf A moated, gated, privatised space divided from the rest of London may have had its day EDWIN HEATHCOTE"
Remainery pessimistic FT bollocks. Crucially, Canary Wharf has incredible transport connections, now: it has the Tube AND the DLR AND now the Liz Line (offering a cheap direct 45 minute trip to LHR central). It has City Airport on its doorstep, and the Thames. It has 100,000 workers, and multiple hotels, restaurants, bars, the works
Has it been shaken by Covid? Yes. But much less than, say, many downtowns in America
If Canary Wharf is "doomed" then you might as well say London itself is "doomed". Some banks may move out due to WFH but at a certain price point moving back into Canary Wharf (with its amazing views, transport, the like) will become desirable for, say, tech companies or media or whatever
Pure clickbait. Ignore
Unfortunately, like the rest of the UK, it’s no longer part of Europe. Another brexit dividend.
I was unaware that Brexit had physically moved us into the western Hemisphere and made us part of the Americas
There is actually a good article about this pernicious, mastubatory, Remainery pessimism in, yes, the FT
"Britain must break out of its doom loop Brexit, Covid and terrible governments have left their scars but our national despondency is becoming a trap"
Yes, Britain has its probems. Yes, Brexit hasn't helped in many cases. But is Britain actually spiralling into terminal decay? Get a grip. Until a few days ago you might have pointed at France, and said, Look, they are doing much better
Today? - that sounds ridiculous. Ditto everywhere else
All countries are facing headwinds. We can cope with ours. We are over-thinking ourselves into self-destructive despair. As the writer says in that piece, it takes an American to finally snap "FFS, I live in London, it's still one of the greatest cities in the world, stop whining"
The idea Canary Wharf (and London) is doomed and is going to become some sort of ghost town is as absurd as the most facile Leaver optimism in early 2016
Canary Wharf might actually be doomed, though. It is the nearest thing to the deserted Central Business Districts that you wandered around in the US.
How easy/hard would it be to repurpose the area? Easyish to imagine the city reconsolidating in the actual city, but presumably all that space and infrastructure would be good for something at the right price.
Yes, it's all about pricing
Canary Wharf is a highly desirable location, It might not be as desirable as it was - but it is still a brilliantly linked part of a world city (that is still in great demand). I can also remember when it was "doomed" about eight years after they built the first towers. Half of it was empty. It genuinely didn't look good
Then it boomed, and quintupled in size
Chinese getting involved too. A pic I took on May 28th near South Quay DLR:
"HSBC departure spells doom for isolated experiment of Canary Wharf A moated, gated, privatised space divided from the rest of London may have had its day EDWIN HEATHCOTE"
Remainery pessimistic FT bollocks. Crucially, Canary Wharf has incredible transport connections, now: it has the Tube AND the DLR AND now the Liz Line (offering a cheap direct 45 minute trip to LHR central). It has City Airport on its doorstep, and the Thames. It has 100,000 workers, and multiple hotels, restaurants, bars, the works
Has it been shaken by Covid? Yes. But much less than, say, many downtowns in America
If Canary Wharf is "doomed" then you might as well say London itself is "doomed". Some banks may move out due to WFH but at a certain price point moving back into Canary Wharf (with its amazing views, transport, the like) will become desirable for, say, tech companies or media or whatever
Pure clickbait. Ignore
Unfortunately, like the rest of the UK, it’s no longer part of Europe. Another brexit dividend.
I was unaware that Brexit had physically moved us into the western Hemisphere and made us part of the Americas
There is actually a good article about this pernicious, mastubatory, Remainery pessimism in, yes, the FT
"Britain must break out of its doom loop Brexit, Covid and terrible governments have left their scars but our national despondency is becoming a trap"
Yes, Britain has its probems. Yes, Brexit hasn't helped in many cases. But is Britain actually spiralling into terminal decay? Get a grip. Until a few days ago you might have pointed at France, and said, Look, they are doing much better
Today? - that sounds ridiculous. Ditto everywhere else
All countries are facing headwinds. We can cope with ours. We are over-thinking ourselves into self-destructive despair. As the writer says in that piece, it takes an American to finally snap "FFS, I live in London, it's still one of the greatest cities in the world, stop whining"
The idea Canary Wharf (and London) is doomed and is going to become some sort of ghost town is as absurd as the most facile Leaver optimism in early 2016
Canary Wharf might actually be doomed, though. It is the nearest thing to the deserted Central Business Districts that you wandered around in the US.
How easy/hard would it be to repurpose the area? Easyish to imagine the city reconsolidating in the actual city, but presumably all that space and infrastructure would be good for something at the right price.
Yes, it's all about pricing
Canary Wharf is a highly desirable location, It might not be as desirable as it was - but it is still a brilliantly linked part of a world city (that is still in great demand). I can also remember when it was "doomed" about eight years after they built the first towers. Half of it was empty. It genuinely didn't look good
Then it boomed, and quintupled in size
The downside of Canary Wharf is that although it has excellent transport links it's not really within easy walking distance of anywhere else, so to me still seems a bit cut off. In more central London, even up to Camden and Islington, you can walk to other hot spots much more easily.
The only "leading Tories" (sic) mentioned in the article is Jonathan Gullis, the MP for Stoke North. It's fair to say that not even you could regard Mr Gullis as a leading thinker, even in the current iteration of the Tory Party. He makes Lee Anderson look thoughtful. To put it as politely as I can, Gullis is as thick as pigshit and unpleasant to boot.
Hate to say it, but what is it with teachers who become Conservative MPs? Not just Gullis, but Lia Nici as well. (And not an MP, but just as politically prominent, Fr Calvin Robinson as well.)
I expect they are the ones who like shouting at an unruly class and sending them to detention
There's a certain category of teacher who actively relishes confrontation. For some it's part of their "teaching persona". And out of character they are nice as pie. For others it isn't a persona at all. The kind who'd join the French Police.
Paradoxically. I reckon this will be one the Tories will relish. Pincher is sitting as an independent. And Tamworth has a large majority in the West Midlands/Staffordshire. The last redoubt of enduring Tory strength. I wonder if they'll actively campaign for his recall? A win there could change the narrative.
My grandparents were Labour members in Tamworth for about 60 years. The constituency used to be Labour even when the country voted Conservative.
Paradoxically. I reckon this will be one the Tories will relish. Pincher is sitting as an independent. And Tamworth has a large majority in the West Midlands/Staffordshire. The last redoubt of enduring Tory strength. I wonder if they'll actively campaign for his recall? A win there could change the narrative.
IF the Tories are smart (or at least more than half-witted) they will select a WOMAN for this seat.
In USA pretty much standard procedure for party (Reps or Dems) dealing with special election caused by male politicos going splat due to zipper and/or Me-too problem(s).
Paradoxically. I reckon this will be one the Tories will relish. Pincher is sitting as an independent. And Tamworth has a large majority in the West Midlands/Staffordshire. The last redoubt of enduring Tory strength. I wonder if they'll actively campaign for his recall? A win there could change the narrative.
My grandparents were Labour members in Tamworth for about 60 years. The constituency used to be Labour even when the country voted Conservative.
Indeed. Then it became a bellwether seat. Now it's firmly Tory. All part of the Continental Drift of allegiance.
"HSBC departure spells doom for isolated experiment of Canary Wharf A moated, gated, privatised space divided from the rest of London may have had its day EDWIN HEATHCOTE"
Remainery pessimistic FT bollocks. Crucially, Canary Wharf has incredible transport connections, now: it has the Tube AND the DLR AND now the Liz Line (offering a cheap direct 45 minute trip to LHR central). It has City Airport on its doorstep, and the Thames. It has 100,000 workers, and multiple hotels, restaurants, bars, the works
Has it been shaken by Covid? Yes. But much less than, say, many downtowns in America
If Canary Wharf is "doomed" then you might as well say London itself is "doomed". Some banks may move out due to WFH but at a certain price point moving back into Canary Wharf (with its amazing views, transport, the like) will become desirable for, say, tech companies or media or whatever
Pure clickbait. Ignore
Unfortunately, like the rest of the UK, it’s no longer part of Europe. Another brexit dividend.
I was unaware that Brexit had physically moved us into the western Hemisphere and made us part of the Americas
There is actually a good article about this pernicious, mastubatory, Remainery pessimism in, yes, the FT
"Britain must break out of its doom loop Brexit, Covid and terrible governments have left their scars but our national despondency is becoming a trap"
Yes, Britain has its probems. Yes, Brexit hasn't helped in many cases. But is Britain actually spiralling into terminal decay? Get a grip. Until a few days ago you might have pointed at France, and said, Look, they are doing much better
Today? - that sounds ridiculous. Ditto everywhere else
All countries are facing headwinds. We can cope with ours. We are over-thinking ourselves into self-destructive despair. As the writer says in that piece, it takes an American to finally snap "FFS, I live in London, it's still one of the greatest cities in the world, stop whining"
The idea Canary Wharf (and London) is doomed and is going to become some sort of ghost town is as absurd as the most facile Leaver optimism in early 2016
As a pedant, it is my duty to point out that the vast majority of the UK always was in the Western Hemisphere.
Paradoxically. I reckon this will be one the Tories will relish. Pincher is sitting as an independent. And Tamworth has a large majority in the West Midlands/Staffordshire. The last redoubt of enduring Tory strength. I wonder if they'll actively campaign for his recall? A win there could change the narrative.
On the other hand. Defeat and it really is cataclysm. Electoral Calculus has its June revision up. Tories down to 100 and Tamworth gone to Labour. Labour majority of 300(!!!).
For the benefit of those of us outside of the twittersphere and no longer allowed to look in, what's going on?
What's going on is that there's so little doom going on in the world that the doomer accounts that have been predicting the collapse of the global financial system for the last 10 years are reduced to tweeting about riots in France and hoping people don't realize they're an annual tradition observed every summer since 1968.
"HSBC departure spells doom for isolated experiment of Canary Wharf A moated, gated, privatised space divided from the rest of London may have had its day EDWIN HEATHCOTE"
Remainery pessimistic FT bollocks. Crucially, Canary Wharf has incredible transport connections, now: it has the Tube AND the DLR AND now the Liz Line (offering a cheap direct 45 minute trip to LHR central). It has City Airport on its doorstep, and the Thames. It has 100,000 workers, and multiple hotels, restaurants, bars, the works
Has it been shaken by Covid? Yes. But much less than, say, many downtowns in America
If Canary Wharf is "doomed" then you might as well say London itself is "doomed". Some banks may move out due to WFH but at a certain price point moving back into Canary Wharf (with its amazing views, transport, the like) will become desirable for, say, tech companies or media or whatever
Pure clickbait. Ignore
Unfortunately, like the rest of the UK, it’s no longer part of Europe. Another brexit dividend.
I was unaware that Brexit had physically moved us into the western Hemisphere and made us part of the Americas
There is actually a good article about this pernicious, mastubatory, Remainery pessimism in, yes, the FT
"Britain must break out of its doom loop Brexit, Covid and terrible governments have left their scars but our national despondency is becoming a trap"
Yes, Britain has its probems. Yes, Brexit hasn't helped in many cases. But is Britain actually spiralling into terminal decay? Get a grip. Until a few days ago you might have pointed at France, and said, Look, they are doing much better
Today? - that sounds ridiculous. Ditto everywhere else
All countries are facing headwinds. We can cope with ours. We are over-thinking ourselves into self-destructive despair. As the writer says in that piece, it takes an American to finally snap "FFS, I live in London, it's still one of the greatest cities in the world, stop whining"
The idea Canary Wharf (and London) is doomed and is going to become some sort of ghost town is as absurd as the most facile Leaver optimism in early 2016
Canary Wharf might actually be doomed, though. It is the nearest thing to the deserted Central Business Districts that you wandered around in the US.
How easy/hard would it be to repurpose the area? Easyish to imagine the city reconsolidating in the actual city, but presumably all that space and infrastructure would be good for something at the right price.
Yes, it's all about pricing
Canary Wharf is a highly desirable location, It might not be as desirable as it was - but it is still a brilliantly linked part of a world city (that is still in great demand). I can also remember when it was "doomed" about eight years after they built the first towers. Half of it was empty. It genuinely didn't look good
Then it boomed, and quintupled in size
I remember in 2009 visiting Morgan Stanley out there, and being told "Oh, the lights are on in that tower, but there's no-one in there. The landlord just knows that nobody will want to move into something that looks dead."
Paradoxically. I reckon this will be one the Tories will relish. Pincher is sitting as an independent. And Tamworth has a large majority in the West Midlands/Staffordshire. The last redoubt of enduring Tory strength. I wonder if they'll actively campaign for his recall? A win there could change the narrative.
My grandparents were Labour members in Tamworth for about 60 years. The constituency used to be Labour even when the country voted Conservative.
Back in his day, Tamworth was constituency of Sir Robert Peel.
WHEN did SRP join the Labour Party?
OR was he elected before your ancestors were active politically - or any other way!
"HSBC departure spells doom for isolated experiment of Canary Wharf A moated, gated, privatised space divided from the rest of London may have had its day EDWIN HEATHCOTE"
Remainery pessimistic FT bollocks. Crucially, Canary Wharf has incredible transport connections, now: it has the Tube AND the DLR AND now the Liz Line (offering a cheap direct 45 minute trip to LHR central). It has City Airport on its doorstep, and the Thames. It has 100,000 workers, and multiple hotels, restaurants, bars, the works
Has it been shaken by Covid? Yes. But much less than, say, many downtowns in America
If Canary Wharf is "doomed" then you might as well say London itself is "doomed". Some banks may move out due to WFH but at a certain price point moving back into Canary Wharf (with its amazing views, transport, the like) will become desirable for, say, tech companies or media or whatever
Pure clickbait. Ignore
Unfortunately, like the rest of the UK, it’s no longer part of Europe. Another brexit dividend.
I was unaware that Brexit had physically moved us into the western Hemisphere and made us part of the Americas
There is actually a good article about this pernicious, mastubatory, Remainery pessimism in, yes, the FT
"Britain must break out of its doom loop Brexit, Covid and terrible governments have left their scars but our national despondency is becoming a trap"
Yes, Britain has its probems. Yes, Brexit hasn't helped in many cases. But is Britain actually spiralling into terminal decay? Get a grip. Until a few days ago you might have pointed at France, and said, Look, they are doing much better
Today? - that sounds ridiculous. Ditto everywhere else
All countries are facing headwinds. We can cope with ours. We are over-thinking ourselves into self-destructive despair. As the writer says in that piece, it takes an American to finally snap "FFS, I live in London, it's still one of the greatest cities in the world, stop whining"
The idea Canary Wharf (and London) is doomed and is going to become some sort of ghost town is as absurd as the most facile Leaver optimism in early 2016
Canary Wharf might actually be doomed, though. It is the nearest thing to the deserted Central Business Districts that you wandered around in the US.
How easy/hard would it be to repurpose the area? Easyish to imagine the city reconsolidating in the actual city, but presumably all that space and infrastructure would be good for something at the right price.
I've been in and out of Canary Wharf since the Jubilee line opened.
They are building towers of flats there at a rate of knots. In addition, the large buildings with big floors setup for good cabling etc are proving attractive to a lot of smaller companies than just the mega banks. Ive worked for banks, big and small companies based there.
It's far from dead on weekends - there's quite a few people living in the immediate vicinity with money to spend, now. I've got some family who bought before the Jubilee line went live - it's been fascinating to see the evolution of the place.
What you are seeing is the endless competition between the Old City and the New City to attract tenants. This has ebbed and flowed over the years. In the early days of Canary Wharf, some said the Old City was doomed - everyone would move.
Paradoxically. I reckon this will be one the Tories will relish. Pincher is sitting as an independent. And Tamworth has a large majority in the West Midlands/Staffordshire. The last redoubt of enduring Tory strength. I wonder if they'll actively campaign for his recall? A win there could change the narrative.
Doubt it. Like any other seat it is a surefire loss in a by election.
It's not just Rees-Mogg or old-fashioned bosses - practically all the major multinational companies are moving toward requiring more onsite time. Identifying the reasons why may be more enlightening than fretting about council staff. Maybe all of them know less about labour productivity than PB comments, but doubt it.
Or alternatively, all of their managers are nervous about being seen to be no use.
I had a conversation with someone 'on high' this week was very much of the 'on site' persuasion. Quite an extrovert and had the total conviction that people in an office all 'bounced ideas off each other', draw amazing plans on whiteboards, 'generated energy' etc.
I was really curious as to whether that was their *actual* experience, or whether it was just a perception as an extrovert that an hour spent with people babbling over each other's conversations amounted to the same thing.
The last meeting I was at where people used a whiteboard - I let them dribble away for over an hour drawing flowcharts until they were sated - then pointed out that there was no way to 'escape' the loop from the first part of the flowchart, so the remaining 90% was entirely redundant.
Made myself very popular. Again.
Pity you didn't point it out in the first five minutes, instead of sneering at your dribbling colleagues.
If it was clear at the start that they were going to fail at the end, then I would have. Thanks for the suggestion though.
Paradoxically. I reckon this will be one the Tories will relish. Pincher is sitting as an independent. And Tamworth has a large majority in the West Midlands/Staffordshire. The last redoubt of enduring Tory strength. I wonder if they'll actively campaign for his recall? A win there could change the narrative.
Doubt it. Like any other seat it is a surefire loss in a by election.
I'll avoid embedding tweets and just requote here...
Martin Lewis:
Quick note. I just saw BBC quoting new "typical use" price cap projections from October that seem quite a bit lower. Yet much of the reduction is because Ofgem has redefined typical use from then, as lower than it is now, rather than an actual reduction in what people pay.
Seriously. What on earth is OFGEM playing at redefining 'typical usage'.
The whole price cap reporting is shambolic. I want to know what the cap is per unit and on the standing charge, so I can work out my own bill. All else is a nonsense.
Though
Scharge(Gas + elec) + (Units of gas***)*Unit price gas + Units*Unit price Electricity is a bit complicated to get over on a tweet or headline or some such.
Units of gas*** - This is actually weirdly complicated for large business accounts as the calorific conversion is seemingly random from day to day, the variance it causes in domestic bills would be small though. But when you read your gas and if you have a smartmeter could well affect your bill by a few pence.
A "typical use" is a useful shorthand. But it's a total nonsense to adjust the typical usage from one year to the next. Or well if it needs to be done - which it probably does over long timescales then it should be reset every 5 years say NOT slap bang in the middle of a period of high inflation and changing gas/elec prices.
What's wrong with pence per kWh?
The problem is that the cap is more complex than that, partly because the cap actually varies slightly region to region (it depends on things like the density of housing in a region, and therefore the infrastructure costs), partly because of the standing charge (these days a significant component of many peoples bills, as most suppliers are charging the max permitted - it's about 40% of my electric bill, and 95% of my parents bill (they have recently installed £14k of solar + batteries and barely ever buy electricity in).
There's also some sport in getting between the volume measurements gas meter take and the KWh supplied as there are varying conversion factors in use depending on the calorific value of the gas supplied.
If the media were any good at their jobs within minutes of an announcement of a change in price cap they would have had a widget up where you entered your postcode and got your new rates, entered your usage and got your annual bills, but they journalists were never any good at numbers.
Paradoxically. I reckon this will be one the Tories will relish. Pincher is sitting as an independent. And Tamworth has a large majority in the West Midlands/Staffordshire. The last redoubt of enduring Tory strength. I wonder if they'll actively campaign for his recall? A win there could change the narrative.
IF the Tories are smart (or at least more than half-witted) they will select a WOMAN for this seat.
In USA pretty much standard procedure for party (Reps or Dems) dealing with special election caused by male politicos going splat due to zipper and/or Me-too problem(s).
See "This is not America" for why importing American solutions (in that case on race) just doesn't work - Americans do identity politics more than we do.
And then, because they rarely understand foreign countries, or can even find them on a map, assume that their solutions will always work for everyone else.
"HSBC departure spells doom for isolated experiment of Canary Wharf A moated, gated, privatised space divided from the rest of London may have had its day EDWIN HEATHCOTE"
Remainery pessimistic FT bollocks. Crucially, Canary Wharf has incredible transport connections, now: it has the Tube AND the DLR AND now the Liz Line (offering a cheap direct 45 minute trip to LHR central). It has City Airport on its doorstep, and the Thames. It has 100,000 workers, and multiple hotels, restaurants, bars, the works
Has it been shaken by Covid? Yes. But much less than, say, many downtowns in America
If Canary Wharf is "doomed" then you might as well say London itself is "doomed". Some banks may move out due to WFH but at a certain price point moving back into Canary Wharf (with its amazing views, transport, the like) will become desirable for, say, tech companies or media or whatever
Pure clickbait. Ignore
Unfortunately, like the rest of the UK, it’s no longer part of Europe. Another brexit dividend.
I was unaware that Brexit had physically moved us into the western Hemisphere and made us part of the Americas
There is actually a good article about this pernicious, mastubatory, Remainery pessimism in, yes, the FT
"Britain must break out of its doom loop Brexit, Covid and terrible governments have left their scars but our national despondency is becoming a trap"
Yes, Britain has its probems. Yes, Brexit hasn't helped in many cases. But is Britain actually spiralling into terminal decay? Get a grip. Until a few days ago you might have pointed at France, and said, Look, they are doing much better
Today? - that sounds ridiculous. Ditto everywhere else
All countries are facing headwinds. We can cope with ours. We are over-thinking ourselves into self-destructive despair. As the writer says in that piece, it takes an American to finally snap "FFS, I live in London, it's still one of the greatest cities in the world, stop whining"
The idea Canary Wharf (and London) is doomed and is going to become some sort of ghost town is as absurd as the most facile Leaver optimism in early 2016
Canary Wharf might actually be doomed, though. It is the nearest thing to the deserted Central Business Districts that you wandered around in the US.
How easy/hard would it be to repurpose the area? Easyish to imagine the city reconsolidating in the actual city, but presumably all that space and infrastructure would be good for something at the right price.
Yes, it's all about pricing
Canary Wharf is a highly desirable location, It might not be as desirable as it was - but it is still a brilliantly linked part of a world city (that is still in great demand). I can also remember when it was "doomed" about eight years after they built the first towers. Half of it was empty. It genuinely didn't look good
Then it boomed, and quintupled in size
The downside of Canary Wharf is that although it has excellent transport links it's not really within easy walking distance of anywhere else, so to me still seems a bit cut off. In more central London, even up to Camden and Islington, you can walk to other hot spots much more easily.
For what it's worth (probably less than 2p) back at start of 3rd millennium, used to enjoy taking DLR to, or rather through, Canary Warf and all the way to the south end of Isle of Dogs. Then take the foot tunnel under the Thames to Greenwich.
From there, after dinging around, enjoying a quasi-cold brew, would either catch the tube into central London (via Clapham Junction) OR even better take a tour boat up the Thames.
Paradoxically. I reckon this will be one the Tories will relish. Pincher is sitting as an independent. And Tamworth has a large majority in the West Midlands/Staffordshire. The last redoubt of enduring Tory strength. I wonder if they'll actively campaign for his recall? A win there could change the narrative.
IF the Tories are smart (or at least more than half-witted) they will select a WOMAN for this seat.
In USA pretty much standard procedure for party (Reps or Dems) dealing with special election caused by male politicos going splat due to zipper and/or Me-too problem(s).
See "This is not America" for why importing American solutions (in that case on race) just doesn't work - Americans do identity politics more than we do.
And then, because they rarely understand foreign countries, or can even find them on a map, assume that their solutions will always work for everyone else.
Race is NOT the issue I was talking about, as it is NOT the issue that caused Pincher to become un-whipped (in one way, anyway) ex-Tory.
American politicos I was thinking about were (to cite just two examples:
> ex-US Senator and former funny-man Al Franken (D-Minn) who was forced to resign when he was accused of sexual harassing woman; Democrats selected Tina Smith as his replacement, and she was elected (and subsequently reelected) in her own right.
> ex-state representative, a Republican, fire-fighter and evangelical Christian from Vancouver Washington (not BC) who reported being mugged, by a gay guy he picked up in another part of the state, and was forced to resign; GOP selected as his replacement Jaime Herrera Beutler, who won special election, next regular election, then was nominated for and elected to US House (she voted to impeach Trump after Jan 2021 and narrowly lost out in 2022 primary, is running again for 2024.
So where's the "race" you are referring to?
Or is that you are clueless (to put it mildly) when it comes to meaning of "zipper problem" and "Me-too" in learned discourse of US politics?
Paradoxically. I reckon this will be one the Tories will relish. Pincher is sitting as an independent. And Tamworth has a large majority in the West Midlands/Staffordshire. The last redoubt of enduring Tory strength. I wonder if they'll actively campaign for his recall? A win there could change the narrative.
IF the Tories are smart (or at least more than half-witted) they will select a WOMAN for this seat.
In USA pretty much standard procedure for party (Reps or Dems) dealing with special election caused by male politicos going splat due to zipper and/or Me-too problem(s).
See "This is not America" for why importing American solutions (in that case on race) just doesn't work - Americans do identity politics more than we do.
And then, because they rarely understand foreign countries, or can even find them on a map, assume that their solutions will always work for everyone else.
Race is NOT the issue I was talking about, as it is NOT the issue that caused Pincher to become un-whipped (in one way, anyway) ex-Tory.
American politicos I was thinking about were (to cite just two examples:
> ex-US Senator and former funny-man Al Franken (D-Minn) who was forced to resign when he was accused of sexual harassing woman; Democrats selected Tina Smith as his replacement, and she was elected (and subsequently reelected) in her own right.
> ex-state representative, a Republican, fire-fighter and evangelical Christian from Vancouver Washington (not BC) who reported being mugged, by a gay guy he picked up in another part of the state, and was forced to resign; GOP selected as his replacement Jaime Herrera Beutler, who won special election, next regular election, then was nominated for and elected to US House (she voted to impeach Trump after Jan 2021 and narrowly lost out in 2022 primary, is running again for 2024.
So where's the "race" you are referring to?
Or is that you are clueless (to put it mildly) when it comes to meaning of "zipper problem" and "Me-too" in learned discourse of US politics?
I was making the point that mindlessly importing American solutions does not work, given very different political systems and cultures. Read the book - it refers to race, but many (not all) of its arguments work with gender too.
As Isabel Allende the noted Chilean-American novelist said, “Americans don’t understand anything about anywhere in the world. Unless they are in a war with that place, and then they understand a little bit.” Last time I checked, US and UK aren't at war.
(For the record, most Brits understand foreign countries barely more than Americans do)
28% looks a bit low for the winning party, to me anyway.
That's a consequence of so many parties clearing 10%,m which is the really unlikely thing, particularly in a by-election. A lot of by-elections only have two candidates saving their deposit, and none in this Parliament have seen more than three candidates saving their deposit, let alone five. The campaign will normally rapidly establish which parties are the main contenders, and the other candidates will be ruthlessly squeezed.
Report: As I hoped, the Canadian flag was flying at the condominium on Lake Washington, where I have seen it, on so many Canada Days before.
(On a serious point: NAFTA has proved to be an economic success for all three nations: Canada, the United States, and Mexico. It was proposed by Ronald Reagan, negotiated by George H. W. Bush, and ratified under Bill Clinton's leadership. So it was a bipartisan achievement.
Sadly, as far as I can tell, it has never been especially popular in any of the three nations. But free trade has always been easier to sell to economists, than to the average voter.)
28% looks a bit low for the winning party, to me anyway.
That's a consequence of so many parties clearing 10%,m which is the really unlikely thing, particularly in a by-election. A lot of by-elections only have two candidates saving their deposit, and none in this Parliament have seen more than three candidates saving their deposit, let alone five. The campaign will normally rapidly establish which parties are the main contenders, and the other candidates will be ruthlessly squeezed.
Why not hold it on the same day as the next election? There’s a good chance you’d end up giving the implementation of it to Starmer.
As the main aim would be to drive Tory turnout to vote Tory to get the referendum I suspect
Does anyone care that much about it? And do those who care love or hate Brexitism? My money on the latter.
Doubling down on the concrete lifejacket of Brexit is not the way for Tories to survive, it is the way to remind the opposition how hateful the Tories are.
Report: As I hoped, the Canadian flag was flying at the condominium on Lake Washington, where I have seen it, on so many Canada Days before.
(On a serious point: NAFTA has proved to be an economic success for all three nations: Canada, the United States, and Mexico. It was proposed by Ronald Reagan, negotiated by George H. W. Bush, and ratified under Bill Clinton's leadership. So it was a bipartisan achievement.
Sadly, as far as I can tell, it has never been especially popular in any of the three nations. But free trade has always been easier to sell to economists, than to the average voter.)
Indeed so. It is why "Singapore on Tees" was never going to attract the voters. That and the fact that it never looked like happening.
Will it be like 1992 or 1997 is the wrong question. It's going to be immigration versus health. Immigration (on which the Tories are closer to the national mood): will Labour be able to pull something out of the hat, or benefit from a big banana skin slip by the Tories? No and no. Health: (on which Labour are closer to the national mood): will tje Tories be able to pull something out of the hat, or benefit from a big banana skin slip by Labour? Maybe (crowds' memories are short) and no. The Tories benefit from incumbency, in the sense that a big drive on surgical operations, for example, will make big news. I will bet on Tories as largest number of seats. Am I alone here?
28% looks a bit low for the winning party, to me anyway.
Sure. However, very fact that Tory govt is polling soooooo low in such deep blue water, speaks volumes.
Even if they manage to get some swing-back from former supporter now backing one of the alternative options. Including one not (directly) polled = going fishing aka abstaining.
Following the "lead" (in a sense) of the Prime Minister and over 100 fellow Conservatives, who did likewise re: sanctioning the previous-plus-one PM.
Why not hold it on the same day as the next election? There’s a good chance you’d end up giving the implementation of it to Starmer.
As the main aim would be to drive Tory turnout to vote Tory to get the referendum I suspect
Does anyone care that much about it? And do those who care love or hate Brexitism? My money on the latter.
Doubling down on the concrete lifejacket of Brexit is not the way for Tories to survive, it is the way to remind the opposition how hateful the Tories are.
That all depends on what Brexit means, or stirs up in the mind, for possible swing voters. Xenophobia. Still a lot of mileage in that. "Oh, the Tories are so full of hatred." Not much mileage in that.
Paradoxically. I reckon this will be one the Tories will relish. Pincher is sitting as an independent. And Tamworth has a large majority in the West Midlands/Staffordshire. The last redoubt of enduring Tory strength. I wonder if they'll actively campaign for his recall? A win there could change the narrative.
IF the Tories are smart (or at least more than half-witted) they will select a WOMAN for this seat.
In USA pretty much standard procedure for party (Reps or Dems) dealing with special election caused by male politicos going splat due to zipper and/or Me-too problem(s).
See "This is not America" for why importing American solutions (in that case on race) just doesn't work - Americans do identity politics more than we do.
And then, because they rarely understand foreign countries, or can even find them on a map, assume that their solutions will always work for everyone else.
Race is NOT the issue I was talking about, as it is NOT the issue that caused Pincher to become un-whipped (in one way, anyway) ex-Tory.
American politicos I was thinking about were (to cite just two examples:
> ex-US Senator and former funny-man Al Franken (D-Minn) who was forced to resign when he was accused of sexual harassing woman; Democrats selected Tina Smith as his replacement, and she was elected (and subsequently reelected) in her own right.
> ex-state representative, a Republican, fire-fighter and evangelical Christian from Vancouver Washington (not BC) who reported being mugged, by a gay guy he picked up in another part of the state, and was forced to resign; GOP selected as his replacement Jaime Herrera Beutler, who won special election, next regular election, then was nominated for and elected to US House (she voted to impeach Trump after Jan 2021 and narrowly lost out in 2022 primary, is running again for 2024.
So where's the "race" you are referring to?
Or is that you are clueless (to put it mildly) when it comes to meaning of "zipper problem" and "Me-too" in learned discourse of US politics?
I was making the point that mindlessly importing American solutions does not work, given very different political systems and cultures. Read the book - it refers to race, but many (not all) of its arguments work with gender too.
As Isabel Allende the noted Chilean-American novelist said, “Americans don’t understand anything about anywhere in the world. Unless they are in a war with that place, and then they understand a little bit.” Last time I checked, US and UK aren't at war.
(For the record, most Brits understand foreign countries barely more than Americans do)
"Read the book"? What book? Or did Pincher collect & publish his columns on fine wines & high spirits? ADDENDUM - sorry, just spotted your reference to the book
And for the record, you are correct on one point: "mindlessly importing American solutions does not work". Of course, mindlessly importing ANYBODY's solutions being - by definition - mindless.
Do dispute your contention that US and UK political and electoral systems are SO extremely different that something that works, at least some of the time, in one place, is ipso facto useless in the other.
In the former colonies, the theory & practice in wake of politico sex scandal, in which said politico is HIGHLY likely to be male (at least to some degree) is that voters - especially women - are more likely on balance to regard a woman as more . . . reliable on the issue that created the vacancy in office.
Maybe UK voters would not have similar tendency; perhaps they think that women (British anyway) are as likely to be horn-dogs as men. Or perhaps there is no gender gap on this issue in dear old Blighty.
Though just MIGHT be interesting to ask some - say in a poll - and see what they say?
Certainly makes FAR more sense than your "Americans are such idiots". . . commentary.
Will it be like 1992 or 1997 is the wrong question. It's going to be immigration versus health. Immigration (on which the Tories are closer to the national mood): will Labour be able to pull something out of the hat, or benefit from a big banana skin slip by the Tories? No and no. Health: (on which Labour are closer to the national mood): will tje Tories be able to pull something out of the hat, or benefit from a big banana skin slip by Labour? Maybe (crowds' memories are short) and no. The Tories benefit from incumbency, in the sense that a big drive on surgical operations, for example, will make big news. I will bet on Tories as largest number of seats. Am I alone here?
Possibly, but I'm not sure. I was expecting Conservatives to slowly pull things back after Sunak's installation, but he's been PM for nearly nine months now and he's still flatlining. It's too early to write them off and the scenario you outline may happen, but it is slipping away.
Re: "This is not America" it appears (based on intensive googling) focused on Black Lives Matter which is clearly in UK (ditto US) NOT primarily an issue of electoral strategy. Though there are significant differences between BLM in each based on circumstances. Such as sheer numbers of Black people shot by cops in USA compared with UK.
NOTE that scenario that I'm talking about, which is situation created when an incumbent is forced to leave office due to sex scandal, thus creating a vacancy to be filled by special election, is WAY more specific. And while the entire issue of sexual harassment and exploitation - and identity - is just as broad as roots of BLM, the CONTEXT I'm talking about is far more limited, to the realm of electoral strategy and tactics.
Why not hold it on the same day as the next election? There’s a good chance you’d end up giving the implementation of it to Starmer.
As the main aim would be to drive Tory turnout to vote Tory to get the referendum I suspect
Does anyone care that much about it? And do those who care love or hate Brexitism? My money on the latter.
Doubling down on the concrete lifejacket of Brexit is not the way for Tories to survive, it is the way to remind the opposition how hateful the Tories are.
That all depends on what Brexit means, or stirs up in the mind, for possible swing voters. Xenophobia. Still a lot of mileage in that. "Oh, the Tories are so full of hatred." Not much mileage in that.
Speaking of mileage, what's a crow gotta fly from Leicester to Lake Baikal?
Re: "This is not America" it appears (based on intensive googling) focused on Black Lives Matter which is clearly in UK (ditto US) NOT primarily an issue of electoral strategy. Though there are significant differences between BLM in each based on circumstances. Such as sheer numbers of Black people shot by cops in USA compared with UK.
NOTE that scenario that I'm talking about, which is situation created when an incumbent is forced to leave office due to sex scandal, thus creating a vacancy to be filled by special election, is WAY more specific. And while the entire issue of sexual harassment and exploitation - and identity - is just as broad as roots of BLM, the CONTEXT I'm talking about is far more limited, to the realm of electoral strategy and tactics.
It's a good article and generally fair, though I disagree with some bits. He's spot on about the basic appeal - aim for society based on solidarity and partnership rather than dominated by corporate influence, while avoiding the oppression of dictatorial states. I used to read Marxism Today with enthusiasm, but he's right that it was aimed at a very intellectual market. I think he overstates the dependence on the Soviet Union - given that part of the raison d'etre was to reject the dictatorial approach. IMO the movement largely failed by being too intellectual and also too naive - there's a panoply of democratic left leaders from Gorbachev to Corbyn who largely rejected expulsions and suppression of dissent in favour of a belief that you could win in the end simply by persistent, tireless argument.
The basic concept retains its appeal for me and for many (I've never apologised for my sympathies for it or tried to cover them up, even when I was an MP in a marginal), and influences more mainstream thinking, because most people feel uneasy about a society effectively run by large companies and media billionaires. But Gorbachev eventually concluded after losing power that the Scandinavian model of private enterprise married to high taxes and great social services was the way to go, and it remains IMO the model that demonstrably works better than the alternatives.
"HSBC departure spells doom for isolated experiment of Canary Wharf A moated, gated, privatised space divided from the rest of London may have had its day EDWIN HEATHCOTE"
Remainery pessimistic FT bollocks. Crucially, Canary Wharf has incredible transport connections, now: it has the Tube AND the DLR AND now the Liz Line (offering a cheap direct 45 minute trip to LHR central). It has City Airport on its doorstep, and the Thames. It has 100,000 workers, and multiple hotels, restaurants, bars, the works
Has it been shaken by Covid? Yes. But much less than, say, many downtowns in America
If Canary Wharf is "doomed" then you might as well say London itself is "doomed". Some banks may move out due to WFH but at a certain price point moving back into Canary Wharf (with its amazing views, transport, the like) will become desirable for, say, tech companies or media or whatever
Pure clickbait. Ignore
Unfortunately, like the rest of the UK, it’s no longer part of Europe. Another brexit dividend.
I was unaware that Brexit had physically moved us into the western Hemisphere and made us part of the Americas
There is actually a good article about this pernicious, mastubatory, Remainery pessimism in, yes, the FT
"Britain must break out of its doom loop Brexit, Covid and terrible governments have left their scars but our national despondency is becoming a trap"
Yes, Britain has its probems. Yes, Brexit hasn't helped in many cases. But is Britain actually spiralling into terminal decay? Get a grip. Until a few days ago you might have pointed at France, and said, Look, they are doing much better
Today? - that sounds ridiculous. Ditto everywhere else
All countries are facing headwinds. We can cope with ours. We are over-thinking ourselves into self-destructive despair. As the writer says in that piece, it takes an American to finally snap "FFS, I live in London, it's still one of the greatest cities in the world, stop whining"
The idea Canary Wharf (and London) is doomed and is going to become some sort of ghost town is as absurd as the most facile Leaver optimism in early 2016
As a pedant, it is my duty to point out that the vast majority of the UK always was in the Western Hemisphere.
"HSBC departure spells doom for isolated experiment of Canary Wharf A moated, gated, privatised space divided from the rest of London may have had its day EDWIN HEATHCOTE"
Remainery pessimistic FT bollocks. Crucially, Canary Wharf has incredible transport connections, now: it has the Tube AND the DLR AND now the Liz Line (offering a cheap direct 45 minute trip to LHR central). It has City Airport on its doorstep, and the Thames. It has 100,000 workers, and multiple hotels, restaurants, bars, the works
Has it been shaken by Covid? Yes. But much less than, say, many downtowns in America
If Canary Wharf is "doomed" then you might as well say London itself is "doomed". Some banks may move out due to WFH but at a certain price point moving back into Canary Wharf (with its amazing views, transport, the like) will become desirable for, say, tech companies or media or whatever
Pure clickbait. Ignore
Unfortunately, like the rest of the UK, it’s no longer part of Europe. Another brexit dividend.
I was unaware that Brexit had physically moved us into the western Hemisphere and made us part of the Americas
There is actually a good article about this pernicious, mastubatory, Remainery pessimism in, yes, the FT
"Britain must break out of its doom loop Brexit, Covid and terrible governments have left their scars but our national despondency is becoming a trap"
Yes, Britain has its probems. Yes, Brexit hasn't helped in many cases. But is Britain actually spiralling into terminal decay? Get a grip. Until a few days ago you might have pointed at France, and said, Look, they are doing much better
Today? - that sounds ridiculous. Ditto everywhere else
All countries are facing headwinds. We can cope with ours. We are over-thinking ourselves into self-destructive despair. As the writer says in that piece, it takes an American to finally snap "FFS, I live in London, it's still one of the greatest cities in the world, stop whining"
The idea Canary Wharf (and London) is doomed and is going to become some sort of ghost town is as absurd as the most facile Leaver optimism in early 2016
As a pedant, it is my duty to point out that the vast majority of the UK always was in the Western Hemisphere.
Where does the Western Hemisphere begin?
Greenwich I assumed. That's where your longitude changes from W to E.
Technically yes but in practice it is taken to refer to the Americas.
Fun fact - I don’t know which hemisphere, E or W, I was born in. Idly curious (my Mum and Dad were born in the E, my brother in the W) I found out that Whipps Cross Hospital lies on the Greenwich Meridian and, unless I actually go there and make enquiries as to where the maternity ward was in January 1974, it’s impossible for me to find out.
Same goes for David Beckham, Harry Kane and Graham Gooch, who were also born there. It’s no guarantee of becoming an England captain mind.
Comments
That's where your longitude changes from W to E.
They will have to adapt, they will become cheaper, people will then realise they have incredible locations, young people, artists, students, start ups, will move in: this is what happened in London in places like Camden, Borough, Shoreditch, Hackney, Wapping (repeat across multiple similar urban zones across the world)
The actual full on Detroit Experience - where a city terminally implodes and never recovers- is (thankfully) quite rare. People like cities and city centres
Downtown Denver will recover. Canary Wharf (which is architecturally notably similar - a mix of Victoriana and towers) will recover. But they will evolve
And Canary Wharf does not have guns or fentanyl
Upon being elected to Parliament Gullis left work at Fairfax School, and he described the pupils he was responsible for as head of year as "probably happy to see me go".
Given he worked in at least four schools in a seven-year career, this may have been a theme with pupils and staff.
Canary Wharf is a highly desirable location, It might not be as desirable as it was - but it is still a brilliantly linked part of a world city (that is still in great demand). I can also remember when it was "doomed" about eight years after they built the first towers. Half of it was empty. It genuinely didn't look good
Then it boomed, and quintupled in size
The report on Pincher is due out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhiBnQ0Ar4E
Pincher is sitting as an independent. And Tamworth has a large majority in the West Midlands/Staffordshire. The last redoubt of enduring Tory strength.
I wonder if they'll actively campaign for his recall?
A win there could change the narrative.
https://www.newyorker.com/news/a-reporter-at-large/the-titan-submersible-was-an-accident-waiting-to-happen
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_Hung_Kai_Properties
For some it's part of their "teaching persona". And out of character they are nice as pie.
For others it isn't a persona at all. The kind who'd join the French Police.
In USA pretty much standard procedure for party (Reps or Dems) dealing with special election caused by male politicos going splat due to zipper and/or Me-too problem(s).
All part of the Continental Drift of allegiance.
Defeat and it really is cataclysm.
Electoral Calculus has its June revision up.
Tories down to 100 and Tamworth gone to Labour.
Labour majority of 300(!!!).
WHEN did SRP join the Labour Party?
OR was he elected before your ancestors were active politically - or any other way!
They are building towers of flats there at a rate of knots. In addition, the large buildings with big floors setup for good cabling etc are proving attractive to a lot of smaller companies than just the mega banks. Ive worked for banks, big and small companies based there.
It's far from dead on weekends - there's quite a few people living in the immediate vicinity with money to spend, now. I've got some family who bought before the Jubilee line went live - it's been fascinating to see the evolution of the place.
What you are seeing is the endless competition between the Old City and the New City to attract tenants. This has ebbed and flowed over the years. In the early days of Canary Wharf, some said the Old City was doomed - everyone would move.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7hfv7nl9vM
There's also some sport in getting between the volume measurements gas meter take and the KWh supplied as there are varying conversion factors in use depending on the calorific value of the gas supplied.
If the media were any good at their jobs within minutes of an announcement of a change in price cap they would have had a widget up where you entered your postcode and got your new rates, entered your usage and got your annual bills, but they journalists were never any good at numbers.
And then, because they rarely understand foreign countries, or can even find them on a map, assume that their solutions will always work for everyone else.
From there, after dinging around, enjoying a quasi-cold brew, would either catch the tube into central London (via Clapham Junction) OR even better take a tour boat up the Thames.
Survey by Opinium finds Labour would overturn a 24,664 Conservative majority in Mid Bedfordshire, held by the Tories since 1931"
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2023/07/01/poll-nadine-dorries-by-election/
Opinium's forecast:
Lab 28%
Con 24%
Ind 19%
LD 15%
ReformUK 10%
American politicos I was thinking about were (to cite just two examples:
> ex-US Senator and former funny-man Al Franken (D-Minn) who was forced to resign when he was accused of sexual harassing woman; Democrats selected Tina Smith as his replacement, and she was elected (and subsequently reelected) in her own right.
> ex-state representative, a Republican, fire-fighter and evangelical Christian from Vancouver Washington (not BC) who reported being mugged, by a gay guy he picked up in another part of the state, and was forced to resign; GOP selected as his replacement Jaime Herrera Beutler, who won special election, next regular election, then was nominated for and elected to US House (she voted to impeach Trump after Jan 2021 and narrowly lost out in 2022 primary, is running again for 2024.
So where's the "race" you are referring to?
Or is that you are clueless (to put it mildly) when it comes to meaning of "zipper problem" and "Me-too" in learned discourse of US politics?
As Isabel Allende the noted Chilean-American novelist said, “Americans don’t understand anything about anywhere in the world. Unless they are in a war with that place, and then they understand a little bit.” Last time I checked, US and UK aren't at war.
(For the record, most Brits understand foreign countries barely more than Americans do)
(On a serious point: NAFTA has proved to be an economic success for all three nations: Canada, the United States, and Mexico. It was proposed by Ronald Reagan, negotiated by George H. W. Bush, and ratified under Bill Clinton's leadership. So it was a bipartisan achievement.
Sadly, as far as I can tell, it has never been especially popular in any of the three nations. But free trade has always been easier to sell to economists, than to the average voter.)
Doubling down on the concrete lifejacket of Brexit is not the way for Tories to survive, it is the way to remind the opposition how hateful the Tories are.
It's going to be immigration versus health.
Immigration (on which the Tories are closer to the national mood): will Labour be able to pull something out of the hat, or benefit from a big banana skin slip by the Tories? No and no.
Health: (on which Labour are closer to the national mood): will tje Tories be able to pull something out of the hat, or benefit from a big banana skin slip by Labour? Maybe (crowds' memories are short) and no.
The Tories benefit from incumbency, in the sense that a big drive on surgical operations, for example, will make big news.
I will bet on Tories as largest number of seats.
Am I alone here?
Nice to see you again. Good article, btw: thank you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWQa0JGkk-c
Even if they manage to get some swing-back from former supporter now backing one of the alternative options. Including one not (directly) polled = going fishing aka abstaining.
Following the "lead" (in a sense) of the Prime Minister and over 100 fellow Conservatives, who did likewise re: sanctioning the previous-plus-one PM.
Xenophobia.
Still a lot of mileage in that.
"Oh, the Tories are so full of hatred." Not much mileage in that.
And for the record, you are correct on one point: "mindlessly importing American solutions does not work". Of course, mindlessly importing ANYBODY's solutions being - by definition - mindless.
Do dispute your contention that US and UK political and electoral systems are SO extremely different that something that works, at least some of the time, in one place, is ipso facto useless in the other.
In the former colonies, the theory & practice in wake of politico sex scandal, in which said politico is HIGHLY likely to be male (at least to some degree) is that voters - especially women - are more likely on balance to regard a woman as more . . . reliable on the issue that created the vacancy in office.
Maybe UK voters would not have similar tendency; perhaps they think that women (British anyway) are as likely to be horn-dogs as men. Or perhaps there is no gender gap on this issue in dear old Blighty.
Though just MIGHT be interesting to ask some - say in a poll - and see what they say?
Certainly makes FAR more sense than your "Americans are such idiots". . . commentary.
NOTE that scenario that I'm talking about, which is situation created when an incumbent is forced to leave office due to sex scandal, thus creating a vacancy to be filled by special election, is WAY more specific. And while the entire issue of sexual harassment and exploitation - and identity - is just as broad as roots of BLM, the CONTEXT I'm talking about is far more limited, to the realm of electoral strategy and tactics.
What think you of this? https://www.sealionpress.co.uk/post/other-ideologies-4-eurocommunism
The basic concept retains its appeal for me and for many (I've never apologised for my sympathies for it or tried to cover them up, even when I was an MP in a marginal), and influences more mainstream thinking, because most people feel uneasy about a society effectively run by large companies and media billionaires. But Gorbachev eventually concluded after losing power that the Scandinavian model of private enterprise married to high taxes and great social services was the way to go, and it remains IMO the model that demonstrably works better than the alternatives.
Fun fact - I don’t know which hemisphere, E or W, I was born in. Idly curious (my Mum and Dad were born in the E, my brother in the W) I found out that Whipps Cross Hospital lies on the Greenwich Meridian and, unless I actually go there and make enquiries as to where the maternity ward was in January 1974, it’s impossible for me to find out.
Same goes for David Beckham, Harry Kane and Graham Gooch, who were also born there. It’s no guarantee of becoming an England captain mind.