"Sir Iain Duncan Smith backs 'blade runner' ULEZ vandals: Tory MP says he is 'happy' for residents of his east London constituency to destroy cameras because they have been 'lied to'"
The key question is is the nation sick and tired of the Conservatives. As they were in 1997.
Given the many versions of the Conservatives over the past decade I'm tempted to say not in the same way.
That said, largely, and for a number of reasons some exogenous and others endogenous, things are pretty shit right now so I expect the current government to get booted out at the next election but not with the same kind of Blair fervour.
My sense is that people think the country is going the wrong way. The Daily Mail article linked above is an example. They don't have a good idea how to fix it.
1979 is better comparator than 1997. Not least because Keir Starmer, strangely has a lot in common with early Thatcher. It's not necessarily a happy comparison for Starmer as Thatcher struggled in the early years and was only rescued politically by an Argentinian general invading the Falkland Islands.
Wilson 1964 is a better comparison for Starmer although he does seem to be moving more towards New Labour policy wise
If you told Starmer he was Labour's new Wilson he would be delighted!
Though Wilson did lose a general election unlike Blair
The key question is is the nation sick and tired of the Conservatives. As they were in 1997.
Given the many versions of the Conservatives over the past decade I'm tempted to say not in the same way.
That said, largely, and for a number of reasons some exogenous and others endogenous, things are pretty shit right now so I expect the current government to get booted out at the next election but not with the same kind of Blair fervour.
My sense is that people think the country is going the wrong way. The Daily Mail article linked above is an example. They don't have a good idea how to fix it.
1979 is better comparator than 1997. Not least because Keir Starmer, strangely has a lot in common with early Thatcher. It's not necessarily a happy comparison for Starmer as Thatcher struggled in the early years and was only rescued politically by an Argentinian general invading the Falkland Islands.
Wilson 1964 is a better comparison for Starmer although he does seem to be moving more towards New Labour policy wise
If you told Starmer he was Labour's new Wilson he would be delighted!
Though Wilson did lose a general election unlike Blair
"Sir Iain Duncan Smith backs 'blade runner' ULEZ vandals: Tory MP says he is 'happy' for residents of his east London constituency to destroy cameras because they have been 'lied to'"
Um, that's worrying. I'd be very surprised if it factually came from Estonia, because they're not insane. If Putin's doing a false-flag, we are in trouble.
I doubt it's a false-flag given that it seems to have destroyed a number of Russian military transport planes, but the drones from Estonia explanation may be wrong.
You may have misunderstood what I was saying. A "false-flag operation" is an operation carried out by one country posing as/blamed on another. I was implying that Russia did the explosions on its own soil and blamed it on the Estonians. Such ruses have been used, both in the real world and in fiction. The Russians did it in WW2.
There seem t be some significant drone strikes from Ukraine that happened last night, across multiple areas - including NW Russia.
Is part of that this one?
I don't know. My remark was directed at those Russia blamed on Estonia, a scenario so weird I though a false-flag was plausible
I quite liked Rishi. He was so much of an improvement after Johnson. But is he?
On Ulez today he confirmed Harper's lie and embellished it by suggesting Starmer promoted Ulez expansion, whilst the Conservatives never supported it.
On lifting surface water restrictions Gove told some absolute whoppas today, and Rishi unflinchingly repeated them.
More interestingly the Conservatives had their LBC phone-in shills linking Starmer to Savile.
Sunak plays dirty doesn't he? He's as bad as Johnson.
The Star, in another crisp as lettuce moment, call Sunak Biggles, and have a cartoon of him in his helicopter.
Biggles is a clever line. If Sunak were up against Trump that’s what he’d be calling him.
Not so sure. Has anyone under 50 heard of Biggles?
Me.
Edit - incidentally, on checking quite a lot of them are still in print. Not all of them, because most of the later ones were of course pretty naff, but the WW1 and WW2 ones are still very easy to get hold of.
I'm not sure 'Biggles' is quite the slur the Star intends it to be. Older readers will surely remember him as a bit of a swash-buckling hero, harking back in a rose-tinted view to an era when Britain was a world power; younger readers probably have no idea who Biggles is.
We - or some of us - had a similar Bigglesian discussion some years back on PB. One key point made was how grim some of the WW1 novels could be. Dulce et decorum erat to be burnt alive for the glory of the Empire.
Edit: a key piece of context which not everyone might realise is that no parachutes were provided in the RFC/RAF (and I think also the RNAS). To encourage fighting spirit. Bit shit if your plane went on fire and you couldn't escape.
Grub Street publish some rather good memoirs from the Great War in the air, and I have been slowly working through them. This one - as the title suggests - was still bitter many, many years later.
I thought it was more that parachutes had not been sufficiently developed to operate with any reliability?
They were in use. Balloon crews in the RFC/RAF, and German Luftstreitkrafte, had them well before the end of the war. One H. Goering was saved by his parachute.
Sure, the reliability of the plane ones was poor, but a hell of a lot better chance then staying with a burning plane of oil-soaked nitrate- and varnish-covered linen and wood with a leaking petrol tank.
(When I were a lad, I finished one of those balsa, tissue and dope flying model planes and when ti was all done, and dried, hung it from the ceiling to keep it out of the way. Friend comes alongn and playfully threatens to set it on fire with a match. He got a little too close and suddenly it went woomph - in a second there was nothing but the piano wire for the undercarriage falling to the floor. I would not want to be in a large scale version of one of those with a German firing tracer at me.)
Balloon parachutes couldn't be used in aircraft.
Aircraft parachutes really became a thing in 1918 - Herman Goring used his then.
The Collett parachute was typical of the design attempts - you can understand why that wasn't adopted after looking at the design for about 15 seconds.
We are still a nation of Christian heritage though as most priests believe. However Latin America, the USA, southern Africa, the Philippines, Poland, Ireland, Greece, even Italy, Germany and Canada are now more Christian than the UK.
Interestingly 80% of Church of England priests would support the next Archbishop of Canterbury being female too
Or: One-in-five CofE priests are sexist.
Well a somewhat better ratio than the Roman Catholic church where a woman cannot even become a parish priest let alone Pope.
I quite liked Rishi. He was so much of an improvement after Johnson. But is he?
On Ulez today he confirmed Harper's lie and embellished it by suggesting Starmer promoted Ulez expansion, whilst the Conservatives never supported it.
On lifting surface water restrictions Gove told some absolute whoppas today, and Rishi unflinchingly repeated them.
More interestingly the Conservatives had their LBC phone-in shills linking Starmer to Savile.
Sunak plays dirty doesn't he? He's as bad as Johnson.
The Star, in another crisp as lettuce moment, call Sunak Biggles, and have a cartoon of him in his helicopter.
Biggles is a clever line. If Sunak were up against Trump that’s what he’d be calling him.
Not so sure. Has anyone under 50 heard of Biggles?
I have! I only read one or two but remember them as pretty darn exciting. My older sister was obsessed and has read most of them.
My brother has over 100, though some are duplicates.
They are an interesting insight into British mentality up to the 1960s and were widely popular.
Biggles was a hero full of derring do, not really a Sunak figure. Very much a fixed wing aircraft man as I remember too.
Biggles, along with Dan Dare and Dick Barton, stirred my understanding of class differences.
I thoroughly recommend "Biggles flies undone" and "Biggles and Algy nip behind the hangar for a quick one".
Old ones, I know, but still goodies.
I have never ready any of them and assume they are crap. By the time I could read English with any level of proficiency I was too old for them and went straight to Moorcock.
Did you inherit the love of Moorcock from your mother?
Terrible I know, I’ll get my coat etc, but with a set up like that I just couldn’t resist.
@HYUFD Thanks for that link last night. It is a clever reconciliation of Genesis and Evolution at least as far as Adam and Eve goes. My apologies for not remembering. You had provided this previously when we discussed it. It also explains another criticism of Genesis which is when other humans suddenly appear in the bible. It is quite imaginative.
My question however was slightly different, which was the use of 'In the beginning'. Is this just put down to interpretation or translation because it is inconsistent.
Ask Rowan Williams, he is a much better theologian than me and trained as such
I quite liked Rishi. He was so much of an improvement after Johnson. But is he?
On Ulez today he confirmed Harper's lie and embellished it by suggesting Starmer promoted Ulez expansion, whilst the Conservatives never supported it.
On lifting surface water restrictions Gove told some absolute whoppas today, and Rishi unflinchingly repeated them.
More interestingly the Conservatives had their LBC phone-in shills linking Starmer to Savile.
Sunak plays dirty doesn't he? He's as bad as Johnson.
The Star, in another crisp as lettuce moment, call Sunak Biggles, and have a cartoon of him in his helicopter.
Biggles is a clever line. If Sunak were up against Trump that’s what he’d be calling him.
Not so sure. Has anyone under 50 heard of Biggles?
Me.
Edit - incidentally, on checking quite a lot of them are still in print. Not all of them, because most of the later ones were of course pretty naff, but the WW1 and WW2 ones are still very easy to get hold of.
I'm not sure 'Biggles' is quite the slur the Star intends it to be. Older readers will surely remember him as a bit of a swash-buckling hero, harking back in a rose-tinted view to an era when Britain was a world power; younger readers probably have no idea who Biggles is.
We - or some of us - had a similar Bigglesian discussion some years back on PB. One key point made was how grim some of the WW1 novels could be. Dulce et decorum erat to be burnt alive for the glory of the Empire.
Edit: a key piece of context which not everyone might realise is that no parachutes were provided in the RFC/RAF (and I think also the RNAS). To encourage fighting spirit. Bit shit if your plane went on fire and you couldn't escape.
Grub Street publish some rather good memoirs from the Great War in the air, and I have been slowly working through them. This one - as the title suggests - was still bitter many, many years later.
I thought it was more that parachutes had not been sufficiently developed to operate with any reliability?
They were in use. Balloon crews in the RFC/RAF, and German Luftstreitkrafte, had them well before the end of the war. One H. Goering was saved by his parachute.
Sure, the reliability of the plane ones was poor, but a hell of a lot better chance then staying with a burning plane of oil-soaked nitrate- and varnish-covered linen and wood with a leaking petrol tank.
(When I were a lad, I finished one of those balsa, tissue and dope flying model planes and when ti was all done, and dried, hung it from the ceiling to keep it out of the way. Friend comes alongn and playfully threatens to set it on fire with a match. He got a little too close and suddenly it went woomph - in a second there was nothing but the piano wire for the undercarriage falling to the floor. I would not want to be in a large scale version of one of those with a German firing tracer at me.)
Balloon parachutes couldn't be used in aircraft.
Aircraft parachutes really became a thing in 1918 - Herman Goring used his then.
The Collett parachute was typical of the design attempts - you can understand why that wasn't adopted after looking at the design for about 15 seconds.
Sure, but Gould Lee was there at the time and very much of the opinion that the British didn't get their collective digit out quickly enough. And he did do some research into the archives before finishing his memoir.
"Sir Iain Duncan Smith backs 'blade runner' ULEZ vandals: Tory MP says he is 'happy' for residents of his east London constituency to destroy cameras because they have been 'lied to'"
I think London may well see a swing below the national average, as Uxbridge suggested.
In 2019 of course London had the lowest Labour to Conservative swing of any region in the UK as it had little enthusiasm for Boris as PM or Brexit, I suspect it is more pro Rishi relatively than the rest of the UK and ULEZ will be an issue the Tories can use too
I quite liked Rishi. He was so much of an improvement after Johnson. But is he?
On Ulez today he confirmed Harper's lie and embellished it by suggesting Starmer promoted Ulez expansion, whilst the Conservatives never supported it.
On lifting surface water restrictions Gove told some absolute whoppas today, and Rishi unflinchingly repeated them.
More interestingly the Conservatives had their LBC phone-in shills linking Starmer to Savile.
Sunak plays dirty doesn't he? He's as bad as Johnson.
The Star, in another crisp as lettuce moment, call Sunak Biggles, and have a cartoon of him in his helicopter.
Biggles is a clever line. If Sunak were up against Trump that’s what he’d be calling him.
Not so sure. Has anyone under 50 heard of Biggles?
I have! I only read one or two but remember them as pretty darn exciting. My older sister was obsessed and has read most of them.
My brother has over 100, though some are duplicates.
They are an interesting insight into British mentality up to the 1960s and were widely popular.
Biggles was a hero full of derring do, not really a Sunak figure. Very much a fixed wing aircraft man as I remember too.
Biggles, along with Dan Dare and Dick Barton, stirred my understanding of class differences.
I thoroughly recommend "Biggles flies undone" and "Biggles and Algy nip behind the hangar for a quick one".
Old ones, I know, but still goodies.
I have never ready any of them and assume they are crap. By the time I could read English with any level of proficiency I was too old for them and went straight to Moorcock.
The early ones set in WW1 are quite gritty stories, with Biggles showing features of PTSD at times. It was later on that they became more "Boys Own".
I quite liked Rishi. He was so much of an improvement after Johnson. But is he?
On Ulez today he confirmed Harper's lie and embellished it by suggesting Starmer promoted Ulez expansion, whilst the Conservatives never supported it.
On lifting surface water restrictions Gove told some absolute whoppas today, and Rishi unflinchingly repeated them.
More interestingly the Conservatives had their LBC phone-in shills linking Starmer to Savile.
Sunak plays dirty doesn't he? He's as bad as Johnson.
The Star, in another crisp as lettuce moment, call Sunak Biggles, and have a cartoon of him in his helicopter.
Biggles is a clever line. If Sunak were up against Trump that’s what he’d be calling him.
Not so sure. Has anyone under 50 heard of Biggles?
Me.
Edit - incidentally, on checking quite a lot of them are still in print. Not all of them, because most of the later ones were of course pretty naff, but the WW1 and WW2 ones are still very easy to get hold of.
I'm not sure 'Biggles' is quite the slur the Star intends it to be. Older readers will surely remember him as a bit of a swash-buckling hero, harking back in a rose-tinted view to an era when Britain was a world power; younger readers probably have no idea who Biggles is.
Biggles is not intended as a slur. Biggles is to remind us that Rishi Sunak flies everywhere.
It’s effective because Sunak is so obviously not a swashbuckling flying ace, but does have a liking for private air transportation. Like Pocahontas, because Elizabeth Warren’s claims to Native American ancestry were so ludicrous.
"Sir Iain Duncan Smith backs 'blade runner' ULEZ vandals: Tory MP says he is 'happy' for residents of his east London constituency to destroy cameras because they have been 'lied to'"
"Sir Iain Duncan Smith backs 'blade runner' ULEZ vandals: Tory MP says he is 'happy' for residents of his east London constituency to destroy cameras because they have been 'lied to'"
I think London may well see a swing below the national average, as Uxbridge suggested.
In 2019 of course London had the lowest Labour to Conservative swing of any region in the UK as it had little enthusiasm for Boris as PM or Brexit, I suspect it is more pro Rishi relatively than the rest of the UK and ULEZ will be an issue the Tories can use too
I think a smaller swing than nationally, but mostly a ceiling effect as down to the base in London.
Worth noting too that a Uxbridge swing still means PM Starmer.
"Sir Iain Duncan Smith backs 'blade runner' ULEZ vandals: Tory MP says he is 'happy' for residents of his east London constituency to destroy cameras because they have been 'lied to'"
"Sir Iain Duncan Smith backs 'blade runner' ULEZ vandals: Tory MP says he is 'happy' for residents of his east London constituency to destroy cameras because they have been 'lied to'"
I think London may well see a swing below the national average, as Uxbridge suggested.
In 2019 of course London had the lowest Labour to Conservative swing of any region in the UK as it had little enthusiasm for Boris as PM or Brexit, I suspect it is more pro Rishi relatively than the rest of the UK and ULEZ will be an issue the Tories can use too
A smaller London swing than the national average is pretty much guaranteed. Different starting points and Labour sharing the incumbancy burden by having the Mayor.
"Sir Iain Duncan Smith backs 'blade runner' ULEZ vandals: Tory MP says he is 'happy' for residents of his east London constituency to destroy cameras because they have been 'lied to'"
"Sir Iain Duncan Smith backs 'blade runner' ULEZ vandals: Tory MP says he is 'happy' for residents of his east London constituency to destroy cameras because they have been 'lied to'"
"Sir Iain Duncan Smith backs 'blade runner' ULEZ vandals: Tory MP says he is 'happy' for residents of his east London constituency to destroy cameras because they have been 'lied to'"
I think London may well see a swing below the national average, as Uxbridge suggested.
In 2019 of course London had the lowest Labour to Conservative swing of any region in the UK as it had little enthusiasm for Boris as PM or Brexit, I suspect it is more pro Rishi relatively than the rest of the UK and ULEZ will be an issue the Tories can use too
I think a smaller swing than nationally, but mostly a ceiling effect as down to the base in London.
Worth noting too that a Uxbridge swing still means PM Starmer.
"Sir Iain Duncan Smith backs 'blade runner' ULEZ vandals: Tory MP says he is 'happy' for residents of his east London constituency to destroy cameras because they have been 'lied to'"
Incredible to think this man once led the Tory party, and is now inciting people to criminal acts. How low the Tory party has sunk.
Indeed.
Find the contrast in tone between coverage of the disruptive activities of Just Stop Oil and those vandalising ULEZ infrastructure ever so slightly jarring, especially from those that are normally staunch supporters of law and order.
"Sir Iain Duncan Smith backs 'blade runner' ULEZ vandals: Tory MP says he is 'happy' for residents of his east London constituency to destroy cameras because they have been 'lied to'"
I think London may well see a swing below the national average, as Uxbridge suggested.
In 2019 of course London had the lowest Labour to Conservative swing of any region in the UK as it had little enthusiasm for Boris as PM or Brexit, I suspect it is more pro Rishi relatively than the rest of the UK and ULEZ will be an issue the Tories can use too
A smaller London swing than the national average is pretty much guaranteed. Different starting points and Labour sharing the incumbancy burden by having the Mayor.
IDS must be sniffing that he might just... whisper it quietly... hold Chingford.
"Sir Iain Duncan Smith backs 'blade runner' ULEZ vandals: Tory MP says he is 'happy' for residents of his east London constituency to destroy cameras because they have been 'lied to'"
Apparently this is a thing. There is a whole sect of them lying to the camera all the time to deceive us. Call themselves actors apparently. 25 years ago they told me Cindy Beale was dead, now it appears she is back, although sometimes these things are just a dream, and they are really dead....
Anyway, I shall follow the advice of IDS, off to Walford for a bit of petty vandalism, just need to find it on the map first.
"Sir Iain Duncan Smith backs 'blade runner' ULEZ vandals: Tory MP says he is 'happy' for residents of his east London constituency to destroy cameras because they have been 'lied to'"
"Sir Iain Duncan Smith backs 'blade runner' ULEZ vandals: Tory MP says he is 'happy' for residents of his east London constituency to destroy cameras because they have been 'lied to'"
I think London may well see a swing below the national average, as Uxbridge suggested.
In 2019 of course London had the lowest Labour to Conservative swing of any region in the UK as it had little enthusiasm for Boris as PM or Brexit, I suspect it is more pro Rishi relatively than the rest of the UK and ULEZ will be an issue the Tories can use too
I suspect so too. I also wonder if Labour has almost fully tapped potential support in the Capital? You simply can't see the drift to Labour (relative to the rest of the country) that began in the Eighties continuing indefinitely.
"Sir Iain Duncan Smith backs 'blade runner' ULEZ vandals: Tory MP says he is 'happy' for residents of his east London constituency to destroy cameras because they have been 'lied to'"
Incredible to think this man once led the Tory party, and is now inciting people to criminal acts. How low the Tory party has sunk.
Indeed.
Find the contrast in tone between coverage of the disruptive activities of Just Stop Oil and those vandalising ULEZ infrastructure ever so slightly jarring, especially from those that are normally staunch supporters of law and order.
There is a very simple way to resist ULEZ. Just pretend it doesn't exist and refuse to pay the fines. By April there was already almost £400m of unpaid fines. Add in the new zone and the number of people staunchly opposed if they don't pay en masse, the scheme becomes almost de facto voluntary.
"Sir Iain Duncan Smith backs 'blade runner' ULEZ vandals: Tory MP says he is 'happy' for residents of his east London constituency to destroy cameras because they have been 'lied to'"
"Sir Iain Duncan Smith backs 'blade runner' ULEZ vandals: Tory MP says he is 'happy' for residents of his east London constituency to destroy cameras because they have been 'lied to'"
"Sir Iain Duncan Smith backs 'blade runner' ULEZ vandals: Tory MP says he is 'happy' for residents of his east London constituency to destroy cameras because they have been 'lied to'"
Apparently this is a thing. There is a whole sect of them lying to the camera all the time to deceive us. Call themselves actors apparently. 25 years ago they told me Cindy Beale was dead, now it appears she is back, although sometimes these things are just a dream, and they are really dead....
Anyway, I shall follow the advice of IDS, off to Walford for a bit of petty vandalism, just need to find it on the map first.
Easy enough to find, and if you happen to go past it there are huge warning signs saying 'THE NORTH'.
Everybody (below flag rank) said moving the SSNs to Faslane from Devonport would be a retention and hence availability disaster. And, lo, it came to pass.
The problem is being exacerbated by the the fact that the Australians are now offering laterals with much improved terms of service for any Sundodger with a pulse.
"Sir Iain Duncan Smith backs 'blade runner' ULEZ vandals: Tory MP says he is 'happy' for residents of his east London constituency to destroy cameras because they have been 'lied to'"
"Sir Iain Duncan Smith backs 'blade runner' ULEZ vandals: Tory MP says he is 'happy' for residents of his east London constituency to destroy cameras because they have been 'lied to'"
Incredible to think this man once led the Tory party, and is now inciting people to criminal acts. How low the Tory party has sunk.
Indeed.
Find the contrast in tone between coverage of the disruptive activities of Just Stop Oil and those vandalising ULEZ infrastructure ever so slightly jarring, especially from those that are normally staunch supporters of law and order.
The key question is is the nation sick and tired of the Conservatives. As they were in 1997.
Given the many versions of the Conservatives over the past decade I'm tempted to say not in the same way.
That said, largely, and for a number of reasons some exogenous and others endogenous, things are pretty shit right now so I expect the current government to get booted out at the next election but not with the same kind of Blair fervour.
My sense is that people think the country is going the wrong way. The Daily Mail article linked above is an example. They don't have a good idea how to fix it.
1979 is better comparator than 1997. Not least because Keir Starmer, strangely has a lot in common with early Thatcher. It's not necessarily a happy comparison for Starmer as Thatcher struggled in the early years and was only rescued politically by an Argentinian general invading the Falkland Islands.
The big difference I think being Starmer won’t be administering tough medicine and austerity as early Thatcher did. The 2010-2015 experiment is too recent.
If people think things have gone the wrong way, they won't reward you if you aren't seen to change anything. That's a big risk for Starmer. At least Thatcher changed things, even if many people didn't think it was for the better.
Everybody (below flag rank) said moving the SSNs to Faslane from Devonport would be a retention and hence availability disaster. And, lo, it came to pass.
The problem is being exacerbated by the the fact that the Australians are now offering laterals with much improved terms of service for any Sundodger with a pulse.
Noted a US submarine prowling round Skye a few weeks ago. I'd have thought Faslane > Devonport as a place to live, but I appreciate not everyone is infatuated with the west coast of Scotland.
The key question is is the nation sick and tired of the Conservatives. As they were in 1997.
Given the many versions of the Conservatives over the past decade I'm tempted to say not in the same way.
That said, largely, and for a number of reasons some exogenous and others endogenous, things are pretty shit right now so I expect the current government to get booted out at the next election but not with the same kind of Blair fervour.
My sense is that people think the country is going the wrong way. The Daily Mail article linked above is an example. They don't have a good idea how to fix it.
1979 is better comparator than 1997. Not least because Keir Starmer, strangely has a lot in common with early Thatcher. It's not necessarily a happy comparison for Starmer as Thatcher struggled in the early years and was only rescued politically by an Argentinian general invading the Falkland Islands.
The big difference I think being Starmer won’t be administering tough medicine and austerity as early Thatcher did. The 2010-2015 experiment is too recent.
If people think things have gone the wrong way, they won't reward you if you aren't seen to change anything. That's a big risk for Starmer. At least Thatcher changed things, even if many people didn't think it was for the better.
And inflation is likely to remain relatively high when, as is likely, he becomes PM
"Sir Iain Duncan Smith backs 'blade runner' ULEZ vandals: Tory MP says he is 'happy' for residents of his east London constituency to destroy cameras because they have been 'lied to'"
I think London may well see a swing below the national average, as Uxbridge suggested.
In 2019 of course London had the lowest Labour to Conservative swing of any region in the UK as it had little enthusiasm for Boris as PM or Brexit, I suspect it is more pro Rishi relatively than the rest of the UK and ULEZ will be an issue the Tories can use too
I suspect so too. I also wonder if Labour has almost fully tapped potential support in the Capital? You simply can't see the drift to Labour (relative to the rest of the country) that began in the Eighties continuing indefinitely.
Yes, London in 2019 saw the highest Labour voteshare of any region in the UK.
Whereas in the 1980s London was the key swing region along with the Midlands
@HYUFD Thanks for that link last night. It is a clever reconciliation of Genesis and Evolution at least as far as Adam and Eve goes. My apologies for not remembering. You had provided this previously when we discussed it. It also explains another criticism of Genesis which is when other humans suddenly appear in the bible. It is quite imaginative.
My question however was slightly different, which was the use of 'In the beginning'. Is this just put down to interpretation or translation because it is inconsistent.
Ask Rowan Williams, he is a much better theologian than me and trained as such
I was only joking. My question was just for interest and I was dancing on a pin head because it could easily be put down to interpretation/translation anyway.
The reconciliation of Adam and Eve with Evolution is quite clever. It is a question posed many times and which I have never seen even a slightly credible explanation of before, except for yours.
"Sir Iain Duncan Smith backs 'blade runner' ULEZ vandals: Tory MP says he is 'happy' for residents of his east London constituency to destroy cameras because they have been 'lied to'"
Incredible to think this man once led the Tory party, and is now inciting people to criminal acts. How low the Tory party has sunk.
Indeed.
Find the contrast in tone between coverage of the disruptive activities of Just Stop Oil and those vandalising ULEZ infrastructure ever so slightly jarring, especially from those that are normally staunch supporters of law and order.
There is a very simple way to resist ULEZ. Just pretend it doesn't exist and refuse to pay the fines. By April there was already almost £400m of unpaid fines. Add in the new zone and the number of people staunchly opposed if they don't pay en masse, the scheme becomes almost de facto voluntary.
There is an extensive trade in stolen number plates, relating to both ULEZ and congestion charging.
For a while, there was a mobile unit thing, where the police would stop cars based on plates not matching the vehicle or reported stolen, or the car being a polluting, non-roadworthy banger.
This was stopped, IIRC, because of complaints of targeting certain groups. The mini cab drivers were especially vociferous.
"Sir Iain Duncan Smith backs 'blade runner' ULEZ vandals: Tory MP says he is 'happy' for residents of his east London constituency to destroy cameras because they have been 'lied to'"
Incredible to think this man once led the Tory party, and is now inciting people to criminal acts. How low the Tory party has sunk.
Indeed.
Find the contrast in tone between coverage of the disruptive activities of Just Stop Oil and those vandalising ULEZ infrastructure ever so slightly jarring, especially from those that are normally staunch supporters of law and order.
There is a very simple way to resist ULEZ. Just pretend it doesn't exist and refuse to pay the fines. By April there was already almost £400m of unpaid fines. Add in the new zone and the number of people staunchly opposed if they don't pay en masse, the scheme becomes almost de facto voluntary.
There is an extensive trade in stolen number plates, relating to both ULEZ and congestion charging.
For a while, there was a mobile unit thing, where the police would stop cars based on plates not matching the vehicle or reported stolen, or the car being a polluting, non-roadworthy banger.
This was stopped, IIRC, because of complaints of targeting certain groups. The mini cab drivers were especially vociferous.
And people wonder why car insurance premiums are so high.
I think the Tory odds there are still a bit too long. They will hold the seat unless someone convinces floating voters that they are the challenger. (I've no further personal insight so DYOR.)
I quite liked Rishi. He was so much of an improvement after Johnson. But is he?
On Ulez today he confirmed Harper's lie and embellished it by suggesting Starmer promoted Ulez expansion, whilst the Conservatives never supported it.
On lifting surface water restrictions Gove told some absolute whoppas today, and Rishi unflinchingly repeated them.
More interestingly the Conservatives had their LBC phone-in shills linking Starmer to Savile.
Sunak plays dirty doesn't he? He's as bad as Johnson.
The Star, in another crisp as lettuce moment, call Sunak Biggles, and have a cartoon of him in his helicopter.
Biggles is a clever line. If Sunak were up against Trump that’s what he’d be calling him.
Not so sure. Has anyone under 50 heard of Biggles?
I have! I only read one or two but remember them as pretty darn exciting. My older sister was obsessed and has read most of them.
My brother has over 100, though some are duplicates.
They are an interesting insight into British mentality up to the 1960s and were widely popular.
Biggles was a hero full of derring do, not really a Sunak figure. Very much a fixed wing aircraft man as I remember too.
Biggles, along with Dan Dare and Dick Barton, stirred my understanding of class differences.
I was more a fan of the Jennings books, and didn't pick up the class issues. Somewhat ironic given my dislike of elitist education.
Did it not occur to you that Charles Edwin Jeremy Darbishire might just be a posh private school boy?
State educated north London middle class, I was brought up on Jennings too, in the 1960s. In those far off days the world was seen differently. We all loved the books, and the fact that there were differences was just the way it was to an extent that would be incomprehensible now. This was not all good, but not all bad either. None of us aspired to go to boarding school, but the 'boys only, no parents, collectively feral but never evil' world was essential to its literary form.
Harry Potter uses all the same devices.
BTW, Buckeridge's short state school series, Rex Milligan, was also good stuff.
"Sir Iain Duncan Smith backs 'blade runner' ULEZ vandals: Tory MP says he is 'happy' for residents of his east London constituency to destroy cameras because they have been 'lied to'"
“I am a camera with its shutter open, quite passive, recording, not thinking. Recording the man shaving at the window opposite and the woman in the kimono washing her hair. Some day, all this will have to be developed, carefully printed, fixed.” ― Christopher Isherwood, Goodbye to Berlin
"Sir Iain Duncan Smith backs 'blade runner' ULEZ vandals: Tory MP says he is 'happy' for residents of his east London constituency to destroy cameras because they have been 'lied to'"
Incredible to think this man once led the Tory party, and is now inciting people to criminal acts. How low the Tory party has sunk.
Indeed.
Find the contrast in tone between coverage of the disruptive activities of Just Stop Oil and those vandalising ULEZ infrastructure ever so slightly jarring, especially from those that are normally staunch supporters of law and order.
There is a very simple way to resist ULEZ. Just pretend it doesn't exist and refuse to pay the fines. By April there was already almost £400m of unpaid fines. Add in the new zone and the number of people staunchly opposed if they don't pay en masse, the scheme becomes almost de facto voluntary.
There is an extensive trade in stolen number plates, relating to both ULEZ and congestion charging.
For a while, there was a mobile unit thing, where the police would stop cars based on plates not matching the vehicle or reported stolen, or the car being a polluting, non-roadworthy banger.
This was stopped, IIRC, because of complaints of targeting certain groups. The mini cab drivers were especially vociferous.
And people wonder why car insurance premiums are so high.
For a very long period of time - going back long before the 1990s, the country has worked on two levels.
One is the legal world. You are supposed to be legit. The other is blatant criminality.
So, for example, you have building sites for domestic work. The inspectors visit the legal ones. And solemnly count the number of green first aid boxes.
Across the road, on a site without proper planning permission, on manifestly unsafe scaffolding, workers scurry around without safety gear. All cash in hand. The inspectors don't go there. Otherwise they would have an accident. Bit like the workers, really.
EDIT: on car premiums. Yes, checking insurance was part of the Police stops. Guess what they found, typically?
I have never seen the issue of women, rape victims, rape and rapists covered in quite this way. Clearing a shift has been occurring, but this style of action and reportage, which is carefully curated, deserves a new name all to itself. On the whole I think it may do good.
I think the Tory odds there are still a bit too long. They will hold the seat unless someone convinces floating voters that they are the challenger. (I've no further personal insight so DYOR.)
I agree it is currently impossible to call across the 3 parties.
In terms of the anecdotes, sadly we are all going to be able to produce stuff churned out by each party to prove they are in the lead (or knocking on the door). The one from the LDs last night was they had knocked on 42,000 doors which presumably is the whole constituency.
The initial posterboard count will be the first indication, in my opinion, as that will sway the floating voter as to whom is best to eject the Tory. After that it is the leaflet count. Heaven help our trees.
I think the Tory odds there are still a bit too long. They will hold the seat unless someone convinces floating voters that they are the challenger. (I've no further personal insight so DYOR.)
I agree it is currently impossible to call across the 3 parties.
In terms of the anecdotes, sadly we are all going to be able to produce stuff churned out by each party to prove they are in the lead (or knocking on the door). The one from the LDs last night was they had knocked on 42,000 doors which presumably is the whole constituency.
The initial posterboard count will be the first indication, in my opinion, as that will sway the floating voter as to whom is best to eject the Tory. After that it is the leaflet count. Heaven help our trees.
The poster (someone remind me who?) that suggested that the Independent candidate was on good odds, was onto something, I think.
"Sir Iain Duncan Smith backs 'blade runner' ULEZ vandals: Tory MP says he is 'happy' for residents of his east London constituency to destroy cameras because they have been 'lied to'"
Incredible to think this man once led the Tory party, and is now inciting people to criminal acts. How low the Tory party has sunk.
Indeed.
Find the contrast in tone between coverage of the disruptive activities of Just Stop Oil and those vandalising ULEZ infrastructure ever so slightly jarring, especially from those that are normally staunch supporters of law and order.
There is a very simple way to resist ULEZ. Just pretend it doesn't exist and refuse to pay the fines. By April there was already almost £400m of unpaid fines. Add in the new zone and the number of people staunchly opposed if they don't pay en masse, the scheme becomes almost de facto voluntary.
There is an extensive trade in stolen number plates, relating to both ULEZ and congestion charging.
For a while, there was a mobile unit thing, where the police would stop cars based on plates not matching the vehicle or reported stolen, or the car being a polluting, non-roadworthy banger.
This was stopped, IIRC, because of complaints of targeting certain groups. The mini cab drivers were especially vociferous.
And people wonder why car insurance premiums are so high.
For a very long period of time - going back long before the 1990s, the country has worked on two levels.
One is the legal world. You are supposed to be legit. The other is blatant criminality.
So, for example, you have building sites for domestic work. The inspectors visit the legal ones. And solemnly count the number of green first aid boxes.
Across the road, on a site without proper planning permission, on manifestly unsafe scaffolding, workers scurry around without safety gear. All cash in hand. The inspectors don't go there. Otherwise they would have an accident. Bit like the workers, really.
EDIT: on car premiums. Yes, checking insurance was part of the Police stops. Guess what they found, typically?
The thing that freaks me out is the number who are on drugs.
I have never seen the issue of women, rape victims, rape and rapists covered in quite this way. Clearing a shift has been occurring, but this style of action and reportage, which is carefully curated, deserves a new name all to itself. On the whole I think it may do good.
Something different is needed. As most PB'ers are probably aware I am not really a sports fan, but even I am aware of the Spanish football issue that is going on. As another piece on the BBC website puts it...
... "The irony is that women are so often told an allegation is meaningless without evidence," says Ms Bates.
"But what we can see from this case is that even when the evidence is iron-clad the woman is disbelieved anyway, so we really can't win.
"This happened on an international stage, witnessed by millions... and yet both Rubiales and the entire football institution told her she was wrong."
She says the message that sent to Hermoso, and the wider world, was "horrifying".
"It doesn't matter who you are or what you achieve, even at the very pinnacle of your career, even with all the evidence and witnesses: we will still crush you if you dare to stand up against a powerful man."...
"Sir Iain Duncan Smith backs 'blade runner' ULEZ vandals: Tory MP says he is 'happy' for residents of his east London constituency to destroy cameras because they have been 'lied to'"
Incredible to think this man once led the Tory party, and is now inciting people to criminal acts. How low the Tory party has sunk.
Indeed.
Find the contrast in tone between coverage of the disruptive activities of Just Stop Oil and those vandalising ULEZ infrastructure ever so slightly jarring, especially from those that are normally staunch supporters of law and order.
There is a very simple way to resist ULEZ. Just pretend it doesn't exist and refuse to pay the fines. By April there was already almost £400m of unpaid fines. Add in the new zone and the number of people staunchly opposed if they don't pay en masse, the scheme becomes almost de facto voluntary.
There is an extensive trade in stolen number plates, relating to both ULEZ and congestion charging.
For a while, there was a mobile unit thing, where the police would stop cars based on plates not matching the vehicle or reported stolen, or the car being a polluting, non-roadworthy banger.
This was stopped, IIRC, because of complaints of targeting certain groups. The mini cab drivers were especially vociferous.
When I need to do a bit of road test and tune with an otherwise illegal vehicle, I just go on Autotrader and find the same model/year/colour at a dealer and copy those plates.
All pearl clutchers can fuck themselves before they start.
"Sir Iain Duncan Smith backs 'blade runner' ULEZ vandals: Tory MP says he is 'happy' for residents of his east London constituency to destroy cameras because they have been 'lied to'"
Incredible to think this man once led the Tory party, and is now inciting people to criminal acts. How low the Tory party has sunk.
Indeed.
Find the contrast in tone between coverage of the disruptive activities of Just Stop Oil and those vandalising ULEZ infrastructure ever so slightly jarring, especially from those that are normally staunch supporters of law and order.
There is a very simple way to resist ULEZ. Just pretend it doesn't exist and refuse to pay the fines. By April there was already almost £400m of unpaid fines. Add in the new zone and the number of people staunchly opposed if they don't pay en masse, the scheme becomes almost de facto voluntary.
There is an extensive trade in stolen number plates, relating to both ULEZ and congestion charging.
For a while, there was a mobile unit thing, where the police would stop cars based on plates not matching the vehicle or reported stolen, or the car being a polluting, non-roadworthy banger.
This was stopped, IIRC, because of complaints of targeting certain groups. The mini cab drivers were especially vociferous.
And people wonder why car insurance premiums are so high.
For a very long period of time - going back long before the 1990s, the country has worked on two levels.
One is the legal world. You are supposed to be legit. The other is blatant criminality.
So, for example, you have building sites for domestic work. The inspectors visit the legal ones. And solemnly count the number of green first aid boxes.
Across the road, on a site without proper planning permission, on manifestly unsafe scaffolding, workers scurry around without safety gear. All cash in hand. The inspectors don't go there. Otherwise they would have an accident. Bit like the workers, really.
EDIT: on car premiums. Yes, checking insurance was part of the Police stops. Guess what they found, typically?
The thing that freaks me out is the number who are on drugs.
Strangely, the number of drivers they stopped, driving an unsafe vehicle with bogus plates, that also had no insurance *and* were driving while on drugs/drink. And often having no license at all.
"Sir Iain Duncan Smith backs 'blade runner' ULEZ vandals: Tory MP says he is 'happy' for residents of his east London constituency to destroy cameras because they have been 'lied to'"
Incredible to think this man once led the Tory party, and is now inciting people to criminal acts. How low the Tory party has sunk.
Indeed.
Find the contrast in tone between coverage of the disruptive activities of Just Stop Oil and those vandalising ULEZ infrastructure ever so slightly jarring, especially from those that are normally staunch supporters of law and order.
There is a very simple way to resist ULEZ. Just pretend it doesn't exist and refuse to pay the fines. By April there was already almost £400m of unpaid fines. Add in the new zone and the number of people staunchly opposed if they don't pay en masse, the scheme becomes almost de facto voluntary.
There is an extensive trade in stolen number plates, relating to both ULEZ and congestion charging.
For a while, there was a mobile unit thing, where the police would stop cars based on plates not matching the vehicle or reported stolen, or the car being a polluting, non-roadworthy banger.
This was stopped, IIRC, because of complaints of targeting certain groups. The mini cab drivers were especially vociferous.
When I need to do a bit of road test and tune with an otherwise illegal vehicle, I just go on Autotrader and find the same model/year/colour at a dealer and copy those plates.
All pearl clutchers can fuck themselves before they start.
I'm trying to remember which country it was that tried the following about egregious stuff like false plates.
1) Confiscate the vehicle. 2) Proceed to address of the offender. Confiscate all motor vehicles registered to that address, or present at the address.
"Sir Iain Duncan Smith backs 'blade runner' ULEZ vandals: Tory MP says he is 'happy' for residents of his east London constituency to destroy cameras because they have been 'lied to'"
I think London may well see a swing below the national average, as Uxbridge suggested.
In 2019 of course London had the lowest Labour to Conservative swing of any region in the UK as it had little enthusiasm for Boris as PM or Brexit, I suspect it is more pro Rishi relatively than the rest of the UK and ULEZ will be an issue the Tories can use too
I think a smaller swing than nationally, but mostly a ceiling effect as down to the base in London.
Worth noting too that a Uxbridge swing still means PM Starmer.
Yes but without a majority
As long as that fetid party you support is ejected from power, it is still a win for the country.
"Sir Iain Duncan Smith backs 'blade runner' ULEZ vandals: Tory MP says he is 'happy' for residents of his east London constituency to destroy cameras because they have been 'lied to'"
Incredible to think this man once led the Tory party, and is now inciting people to criminal acts. How low the Tory party has sunk.
Indeed.
Find the contrast in tone between coverage of the disruptive activities of Just Stop Oil and those vandalising ULEZ infrastructure ever so slightly jarring, especially from those that are normally staunch supporters of law and order.
There is a very simple way to resist ULEZ. Just pretend it doesn't exist and refuse to pay the fines. By April there was already almost £400m of unpaid fines. Add in the new zone and the number of people staunchly opposed if they don't pay en masse, the scheme becomes almost de facto voluntary.
There is an extensive trade in stolen number plates, relating to both ULEZ and congestion charging.
For a while, there was a mobile unit thing, where the police would stop cars based on plates not matching the vehicle or reported stolen, or the car being a polluting, non-roadworthy banger.
This was stopped, IIRC, because of complaints of targeting certain groups. The mini cab drivers were especially vociferous.
When I need to do a bit of road test and tune with an otherwise illegal vehicle, I just go on Autotrader and find the same model/year/colour at a dealer and copy those plates.
All pearl clutchers can fuck themselves before they start.
I'm trying to remember which country it was that tried the following about egregious stuff like false plates.
1) Confiscate the vehicle. 2) Proceed to address of the offender. Confiscate all motor vehicles registered to that address, or present at the address.
No idea. Was the aim to corrupt the police because it seems a good way to elicit bribes?
"Sir Iain Duncan Smith backs 'blade runner' ULEZ vandals: Tory MP says he is 'happy' for residents of his east London constituency to destroy cameras because they have been 'lied to'"
Everybody (below flag rank) said moving the SSNs to Faslane from Devonport would be a retention and hence availability disaster. And, lo, it came to pass.
The problem is being exacerbated by the the fact that the Australians are now offering laterals with much improved terms of service for any Sundodger with a pulse.
Noted a US submarine prowling round Skye a few weeks ago. I'd have thought Faslane > Devonport as a place to live, but I appreciate not everyone is infatuated with the west coast of Scotland.
It's not entirely to do with the relative merits of the two locations. They people they really needed to move were mid-career senior technical types with families and partners with their own careers, etc.
Everybody (below flag rank) said moving the SSNs to Faslane from Devonport would be a retention and hence availability disaster. And, lo, it came to pass.
The problem is being exacerbated by the the fact that the Australians are now offering laterals with much improved terms of service for any Sundodger with a pulse.
Noted a US submarine prowling round Skye a few weeks ago. I'd have thought Faslane > Devonport as a place to live, but I appreciate not everyone is infatuated with the west coast of Scotland.
Also long-established family and support networks, esp. if recruited from a Navy or service family in the Westcountry. And Guz being easier to get to from much of the UK (in population terms).
"Sir Iain Duncan Smith backs 'blade runner' ULEZ vandals: Tory MP says he is 'happy' for residents of his east London constituency to destroy cameras because they have been 'lied to'"
Incredible to think this man once led the Tory party, and is now inciting people to criminal acts. How low the Tory party has sunk.
Indeed.
Find the contrast in tone between coverage of the disruptive activities of Just Stop Oil and those vandalising ULEZ infrastructure ever so slightly jarring, especially from those that are normally staunch supporters of law and order.
There is a very simple way to resist ULEZ. Just pretend it doesn't exist and refuse to pay the fines. By April there was already almost £400m of unpaid fines. Add in the new zone and the number of people staunchly opposed if they don't pay en masse, the scheme becomes almost de facto voluntary.
There is an extensive trade in stolen number plates, relating to both ULEZ and congestion charging.
For a while, there was a mobile unit thing, where the police would stop cars based on plates not matching the vehicle or reported stolen, or the car being a polluting, non-roadworthy banger.
This was stopped, IIRC, because of complaints of targeting certain groups. The mini cab drivers were especially vociferous.
When I need to do a bit of road test and tune with an otherwise illegal vehicle, I just go on Autotrader and find the same model/year/colour at a dealer and copy those plates.
All pearl clutchers can fuck themselves before they start.
I'm trying to remember which country it was that tried the following about egregious stuff like false plates.
1) Confiscate the vehicle. 2) Proceed to address of the offender. Confiscate all motor vehicles registered to that address, or present at the address.
No idea. Was the aim to corrupt the police because it seems a good way to elicit bribes?
Since it was probably America - probably, yes.
Asset confiscation has become criminal there - as was foretold, by among others, myself.
Police officers have been discovered to target property for seizure to match what they personally want. So they are literally stealing property to order.
I think the Tory odds there are still a bit too long. They will hold the seat unless someone convinces floating voters that they are the challenger. (I've no further personal insight so DYOR.)
As I said last night, it looks like Labour are going for it, for reasons that are very LD in nature.
Electoral Calculus gives Labour a 48% chance of winning the new seat at a GE, barely changed from present. But that is based on current polling, and I don't think our central expectation here is for Labour to lead by 17% nationally on GE day, nor for tactical LD voting not to come more to the fore in this kind of seat as GE day approaches.
In other words, Bedfordshire Mid is not really a Labour target seat at GE24, just as Shropshire North and Tiverton are not really LD targets at GE24. There would be a defence put up for sure, but they'd never be central to the respective parties' definition of success.
So, a Labour victory, or even a narrow Uxbridge margin defeat, would be all about sending a message to lots of other Southern seats in particular, along the lines of "Labour Winning Here".
It is about convincing more of those voters in Southern seats with Con 45-55, Lab 20-25, LD 15-20 that Labour is the way to swing. And indeed to drive votes more heavily to the red side where southern Labour are already the more obvious challenger.
The rewards are potentially great. Baxter, again perhaps overplaying it, has Labour gaining 62 seats in Southern England outside London. Even if you land half of them, it gives Labour more routes to victory if some regions - London, the Midlands, Scotland are a bit weaker than hoped for.
Kellogg's are known for having the largest illuminated letter in Europe, a red 'K', in Manchester (is it still there). Keir wants a larger red 'K' beaming out Bedfordshire Mid across the whole of southern England.
Is Iain Duncan Smith now advocating vigilante vandalism of the public realm? Can the Tory Party stoop any lower?
Not even vigilante, because no natural law has been broken.
"Wreck the physical apparatus of the state because politician X lied to you" is a remarkable doctrine. I'm not even going to suggest what it might be applied to on an open source discussion.
I received this bunch of flowers from one of my children today - completely out of the blue (no birthday or anything else) - with a card simply saying:
"All this, and more, simply because you're my mother xx"
Sounds like the coup in Gabon is not wholly unpopular.
Shortly after army officers appeared on national television to say they had taken power, large crowds of people went on to the Boulevard Triomphal Omar Bongo, the main street of Gabon's capital, Libreville - according to a local journalist who spoke to BBC Afrique.
Ali Bongo under house arrest, son of Omar Bongo a man with 70 bank accounts, 39 flats and a swathe of luxury cars.
I think the Tory odds there are still a bit too long. They will hold the seat unless someone convinces floating voters that they are the challenger. (I've no further personal insight so DYOR.)
As I said last night, it looks like Labour are going for it, for reasons that are very LD in nature.
Electoral Calculus gives Labour a 48% chance of winning the new seat at a GE, barely changed from present. But that is based on current polling, and I don't think our central expectation here is for Labour to lead by 17% nationally on GE day, nor for tactical LD voting not to come more to the fore in this kind of seat as GE day approaches.
In other words, Bedfordshire Mid is not really a Labour target seat at GE24, just as Shropshire North and Tiverton are not really LD targets at GE24. There would be a defence put up for sure, but they'd never be central to the respective parties' definition of success.
So, a Labour victory, or even a narrow Uxbridge margin defeat, would be all about sending a message to lots of other Southern seats in particular, along the lines of "Labour Winning Here".
It is about convincing more of those voters in Southern seats with Con 45-55, Lab 20-25, LD 15-20 that Labour is the way to swing. And indeed to drive votes more heavily to the red side where southern Labour are already the more obvious challenger.
The rewards are potentially great. Baxter, again perhaps overplaying it, has Labour gaining 62 seats in Southern England outside London. Even if you land half of them, it gives Labour more routes to victory if some regions - London, the Midlands, Scotland are a bit weaker than hoped for.
Kellogg's are known for having the largest illuminated letter in Europe, a red 'K', in Manchester (is it still there). Keir wants a larger red 'K' beaming out Bedfordshire Mid across the whole of southern England.
I think Labour are right to push this one hard, a Lib Dem win is probably more damaging for their prospects in south-east England than a Tory hold.
Everybody (below flag rank) said moving the SSNs to Faslane from Devonport would be a retention and hence availability disaster. And, lo, it came to pass.
The problem is being exacerbated by the the fact that the Australians are now offering laterals with much improved terms of service for any Sundodger with a pulse.
Noted a US submarine prowling round Skye a few weeks ago. I'd have thought Faslane > Devonport as a place to live, but I appreciate not everyone is infatuated with the west coast of Scotland.
It's not entirely to do with the relative merits of the two locations. They people they really needed to move were mid-career senior technical types with families and partners with their own careers, etc.
The gap between Kinloss closing and Poseidon starting up at Lossie caused a lot of bother for the RAF for the same reason.
Everybody (below flag rank) said moving the SSNs to Faslane from Devonport would be a retention and hence availability disaster. And, lo, it came to pass.
The problem is being exacerbated by the the fact that the Australians are now offering laterals with much improved terms of service for any Sundodger with a pulse.
Noted a US submarine prowling round Skye a few weeks ago. I'd have thought Faslane > Devonport as a place to live, but I appreciate not everyone is infatuated with the west coast of Scotland.
It's not entirely to do with the relative merits of the two locations. They people they really needed to move were mid-career senior technical types with families and partners with their own careers, etc.
The gap between Kinloss closing and Poseidon starting up at Lossie caused a lot of bother for the RAF for the same reason.
Not to mention the UK's defence capabilities. It's not as if they didn't know decades before that they needed to replace Nimrod MR.1 with something sensible.
Is Iain Duncan Smith now advocating vigilante vandalism of the public realm? Can the Tory Party stoop any lower?
Not even vigilante, because no natural law has been broken.
"Wreck the physical apparatus of the state because politician X lied to you" is a remarkable doctrine. I'm not even going to suggest what it might be applied to on an open source discussion.
Vigilantism is taking the law into your own hands, right? This is just criminality with a political edge.
No it is not excellent, though 46% on the latest census in England and Wales are still Christian. Even if no longer a majority that is still a plurality and still higher than the 31% globally who are Christian.
Just the rest of the world overall has more Muslims than England and Wales, 25% to 6.5% but fewer non religious than England and Wales, 16% to 37% with no religion in England and Wales
I expect that HY will come along shortly to actually insist that actually the Tories are spending more actually than ever on Defence and that actually we can't trust Labour because if they get in we'd be in a ludicrous position where all our fast attack subs are tied up unable to defend us.
No it is not excellent, though 46% on the latest census in England and Wales are still Christian. Even if no longer a majority that is still a plurality and still higher than the 31% globally who are Christian.
Just the rest of the world overall has more Muslims than England and Wales, 25% to 6.5% but fewer non religious than England and Wales, 16% to 37% with no religion in England and Wales
Surprised you haven’t (as is your wont) recruited the don’t knows to your cause.
No it is not excellent, though 46% on the latest census in England and Wales are still Christian. Even if no longer a majority that is still a plurality and still higher than the 31% globally who are Christian.
Just the rest of the world overall has more Muslims than England and Wales, 25% to 6.5% but fewer non religious than England and Wales, 16% to 37% with no religion in England and Wales
You mean, the average person who only comes to a C of E church to be married and then to be buried, is Christian? Just the same as your actual Free Church or Plymouth Brethren? A remarkably catholic doctrine on your part (pun intended).
No it is not excellent, though 46% on the latest census in England and Wales are still Christian. Even if no longer a majority that is still a plurality and still higher than the 31% globally who are Christian.
Just the rest of the world overall has more Muslims than England and Wales, 25% to 6.5% but fewer non religious than England and Wales, 16% to 37% with no religion in England and Wales
Surprised you haven’t (as is your wont) recruited the don’t knows to your cause.
Sounds like the coup in Gabon is not wholly unpopular.
Shortly after army officers appeared on national television to say they had taken power, large crowds of people went on to the Boulevard Triomphal Omar Bongo, the main street of Gabon's capital, Libreville - according to a local journalist who spoke to BBC Afrique.
Ali Bongo under house arrest, son of Omar Bongo a man with 70 bank accounts, 39 flats and a swathe of luxury cars.
Wasn't Ali Bongo a kids TV magician? He certainly magicked up some wealth.
I received this bunch of flowers from one of my children today - completely out of the blue (no birthday or anything else) - with a card simply saying:
"All this, and more, simply because you're my mother xx"
I am feeling really quite tearful.
That's lovely.
Good morning, everyone. (Still lurking occasionally. )
No it is not excellent, though 46% on the latest census in England and Wales are still Christian. Even if no longer a majority that is still a plurality and still higher than the 31% globally who are Christian.
Just the rest of the world overall has more Muslims than England and Wales, 25% to 6.5% but fewer non religious than England and Wales, 16% to 37% with no religion in England and Wales
You mean, the average person who only comes to a C of E church to be married and then to be buried, is Christian? Just the same as your actual Free Church or Plymouth Brethren? A remarkably catholic doctrine on your part (pun intended).
It is entirely impossible to enumerate the religious state of the UK or anywhere without first detailing your boundaries as to what counts in which category. Crude quantitative figures are more or less useless you are reasonably clear what they are quantifying.
It's perfectly sensible to count as Christian only those who at least go regularly to church and belong to one in terms of membership and who believe stuff. This number is of course small - a few million at most.
It is equally sensible to count those who self identify as Christian, or those who use any church's ministry in some way (hatch, match dispatch, Christmas etc). This figure is of course greater.
It doesn't matter what you do, as long as you clearly label it.
FWIW data in recent years suggests a very substantial collapse among younger punters, both generally and the the established churches in particular.
I think the days are numbered for the CoE (and perhaps CoS) to really have national coverage at a realistic level. They will carry on for some time as congregations in areas of strength.
No it is not excellent, though 46% on the latest census in England and Wales are still Christian. Even if no longer a majority that is still a plurality and still higher than the 31% globally who are Christian.
Just the rest of the world overall has more Muslims than England and Wales, 25% to 6.5% but fewer non religious than England and Wales, 16% to 37% with no religion in England and Wales
Surprised you haven’t (as is your wont) recruited the don’t knows to your cause.
Um, that's worrying. I'd be very surprised if it factually came from Estonia, because they're not insane. If Putin's doing a false-flag, we are in trouble.
I doubt it's a false-flag given that it seems to have destroyed a number of Russian military transport planes, but the drones from Estonia explanation may be wrong.
You may have misunderstood what I was saying. A "false-flag operation" is an operation carried out by one country posing as/blamed on another. I was implying that Russia did the explosions on its own soil and blamed it on the Estonians. Such ruses have been used, both in the real world and in fiction. The Russians did it in WW2.
I think the Tory odds there are still a bit too long. They will hold the seat unless someone convinces floating voters that they are the challenger. (I've no further personal insight so DYOR.)
Thanks for that - have you a feel for the effect the independent candidate may have?
No it is not excellent, though 46% on the latest census in England and Wales are still Christian. Even if no longer a majority that is still a plurality and still higher than the 31% globally who are Christian.
Just the rest of the world overall has more Muslims than England and Wales, 25% to 6.5% but fewer non religious than England and Wales, 16% to 37% with no religion in England and Wales
You mean, the average person who only comes to a C of E church to be married and then to be buried, is Christian? Just the same as your actual Free Church or Plymouth Brethren? A remarkably catholic doctrine on your part (pun intended).
Yes of course, if they declare themselves to be Christian on the census. Part of the role of the established church is to marry and bury everyone who lives in the Parish who wants a marriage and burial in the church, even if they rarely attend church every week
I quite liked Rishi. He was so much of an improvement after Johnson. But is he?
On Ulez today he confirmed Harper's lie and embellished it by suggesting Starmer promoted Ulez expansion, whilst the Conservatives never supported it.
On lifting surface water restrictions Gove told some absolute whoppas today, and Rishi unflinchingly repeated them.
More interestingly the Conservatives had their LBC phone-in shills linking Starmer to Savile.
Sunak plays dirty doesn't he? He's as bad as Johnson.
The Star, in another crisp as lettuce moment, call Sunak Biggles, and have a cartoon of him in his helicopter.
Biggles is a clever line. If Sunak were up against Trump that’s what he’d be calling him.
Not so sure. Has anyone under 50 heard of Biggles?
I have! I only read one or two but remember them as pretty darn exciting. My older sister was obsessed and has read most of them.
My brother has over 100, though some are duplicates.
They are an interesting insight into British mentality up to the 1960s and were widely popular.
Biggles was a hero full of derring do, not really a Sunak figure. Very much a fixed wing aircraft man as I remember too.
Biggles, along with Dan Dare and Dick Barton, stirred my understanding of class differences.
I was more a fan of the Jennings books, and didn't pick up the class issues. Somewhat ironic given my dislike of elitist education.
Did it not occur to you that Charles Edwin Jeremy Darbishire might just be a posh private school boy?
I realised they were at boarding school, but at eight years old had no notion of what this meant politically. I was very socially unaware as a primary schoolboy in North Worcestershire
One would reasonably assume that one must believe in the Christian God to be a Christian. As most British people do not, it’s fair to say we are no longer a Christian country (nor a religious one).
No it is not excellent, though 46% on the latest census in England and Wales are still Christian. Even if no longer a majority that is still a plurality and still higher than the 31% globally who are Christian.
Just the rest of the world overall has more Muslims than England and Wales, 25% to 6.5% but fewer non religious than England and Wales, 16% to 37% with no religion in England and Wales
You mean, the average person who only comes to a C of E church to be married and then to be buried, is Christian? Just the same as your actual Free Church or Plymouth Brethren? A remarkably catholic doctrine on your part (pun intended).
It is entirely impossible to enumerate the religious state of the UK or anywhere without first detailing your boundaries as to what counts in which category. Crude quantitative figures are more or less useless you are reasonably clear what they are quantifying.
It's perfectly sensible to count as Christian only those who at least go regularly to church and belong to one in terms of membership and who believe stuff. This number is of course small - a few million at most.
It is equally sensible to count those who self identify as Christian, or those who use any church's ministry in some way (hatch, match dispatch, Christmas etc). This figure is of course greater.
It doesn't matter what you do, as long as you clearly label it.
FWIW data in recent years suggests a very substantial collapse among younger punters, both generally and the the established churches in particular.
I think the days are numbered for the CoE (and perhaps CoS) to really have national coverage at a realistic level. They will carry on for some time as congregations in areas of strength.
Though Pentecostal and ELIM evangelical churches are actually growing in the UK, especially amongst the Black British population.
The C of E is also seeing growth in cathedral attendance 'According to official C of E statistics, attendance at cathedral services grew by 13 per cent in the decade from 2009 to 2019'
One would reasonably assume that one must believe in the Christian God to be a Christian. As most British people do not, it’s fair to say we are no longer a Christian country (nor a religious one).
Given 53.5% of people in England and Wales said they are Christian, Muslim or Jewish in the 2021 census then it is also fair to say we are still a religious nation that believes in the God of Abraham, even if only a plurality still believe in Christianity and the Trinity and that Jesus was Messiah
No it is not excellent, though 46% on the latest census in England and Wales are still Christian. Even if no longer a majority that is still a plurality and still higher than the 31% globally who are Christian.
Just the rest of the world overall has more Muslims than England and Wales, 25% to 6.5% but fewer non religious than England and Wales, 16% to 37% with no religion in England and Wales
You mean, the average person who only comes to a C of E church to be married and then to be buried, is Christian? Just the same as your actual Free Church or Plymouth Brethren? A remarkably catholic doctrine on your part (pun intended).
It is entirely impossible to enumerate the religious state of the UK or anywhere without first detailing your boundaries as to what counts in which category. Crude quantitative figures are more or less useless you are reasonably clear what they are quantifying.
It's perfectly sensible to count as Christian only those who at least go regularly to church and belong to one in terms of membership and who believe stuff. This number is of course small - a few million at most.
It is equally sensible to count those who self identify as Christian, or those who use any church's ministry in some way (hatch, match dispatch, Christmas etc). This figure is of course greater.
It doesn't matter what you do, as long as you clearly label it.
FWIW data in recent years suggests a very substantial collapse among younger punters, both generally and the the established churches in particular.
I think the days are numbered for the CoE (and perhaps CoS) to really have national coverage at a realistic level. They will carry on for some time as congregations in areas of strength.
Though Pentecostal and ELIM evangelical churches are actually growing in the UK, especially amongst the Black British population.
The C of E is also seeing growth in cathedral attendance 'According to official C of E statistics, attendance at cathedral services grew by 13 per cent in the decade from 2009 to 2019'
One would reasonably assume that one must believe in the Christian God to be a Christian. As most British people do not, it’s fair to say we are no longer a Christian country (nor a religious one).
Given 53.5% of people in England and Wales said they are Christian, Muslim or Jewish in the 2021 census then it is also fair to say we are still a religious nation that believes in the God of Abraham, even if only a plurality still believe in Christianity and the Trinity and that Jesus was Messiah
Comments
Aircraft parachutes really became a thing in 1918 - Herman Goring used his then.
The Collett parachute was typical of the design attempts - you can understand why that wasn't adopted after looking at the design for about 15 seconds.
Depends how much emphasis you put on St Paul
Terrible I know, I’ll get my coat etc, but with a set up like that I just couldn’t resist.
https://www.magd.cam.ac.uk/user/williams
In 2019 of course London had the lowest Labour to Conservative swing of any region in the UK as it had little enthusiasm for Boris as PM or Brexit, I suspect it is more pro Rishi relatively than the rest of the UK and ULEZ will be an issue the Tories can use too
Worth noting too that a Uxbridge swing still means PM Starmer.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-66656443
Find the contrast in tone between coverage of the disruptive activities of Just Stop Oil and those vandalising ULEZ infrastructure ever so slightly jarring, especially from those that are normally staunch supporters of law and order.
https://twitter.com/LukeTryl/status/1696797081174749263
One can only imagine the furore if a Labour MP had done this . The Tories are an absolute cesspit. They deserve to be eviscerated at the next GE .
Anyway, I shall follow the advice of IDS, off to Walford for a bit of petty vandalism, just need to find it on the map first.
War with China!
War with Sadiq Khan!
When do we want it?
Now!
https://www.navylookout.com/why-are-no-royal-navy-attack-submarines-at-sea/
I also wonder if Labour has almost fully tapped potential support in the Capital? You simply can't see the drift to Labour (relative to the rest of the country) that began in the Eighties continuing indefinitely.
The problem is being exacerbated by the the fact that the Australians are now offering laterals with much improved terms of service for any Sundodger with a pulse.
Whereas in the 1980s London was the key swing region along with the Midlands
The reconciliation of Adam and Eve with Evolution is quite clever. It is a question posed many times and which I have never seen even a slightly credible explanation of before, except for yours.
For a while, there was a mobile unit thing, where the police would stop cars based on plates not matching the vehicle or reported stolen, or the car being a polluting, non-roadworthy banger.
This was stopped, IIRC, because of complaints of targeting certain groups. The mini cab drivers were especially vociferous.
Poland fills prisons with white-collar crime suspects
Crackdown on business people denounced as ‘catastrophe’ comparable to communist-era repression
https://www.ft.com/content/445140ab-fd7d-4433-b7ad-96959e739e7f
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/aug/29/labour-look-to-seize-moment-after-nadine-dorries-finally-resigns
I see Betfair's odds are converging on the 2.5 for all three parties that I've been suggesting was a best guess from the start.
https://www.betfair.com/exchange/plus/politics/market/1.215148472
I think the Tory odds there are still a bit too long. They will hold the seat unless someone convinces floating voters that they are the challenger. (I've no further personal insight so DYOR.)
Harry Potter uses all the same devices.
BTW, Buckeridge's short state school series, Rex Milligan, was also good stuff.
― Christopher Isherwood, Goodbye to Berlin
The Buggles' song inspired by the above: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TT3-DLFfLQY
One is the legal world. You are supposed to be legit. The other is blatant criminality.
So, for example, you have building sites for domestic work. The inspectors visit the legal ones. And solemnly count the number of green first aid boxes.
Across the road, on a site without proper planning permission, on manifestly unsafe scaffolding, workers scurry around without safety gear. All cash in hand. The inspectors don't go there. Otherwise they would have an accident. Bit like the workers, really.
EDIT: on car premiums. Yes, checking insurance was part of the Police stops. Guess what they found, typically?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-66634382
In terms of the anecdotes, sadly we are all going to be able to produce stuff churned out by each party to prove they are in the lead (or knocking on the door). The one from the LDs last night was they had knocked on 42,000 doors which presumably is the whole constituency.
The initial posterboard count will be the first indication, in my opinion, as that will sway the floating voter as to whom is best to eject the Tory. After that it is the leaflet count. Heaven help our trees.
... "The irony is that women are so often told an allegation is meaningless without evidence," says Ms Bates.
"But what we can see from this case is that even when the evidence is iron-clad the woman is disbelieved anyway, so we really can't win.
"This happened on an international stage, witnessed by millions... and yet both Rubiales and the entire football institution told her she was wrong."
She says the message that sent to Hermoso, and the wider world, was "horrifying".
"It doesn't matter who you are or what you achieve, even at the very pinnacle of your career, even with all the evidence and witnesses: we will still crush you if you dare to stand up against a powerful man."...
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-66632652
All pearl clutchers can fuck themselves before they start.
It's almost as is there was a correlation.
1) Confiscate the vehicle.
2) Proceed to address of the offender. Confiscate all motor vehicles registered to that address, or present at the address.
Asset confiscation has become criminal there - as was foretold, by among others, myself.
Police officers have been discovered to target property for seizure to match what they personally want. So they are literally stealing property to order.
Electoral Calculus gives Labour a 48% chance of winning the new seat at a GE, barely changed from present. But that is based on current polling, and I don't think our central expectation here is for Labour to lead by 17% nationally on GE day, nor for tactical LD voting not to come more to the fore in this kind of seat as GE day approaches.
In other words, Bedfordshire Mid is not really a Labour target seat at GE24, just as Shropshire North and Tiverton are not really LD targets at GE24. There would be a defence put up for sure, but they'd never be central to the respective parties' definition of success.
So, a Labour victory, or even a narrow Uxbridge margin defeat, would be all about sending a message to lots of other Southern seats in particular, along the lines of "Labour Winning Here".
It is about convincing more of those voters in Southern seats with Con 45-55, Lab 20-25, LD 15-20 that Labour is the way to swing. And indeed to drive votes more heavily to the red side where southern Labour are already the more obvious challenger.
The rewards are potentially great. Baxter, again perhaps overplaying it, has Labour gaining 62 seats in Southern England outside London. Even if you land half of them, it gives Labour more routes to victory if some regions - London, the Midlands, Scotland are a bit weaker than hoped for.
Kellogg's are known for having the largest illuminated letter in Europe, a red 'K', in Manchester (is it still there). Keir wants a larger red 'K' beaming out Bedfordshire Mid across the whole of southern England.
"Wreck the physical apparatus of the state because politician X lied to you" is a remarkable doctrine. I'm not even going to suggest what it might be applied to on an open source discussion.
"All this, and more, simply because you're my mother xx"
I am feeling really quite tearful.
Shortly after army officers appeared on national television to say they had taken power, large crowds of people went on to the Boulevard Triomphal Omar Bongo, the main street of Gabon's capital, Libreville - according to a local journalist who spoke to BBC Afrique.
Ali Bongo under house arrest, son of Omar Bongo a man with 70 bank accounts, 39 flats and a swathe of luxury cars.
Just the rest of the world overall has more Muslims than England and Wales, 25% to 6.5% but fewer non religious than England and Wales, 16% to 37% with no religion in England and Wales
He certainly magicked up some wealth.
Good morning, everyone. (Still lurking occasionally. )
It's perfectly sensible to count as Christian only those who at least go regularly to church and belong to one in terms of membership and who believe stuff. This number is of course small - a few million at most.
It is equally sensible to count those who self identify as Christian, or those who use any church's ministry in some way (hatch, match dispatch, Christmas etc). This figure is of course greater.
It doesn't matter what you do, as long as you clearly label it.
FWIW data in recent years suggests a very substantial collapse among younger punters, both generally and the the established churches in particular.
I think the days are numbered for the CoE (and perhaps CoS) to really have national coverage at a realistic level. They will carry on for some time as congregations in areas of strength.
The C of E is also seeing growth in cathedral attendance 'According to official C of E statistics, attendance at cathedral services grew by 13 per cent in the decade from 2009 to 2019'
https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2021/16-july/comment/opinion/cathedrals-a-forgotten-model-for-church-growth
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/culturalidentity/religion/bulletins/religionenglandandwales/census2021
Bankrupting the local sides.
Mostly because my father was nearby when I was filling it in.