How would Red Wall voters vote in a referendum regarding whether the United Kingdom should or should not commit to achieving net zero by 2050? (3 September)
Although I bet if we had such a referendum (and please god no) the NOT campaign, powered by Nigel Farage and Nick Ferrari, the two of them taking turns to drive the bus, would pull off a 52/48 victory.
"No point cos it's all China"
"Let's cut the green crap and fix our potholes instead"
Only a completely mad, incompetent, brain-dead government would even dream of such a referendum.
It’s effing roasting down here, day after blazing day. My garden office has no sun on it, ever, yet it’s still uncomfortably hot. I haven’t slept properly all week.
How would Red Wall voters vote in a referendum regarding whether the United Kingdom should or should not commit to achieving net zero by 2050? (3 September)
The government failed to get any bidders for offshore wind developments at a maximum guaranteed price of £44 per MWH. Gas generated electricity currently costs about twice that. The guaranteed price for nuclear generation, if it happens, is £90 per MWH.
Doesn't seem to make a lot of sense to set the cap so low as alternatives are likely to be more expensive.
How would Red Wall voters vote in a referendum regarding whether the United Kingdom should or should not commit to achieving net zero by 2050? (3 September)
It’s effing roasting down here, day after blazing day. My garden office has no sun on it, ever, yet it’s still uncomfortably hot. I haven’t slept properly all week.
Pub.
I've not felt it too bad tbh. I think the way the direct heat goes off a bit earlier because the sun is lower, good chance to air the dormer upstairs from pretty early in the evening.
And as TimS noted, the humidity plus reasonable nights has actually resulted in some dew, and some condensation on the cars, by morning, so there's been an oppressive humidity / refreshing mistiness play off going on.
How would Red Wall voters vote in a referendum regarding whether the United Kingdom should or should not commit to achieving net zero by 2050? (3 September)
Captain Sir Tom Moore’s daughter has received more than £150,000 from the charity set up in her father’s name, the latest accounts reveal.
The Captain Tom Foundation, which has stopped taking donations amid controversy over its links to Hannah Ingram-Moore and her family companies, has continued paying her thousands despite the scandal.
Since the foundation started in May 2020 it has paid just over £152,000 to Mrs Ingram-Moore and companies she controls along with her husband Colin, who is also a trustee of the charity.
Over the same period the charity has given out only £370,000 to charity.
The payments include almost £25,000 in office costs to Maytrix Group Limited in the last financial year, a company owned by the couple. The rent payments have continued while the charity is under investigation by the regulator.
The charity blamed the regulator’s inquiry for a drop in the donations that they have received, which fell from just over £1 million in the year to May 2021 to almost £400,000 in the 18 months from June 2021 to November 2022.
The trustees said that the intervention of the Charity Commission, which opened a regulatory inquiry in March 2022 and then a statutory inquiry in June 2022, has had a “massive adverse impact”.
The money comes on top of the thousands that Mrs Ingram-Moore was paid via the family company in relation to appearances at an awards ceremony bearing the charity name.
'companies he/she controls' always feels like a red flag to me in these situations. Maybe I'm prejudiced, but I get suspicious when people who aren't mass business moguls are getting paid through companies or companies they control are getting monies, as if to conceal how much they are getting.
And frankly even for business moguls the way many corporate structures are set up to be as convoluted as possible, which cannot possibly be a benefit to the controllers in terms of governance, feels like it should be unlawful as well.
A "charity" is one of those words which now, as often as not, seems to mean "opportunity to scam".
There should be some minimum level of training and accreditation before you can start or lead a charity.
Just wait a moment while I setup a charity to train people on how to setup charities under your new rules.
Worth at least 500k a year in CEO compensation, I reckon.
(Sorry to be a pedant, but Germany had 244,132 asylum applications last year. It is on track to see asylum applications rise 77% this year, if current trends continue.)
The problem with pedestrianisation is we have reached the end of a vicious cycle of car dependency that is very hard to break. Examples:
Walking into town is often deeply unpleasant, crossing busy roads and 70s dual carriageways.
Shopping areas are low density due to the number of car parks, so it takes ages to walk between shops.
The bus to the town centre gets caught up in loads of car traffic.
A one or two mile walk is now unachievable for large parts of the population given our exceptionally high obesity rates. Which, in turn, are partly a result of car dependency.
Simply pedestrianising your high street isn't enough. It needs to be part of a package of interventions, including park and ride, 15 minute buses and 24/7 bus lanes, bus gates, safe arterial walking and cycling routes.
There are 10 homes in our cul de sac, 6 with retirees, (one this year) and 4 families, 2 with young children
There are 18 cars, indeed 19 until my wife gave up her car last year due to a serious shoulder issue.
And this is not unique, my daughters cul de sac has a similar ratio of homes and cars as does my sons family
You are entitled to your view, and of course it is from your perception, but it is not going to happen where we live here in North Wales
Sounds like you live in an LTN, so are largely protected from through traffic. I'm envious!
I'm from rural Scotland so understand your position. Here, cars will always be king and the current tax system on motoring massively depresses economic activity. But we represent only a small proportion of the population (around 20%).
None of the measures I've suggested would significantly reduce the number of households with access to a car outwith major cities. It would probably only have a marginal impact on total miles driven too.
What they would do is reduce congestion and parking space in our towns and cities , opening them up for commercial activity and a more attractive public realm. People would be healthier and safer, and poorer people who can't afford to run a car would see their accessibility to services increase.
I absolutely do not live in a LTN and they are few and far between in our area
The point is not the cul de sac, but that most every person and their dog, cul de sac or not depend, on the use of their cars for convenience and there is no indication that either the LA or the public are going to change their ways anytime soon
That cul de sac? That's what millennials call an LTN.
It’s effing roasting down here, day after blazing day. My garden office has no sun on it, ever, yet it’s still uncomfortably hot. I haven’t slept properly all week.
Pub.
I've not felt it too bad tbh. I think the way the direct heat goes off a bit earlier because the sun is lower, good chance to air the dormer upstairs from pretty early in the evening.
And as TimS noted, the humidity plus reasonable nights has actually resulted in some dew, and some condensation on the cars, by morning, so there's been an oppressive humidity / refreshing mistiness play off going on.
Reasonable nights? 20c at 4am, and much warmer indoors. Grim.
The problem with pedestrianisation is we have reached the end of a vicious cycle of car dependency that is very hard to break. Examples:
Walking into town is often deeply unpleasant, crossing busy roads and 70s dual carriageways.
Shopping areas are low density due to the number of car parks, so it takes ages to walk between shops.
The bus to the town centre gets caught up in loads of car traffic.
A one or two mile walk is now unachievable for large parts of the population given our exceptionally high obesity rates. Which, in turn, are partly a result of car dependency.
Simply pedestrianising your high street isn't enough. It needs to be part of a package of interventions, including park and ride, 15 minute buses and 24/7 bus lanes, bus gates, safe arterial walking and cycling routes.
There are 10 homes in our cul de sac, 6 with retirees, (one this year) and 4 families, 2 with young children
There are 18 cars, indeed 19 until my wife gave up her car last year due to a serious shoulder issue.
And this is not unique, my daughters cul de sac has a similar ratio of homes and cars as does my sons family
You are entitled to your view, and of course it is from your perception, but it is not going to happen where we live here in North Wales
Sounds like you live in an LTN, so are largely protected from through traffic. I'm envious!
I'm from rural Scotland so understand your position. Here, cars will always be king and the current tax system on motoring massively depresses economic activity. But we represent only a small proportion of the population (around 20%).
None of the measures I've suggested would significantly reduce the number of households with access to a car outwith major cities. It would probably only have a marginal impact on total miles driven too.
What they would do is reduce congestion and parking space in our towns and cities , opening them up for commercial activity and a more attractive public realm. People would be healthier and safer, and poorer people who can't afford to run a car would see their accessibility to services increase.
I absolutely do not live in a LTN and they are few and far between in our area
The point is not the cul de sac, but that most every person and their dog, cul de sac or not depend, on the use of their cars for convenience and there is no indication that either the LA or the public are going to change their ways anytime soon
That cul de sac? That's what millennials call an LTN.
Sorry to break it to you.
A LTN restricts access, there is no restriction to any vehicles coming into our cul de sac 24/7
RSS Conference Harrogate 2023 ended today at 17:57. After a three-minute invite to RSS Conference Brighton 2-5 Sept 2024 proceedings ended at 18:00. Am now a bit sad.
Are there more than 3 people on this forum who knows what the RSS is withouth having to lokk it up?
Chester City supporters taunted rival Hereford United fans with a sick Lucy Letby chant at a match between the clubs, it has emerged.
City have condemned the actions of those accused of singing, ‘Lucy Letby, she’s one of your own’, during their 2-1 National League North defeat at the Deva Stadium on Tuesday night and said they were reviewing CCTV footage to identify the culprits.
Letby, who was born in Hereford, was convicted last month of murdering seven babies and attempting to kill six other infants while working as a neonatal nurse at the Countess of Chester Hospital.
What good does looking at CCTV images do? Is a bad-taste chant somehow illegal? If not, why do they want to identify the "culprits"?
I would assume that a football club can still ban people from their property for life if they want, even if their actions are not illegal.
I'd be curious to see how such a policy butts up against GDPR regulations.
Well, someone's name would probably be personal data, not sensitive data. They probably have smallprint somewhere in stadiums or when you purchase a ticket that they by attending a match your face may be visible (given how much is televised) and that you consent to that by attending, they already have the name for purposes of the ticket and again I'd bet there's something in there that they can use it to ban you if you misbehave, which would be specified and for legitimate purposes.
That doesn't touch upon all the issues, but I suspect they'd be well within their rights to use the data they hold - cctv and ticket holder info - to ban people who behave in a manner they do not like.
That doesn't answer whether they should do such a thing, but I suspect the could is a yes.
I'm not so sure. Right to be forgotten, innit? Not sure what grounds the club would have for maintaining a database of images and names in the face of that kind of challenge. Certainly there should be an image deletion policy and they won't keep CCTV videos forever. Obviously my grasp of this is sketchy, so if a legal mind wants to boot my half-formed ideas out of the ground then be my guest.
This happened only days ago. Holding images and names for a brief period seems to me to be perfectly acceptable, since there could be any number of incidents - criminal and non-criminal - that would necessitate someone going through the footage to see what happened. Identifying those in breach of the law or some potential building regulations for example would be an easy justification.
I don't think a challenge would succeed arguing there was no legitimate reason for collection, or that it should have been instantly deleted as it was no longer required.
Add in all sorts of other matters like a football match being a public event, where anyone might pull out a phone and record, or that when purchasing a ticket people probably sign up to have their name retained for a mailing list or other purposes, and it sounds very unlikely to be a problem.
After all, what the heck is CCTV for if not to look at? 'Right to be forgotten' isn't some magic shield.
The government failed to get any bidders for offshore wind developments at a maximum guaranteed price of £44 per MWH. Gas generated electricity currently costs about twice that. The guaranteed price for nuclear generation, if it happens, is £90 per MWH.
Doesn't seem to make a lot of sense to set the cap so low as alternatives are likely to be more expensive.
RSS Conference Harrogate 2023 ended today at 17:57. After a three-minute invite to RSS Conference Brighton 2-5 Sept 2024 proceedings ended at 18:00. Am now a bit sad.
Are there more than 3 people on this forum who knows what the RSS is withouth having to lokk it up?
@BigG an LTN does not restrict access. That's what conspiracy theorists think.
All they do is prevent ratrunning, and all modern housing estates (including yours) are based on the LTN principle.
Yes, but it gives a great opportunity to moan about Llafur, SNP, and the Greens, without actually coming out and saying how wonderful the heroic Tories are in defence of the knights of the road, as they pootle along the next few metres, sorry ells, in the current traffic jam.
RSS Conference Harrogate 2023 ended today at 17:57. After a three-minute invite to RSS Conference Brighton 2-5 Sept 2024 proceedings ended at 18:00. Am now a bit sad.
Are there more than 3 people on this forum who knows what the RSS is withouth having to lokk it up?
It’s effing roasting down here, day after blazing day. My garden office has no sun on it, ever, yet it’s still uncomfortably hot. I haven’t slept properly all week.
Pub.
I've not felt it too bad tbh. I think the way the direct heat goes off a bit earlier because the sun is lower, good chance to air the dormer upstairs from pretty early in the evening.
And as TimS noted, the humidity plus reasonable nights has actually resulted in some dew, and some condensation on the cars, by morning, so there's been an oppressive humidity / refreshing mistiness play off going on.
Reasonable nights? 20c at 4am, and much warmer indoors. Grim.
20°C high daytime today up here in the blessed north.
@BigG an LTN does not restrict access. That's what conspiracy theorists think.
All they do is prevent ratrunning, and all modern housing estates (including yours) are based on the LTN principle.
Yes, but it gives a great opportunity to moan about Llafur, SNP, and the Greens, without actually coming out and saying how wonderful the heroic Tories are in defence of the knights of the road, as they pootle along the next few metres, sorry ells, in the current traffic jam.
I really do not think that is called for, and the car owners in our area use their vehicles for convenience and from across the political divide
Sort of interesting that a company could trigger a nuclear war. It may be true or it may not be, but it is plausible. Musk once again seems quite wise.
Was in the Golden Valley last week, Stroud, Nailsworth and the surrounding villages are lovely and the scenery and history wonderful. A favourite part of the world.
Sort of interesting that a company could trigger a nuclear war. It may be true or it may not be, but it is plausible. Musk once again seems quite wise.
Well, Ukraine have use the USVs against Russian ships and targets, and it has *not* triggered WW3. So he's clearly rather unwise.
The government failed to get any bidders for offshore wind developments at a maximum guaranteed price of £44 per MWH. Gas generated electricity currently costs about twice that. The guaranteed price for nuclear generation, if it happens, is £90 per MWH.
Doesn't seem to make a lot of sense to set the cap so low as alternatives are likely to be more expensive.
The wind doesn't blow all the time, so whatever capacity we build for wind generation requires another source to be available for redundancy. It doesn't seem entirely irrational to set the maximum guaranteed price at a low number.
Was in the Golden Valley last week, Stroud, Nailsworth and the surrounding villages are lovely and the scenery and history wonderful. A favourite part of the world.
Different Golden Valley I think. I presume @Leon is by the River Dore in Herefordshire close to the Welsh border?
Sort of interesting that a company could trigger a nuclear war. It may be true or it may not be, but it is plausible. Musk once again seems quite wise.
Well, Ukraine have use the USVs against Russian ships and targets, and it has *not* triggered WW3. So he's clearly rather unwise.
Just because it hasn't done so doesn't mean it couldn't. Wise!
@BigG an LTN does not restrict access. That's what conspiracy theorists think.
All they do is prevent ratrunning, and all modern housing estates (including yours) are based on the LTN principle.
Our estate built in 1970s used cul de sacs to maximise the properties and had nothing to do with rat runs as you call them
Furthermore, cul de sac or not, most everyone depends on the use of their car and this is not going to change
But LTNs don't restrict access either. All they do is convert an old grid of roads into a set of cul de sacs. You can still drive to everything in the LTN, 24/7.
. . . . The trial is focused on 16 articles of impeachment related to the whistle-blowers’ central allegations: that Mr. Paxton had abused his office by using it to benefit Mr. Paul [real estate developer] who had given him a $25,000 campaign contribution and, lawyers for the prosecution said, paid for renovations to one of Mr. Paxton’s houses and helped him engage in an extramarital affair.
Mr. Paul, who was indicted on federal financial fraud charges in June, has denied any wrongdoing. Mr. Paxton, who has been under state indictment for securities fraud since 2015, pleaded not guilty to all the articles of impeachment on Tuesday. He was not present at the trial on Wednesday. . . .
Mr. Mateer and others confronted Mr. Paxton about what seemed to be his unusual concern for legal matters involving Mr. Paul. . . . .
The next month, Mr. Mateer said, he learned that the attorney general’s office was issuing legal guidance related to the reopening of businesses during the coronavirus pandemic that said outdoor foreclosure auctions should not resume.
Mr. Mateer said it seemed directly contrary to the state’s policy on reopening after pandemic-related business closures. “It was as if Anthony Fauci had written it,” he said, referring to the face of the federal government’s response to Covid-19, a reviled figure among many Republicans. “What was this?” he said. “We were not for shutting things down. Certainly not for shutting down outdoor foreclosure sales.”
Later, he said, he learned who had wanted the guidance, in order to prevent foreclosure sales of his properties: Mr. Paul.
At one point, Mr. Mateer recalled confronting the attorney general over the interventions, including Mr. Paxton’s interest in hiring a young lawyer, Brandon Cammack, to look into the federal criminal investigation of Mr. Paul.
“Ken, why are we involved in this?” Mr. Mateer recalled asking.
He said he later learned that Mr. Paxton had resumed an extramarital affair that had been revealed during his first re-election campaign in 2018, and which Mr. Paxton had promised at the time that he had ended. Prosecutors have said Mr. Paul hired the woman involved in the affair, and also helped Mr. Paxton conceal it by providing an Uber account under an alias that Mr. Paxton used to meet her.
SSI - with particular reference to final paragraph above, note one of the 31 Texas state senators who are Ken Paxton's jury, included his wife, Sen. Angela Paxton.
BTW, as of last census and apportionment, the Lone State State has 38 members of the US House, thus a Texas state senator represents significantly more residents and voters; in fact, the Texas Senate is one of the most powerful state legislative bodies in the USA.
RSS Conference Harrogate 2023 ended today at 17:57. After a three-minute invite to RSS Conference Brighton 2-5 Sept 2024 proceedings ended at 18:00. Am now a bit sad.
Are there more than 3 people on this forum who knows what the RSS is withouth having to lokk it up?
p.S. I'm one of the 3.
I know too.
So do I. So that's three.
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh are meeting a long way from home.
RSS Conference Harrogate 2023 ended today at 17:57. After a three-minute invite to RSS Conference Brighton 2-5 Sept 2024 proceedings ended at 18:00. Am now a bit sad.
Are there more than 3 people on this forum who knows what the RSS is withouth having to lokk it up?
Was in the Golden Valley last week, Stroud, Nailsworth and the surrounding villages are lovely and the scenery and history wonderful. A favourite part of the world.
Different Golden Valley I think. I presume @Leon is by the River Dore in Herefordshire close to the Welsh border?
Cheeeeeeers from the Golden Valley. The horrors of Hereford feel far away
Is that an Aperol spritz? I had never heard of them before four months ago. I was away with sone friends at the weekend and they were suddenly ubiquitous. It is sitting in the niche that artisan gins were four years ago. My verdict was: not unpleasant, but over far too quickly for what you've paid. Still, I would happily be in your shoes right now. Looks splendid.
As Andrew Marr says in this weekend's Newstatesman: brace.
Another sign is that 538 renamed their last podcast from Should We Trust Polls Campaigns Leak To The Press? to Is Donald Trump The Inevitable GOP Nominee? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0k43g4rSobc
So if you watched under the old title, there's no need to go back. Clickbait or a straw in the wind?
Hereford is in an absolutely shocking state. Like a rural town in Pennsylvania
At least a third of the town centre properties are empty. Streets are deserted in areas. Sense of real deprivation. And this is in bright warm sun
I was here in feb 2022 and it felt bustling - in the cold. What has happened in the intervening year and a half? Covid belatedly impacting? Inflation?
It feels almost random. Ludlow is doing OK. Shrewsbury is thriving and crowded. Hereford is fucked
🤷♂️
Maybe everyone's at work?
No. This is weird, and sad
This is High Town, the premier retail street. Empty empty empty
The guy at Tanners wine merchant (based in thriving Shrewsbury, but which branches all down the Marches) warned me that Hereford is looking bad. He was right
@BartholomewRoberts will be pleased to hear that James Tanner has a theory for the apparent random declines. He says they’re not random - he reckons towns which heavily pedestrianised (Hereford) are now suffering badly cause covid made people lazy and they can’t be bothered to walk into town centres. If they can drive they come
I don’t believe it: I’m sure there is something else at work. There is plenty of parking in Hereford. But that’s the opinion of a retailer/merchant
Lots of factors but I'm beginning to suspect it's a matter of getting the sweet spot between local spending power and low city centre rents.
Hereford and Gloucester: locals don't have much spending power; low city centre rents but it doesn't matter. City centres doing badly.
Worcester and Shrewsbury: locals have more spending power; low city centre rents. City centres doing well.
Oxford: locals have insane amounts of spending power; city centre rents are insanely high. City centre holding on but with a lot of empty units.
Also, if you're in the Golden Valley, seek out the Gwatkins cider. One of the finest made-in-Britain drinks I've ever tried.
Hereford is in an absolutely shocking state. Like a rural town in Pennsylvania
At least a third of the town centre properties are empty. Streets are deserted in areas. Sense of real deprivation. And this is in bright warm sun
I was here in feb 2022 and it felt bustling - in the cold. What has happened in the intervening year and a half? Covid belatedly impacting? Inflation?
It feels almost random. Ludlow is doing OK. Shrewsbury is thriving and crowded. Hereford is fucked
🤷♂️
Maybe everyone's at work?
No. This is weird, and sad
This is High Town, the premier retail street. Empty empty empty
The guy at Tanners wine merchant (based in thriving Shrewsbury, but which branches all down the Marches) warned me that Hereford is looking bad. He was right
@BartholomewRoberts will be pleased to hear that James Tanner has a theory for the apparent random declines. He says they’re not random - he reckons towns which heavily pedestrianised (Hereford) are now suffering badly cause covid made people lazy and they can’t be bothered to walk into town centres. If they can drive they come
I don’t believe it: I’m sure there is something else at work. There is plenty of parking in Hereford. But that’s the opinion of a retailer/merchant
Lots of factors but I'm beginning to suspect it's a matter of getting the sweet spot between local spending power and low city centre rents.
Hereford and Gloucester: locals don't have much spending power; low city centre rents but it doesn't matter. City centres doing badly.
Worcester and Shrewsbury: locals have more spending power; low city centre rents. City centres doing well.
Oxford: locals have insane amounts of spending power; city centre rents are insanely high. City centre holding on but with a lot of empty units.
High rents but are all of the locals rich? Did you see this rather odd story from the BBC today?
Presumably she can afford to fly from Dublin where she lives rent-free at mum's because she spends the rest of her time living rent-free in London with her friend. First world problems!
Was in the Golden Valley last week, Stroud, Nailsworth and the surrounding villages are lovely and the scenery and history wonderful. A favourite part of the world.
Different Golden Valley I think. I presume @Leon is by the River Dore in Herefordshire close to the Welsh border?
Yes I’m in the magnificent Golden Valley of west Herefordshire where England finally yields to Wales in a blaze of rolling opulent greenery and lyrical little churches and endless ruined castles. It’s glorious
I’m specifically at the new/refurbed Bull’s Head in Craswall
I think this may be the best gastropub menu I have ever seen. I would choose literally every dish here
It may taste crap but that is a perfect menu. Simple, uncomplicated, short - but yummmm
Hereford is in an absolutely shocking state. Like a rural town in Pennsylvania
At least a third of the town centre properties are empty. Streets are deserted in areas. Sense of real deprivation. And this is in bright warm sun
I was here in feb 2022 and it felt bustling - in the cold. What has happened in the intervening year and a half? Covid belatedly impacting? Inflation?
It feels almost random. Ludlow is doing OK. Shrewsbury is thriving and crowded. Hereford is fucked
🤷♂️
Maybe everyone's at work?
No. This is weird, and sad
This is High Town, the premier retail street. Empty empty empty
The guy at Tanners wine merchant (based in thriving Shrewsbury, but which branches all down the Marches) warned me that Hereford is looking bad. He was right
@BartholomewRoberts will be pleased to hear that James Tanner has a theory for the apparent random declines. He says they’re not random - he reckons towns which heavily pedestrianised (Hereford) are now suffering badly cause covid made people lazy and they can’t be bothered to walk into town centres. If they can drive they come
I don’t believe it: I’m sure there is something else at work. There is plenty of parking in Hereford. But that’s the opinion of a retailer/merchant
Lots of factors but I'm beginning to suspect it's a matter of getting the sweet spot between local spending power and low city centre rents.
Hereford and Gloucester: locals don't have much spending power; low city centre rents but it doesn't matter. City centres doing badly.
Worcester and Shrewsbury: locals have more spending power; low city centre rents. City centres doing well.
Oxford: locals have insane amounts of spending power; city centre rents are insanely high. City centre holding on but with a lot of empty units.
High rents but are all of the locals rich? Did you see this rather odd story from the BBC today?
Presumably she can afford to fly from Dublin where she lives rent-free at mum's because she spends the rest of her time living rent-free in London with her friend. First world problems!
Three days every fortnight isn't most people's idea of "commuting" either.
Was in the Golden Valley last week, Stroud, Nailsworth and the surrounding villages are lovely and the scenery and history wonderful. A favourite part of the world.
Different Golden Valley I think. I presume @Leon is by the River Dore in Herefordshire close to the Welsh border?
Yes I’m in the magnificent Golden Valley of west Herefordshire where England finally yields to Wales in a blaze of rolling opulent greenery and lyrical little churches and endless ruined castles. It’s glorious
I’m specifically at the new/refurbed Bull’s Head in Craswall
I think this may be the best gastropub menu I have ever seen. I would choose literally every dish here
It may taste crap but that is a perfect menu. Simple, uncomplicated, short - but yummmm
Winchester cheese? Not sure I have heard of that before.
Cheeeeeeers from the Golden Valley. The horrors of Hereford feel far away
Is that an Aperol spritz? I had never heard of them before four months ago. I was away with sone friends at the weekend and they were suddenly ubiquitous. It is sitting in the niche that artisan gins were four years ago. My verdict was: not unpleasant, but over far too quickly for what you've paid. Still, I would happily be in your shoes right now. Looks splendid.
It is an Aperol spritz. I picked up a taste for them in Trentino years ago. They are great on hot evenings as an aperitif. And yes now ubiquitous in the UK (belatedly)
re: Day 3 of Paxton trial, keep checking every once and a while, and based mostly on body language it seems to me that today's star witness, a former assistant AG in Paxton's office, is cool as a cucumber under intense questioning - and that it's Paxton's lawyer who's looking a tad flustered.
Also based on body language, this time of senators also shown when the lawyer is speaking, at least some of the jury are finding his cross examination a tad tedious, at best.
Was in the Golden Valley last week, Stroud, Nailsworth and the surrounding villages are lovely and the scenery and history wonderful. A favourite part of the world.
Different Golden Valley I think. I presume @Leon is by the River Dore in Herefordshire close to the Welsh border?
Yes I’m in the magnificent Golden Valley of west Herefordshire where England finally yields to Wales in a blaze of rolling opulent greenery and lyrical little churches and endless ruined castles. It’s glorious
I’m specifically at the new/refurbed Bull’s Head in Craswall
I think this may be the best gastropub menu I have ever seen. I would choose literally every dish here
It may taste crap but that is a perfect menu. Simple, uncomplicated, short - but yummmm
Is that CS Lewis’s Golden Valley? I only know about it because I watched Shadowlands for the first time a couple of weeks ago. Not a bad movie.
Was in the Golden Valley last week, Stroud, Nailsworth and the surrounding villages are lovely and the scenery and history wonderful. A favourite part of the world.
Different Golden Valley I think. I presume @Leon is by the River Dore in Herefordshire close to the Welsh border?
Yes I’m in the magnificent Golden Valley of west Herefordshire where England finally yields to Wales in a blaze of rolling opulent greenery and lyrical little churches and endless ruined castles. It’s glorious
I’m specifically at the new/refurbed Bull’s Head in Craswall
I think this may be the best gastropub menu I have ever seen. I would choose literally every dish here
It may taste crap but that is a perfect menu. Simple, uncomplicated, short - but yummmm
Is that CS Lewis’s Golden Valley? I only know about it because I watched Shadowlands for the first time a couple of weeks ago. Not a bad movie.
OT but may be of interest to computer history and mental health nerds. Youtuber and ex-Microsoft programmer on whether Alan Turing had traits that would now be seen as autistic. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tLE2enW6a0
In hypothetical head-to-head matchups with 2024 GOP challengers, Biden was statistically tied with one exception: former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley stood as the only Republican candidate to hold a lead over Biden, with 49 percent to Biden’s 43 percent.
OT but may be of interest to computer history and mental health nerds. Youtuber and ex-Microsoft programmer on whether Alan Turing had traits that would now be seen as autistic. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tLE2enW6a0
Oh God. We've had "Was Joan of Arc Non-Binary". Now we have "Was Alan Turing Autistic". We need to stop diagnosing people in history with modern things, it doesn't map. It's made particularly annoying by the fact that Turing wasn't a tall thin pukka Cumberbatch but a squat chubby camp guy, so we're doubly misinterpreting.
The government failed to get any bidders for offshore wind developments at a maximum guaranteed price of £44 per MWH. Gas generated electricity currently costs about twice that. The guaranteed price for nuclear generation, if it happens, is £90 per MWH.
Doesn't seem to make a lot of sense to set the cap so low as alternatives are likely to be more expensive.
The wind doesn't blow all the time, so whatever capacity we build for wind generation requires another source to be available for redundancy. It doesn't seem entirely irrational to set the maximum guaranteed price at a low number.
While that's true, the reality is that the cost of purchasing gas backup is extremely inexpensive: it's the fuel that's expensive. If you had the country covered in wind turbines*, plus backup gas generators that would be dramatically cheaper than gas generators alone.
Was in the Golden Valley last week, Stroud, Nailsworth and the surrounding villages are lovely and the scenery and history wonderful. A favourite part of the world.
Different Golden Valley I think. I presume @Leon is by the River Dore in Herefordshire close to the Welsh border?
Yes I’m in the magnificent Golden Valley of west Herefordshire where England finally yields to Wales in a blaze of rolling opulent greenery and lyrical little churches and endless ruined castles. It’s glorious
I’m specifically at the new/refurbed Bull’s Head in Craswall
I think this may be the best gastropub menu I have ever seen. I would choose literally every dish here
It may taste crap but that is a perfect menu. Simple, uncomplicated, short - but yummmm
Winchester cheese? Not sure I have heard of that before.
Me neither, It’s probably just any old cheese, But it adds that critical element of mystery and enticement. “Oooh, not just homemade Tagliatelle, homemade Tagliatelle with Winchester cheese!”
Hereford is in an absolutely shocking state. Like a rural town in Pennsylvania
At least a third of the town centre properties are empty. Streets are deserted in areas. Sense of real deprivation. And this is in bright warm sun
I was here in feb 2022 and it felt bustling - in the cold. What has happened in the intervening year and a half? Covid belatedly impacting? Inflation?
It feels almost random. Ludlow is doing OK. Shrewsbury is thriving and crowded. Hereford is fucked
🤷♂️
Maybe everyone's at work?
No. This is weird, and sad
This is High Town, the premier retail street. Empty empty empty
The guy at Tanners wine merchant (based in thriving Shrewsbury, but which branches all down the Marches) warned me that Hereford is looking bad. He was right
@BartholomewRoberts will be pleased to hear that James Tanner has a theory for the apparent random declines. He says they’re not random - he reckons towns which heavily pedestrianised (Hereford) are now suffering badly cause covid made people lazy and they can’t be bothered to walk into town centres. If they can drive they come
I don’t believe it: I’m sure there is something else at work. There is plenty of parking in Hereford. But that’s the opinion of a retailer/merchant
Lots of factors but I'm beginning to suspect it's a matter of getting the sweet spot between local spending power and low city centre rents.
Hereford and Gloucester: locals don't have much spending power; low city centre rents but it doesn't matter. City centres doing badly.
Worcester and Shrewsbury: locals have more spending power; low city centre rents. City centres doing well.
Oxford: locals have insane amounts of spending power; city centre rents are insanely high. City centre holding on but with a lot of empty units.
High rents but are all of the locals rich? Did you see this rather odd story from the BBC today?
Presumably she can afford to fly from Dublin where she lives rent-free at mum's because she spends the rest of her time living rent-free in London with her friend. First world problems!
Three days every fortnight isn't most people's idea of "commuting" either.
She's big on lefty/rejoin political Twitter, which is presumably how she became the subject of this story.
She rather expansively describes herself in her Twitter bio as a "Former Diplomat" when she was an attaché for six months.
One up to the closure of rail ticket offices. I've just tried to buy my ticket online for a journey with no reservations possible and it tells me no tickets available for that day & time. Or any other at the moment, but it is a beta site. I'll try the local booking office tomorrow.
Hereford is in an absolutely shocking state. Like a rural town in Pennsylvania
At least a third of the town centre properties are empty. Streets are deserted in areas. Sense of real deprivation. And this is in bright warm sun
I was here in feb 2022 and it felt bustling - in the cold. What has happened in the intervening year and a half? Covid belatedly impacting? Inflation?
It feels almost random. Ludlow is doing OK. Shrewsbury is thriving and crowded. Hereford is fucked
🤷♂️
Maybe everyone's at work?
No. This is weird, and sad
This is High Town, the premier retail street. Empty empty empty
The guy at Tanners wine merchant (based in thriving Shrewsbury, but which branches all down the Marches) warned me that Hereford is looking bad. He was right
@BartholomewRoberts will be pleased to hear that James Tanner has a theory for the apparent random declines. He says they’re not random - he reckons towns which heavily pedestrianised (Hereford) are now suffering badly cause covid made people lazy and they can’t be bothered to walk into town centres. If they can drive they come
I don’t believe it: I’m sure there is something else at work. There is plenty of parking in Hereford. But that’s the opinion of a retailer/merchant
Lots of factors but I'm beginning to suspect it's a matter of getting the sweet spot between local spending power and low city centre rents.
Hereford and Gloucester: locals don't have much spending power; low city centre rents but it doesn't matter. City centres doing badly.
Worcester and Shrewsbury: locals have more spending power; low city centre rents. City centres doing well.
Oxford: locals have insane amounts of spending power; city centre rents are insanely high. City centre holding on but with a lot of empty units.
High rents but are all of the locals rich? Did you see this rather odd story from the BBC today?
Presumably she can afford to fly from Dublin where she lives rent-free at mum's because she spends the rest of her time living rent-free in London with her friend. First world problems!
Three days every fortnight isn't most people's idea of "commuting" either.
She's big on lefty/rejoin political Twitter, which is presumably how she became the subject of this story.
She rather expansively describes herself in her Twitter bio as a "Former Diplomat" when she was an attaché for six months.
So you know the type.
She’s an appalling narcissist who rose to fame due to her Remoaner anger. Think Gina Miller without the intellectual heft and powerful humility
It completely baffles me how 50% of the country plans to vote for that corrupt, egotistical wannabe dictator of a man that is a danger to the world as a result of his preference for strongmen over democratic allies.
It's like if you combined the worst qualities of Boris, Corbyn and Truss and you told me 50% of the UK planned to vote for them on a joint ticket...
How would Red Wall voters vote in a referendum regarding whether the United Kingdom should or should not commit to achieving net zero by 2050? (3 September)
Hereford is in an absolutely shocking state. Like a rural town in Pennsylvania
At least a third of the town centre properties are empty. Streets are deserted in areas. Sense of real deprivation. And this is in bright warm sun
I was here in feb 2022 and it felt bustling - in the cold. What has happened in the intervening year and a half? Covid belatedly impacting? Inflation?
It feels almost random. Ludlow is doing OK. Shrewsbury is thriving and crowded. Hereford is fucked
🤷♂️
Maybe everyone's at work?
No. This is weird, and sad
This is High Town, the premier retail street. Empty empty empty
The guy at Tanners wine merchant (based in thriving Shrewsbury, but which branches all down the Marches) warned me that Hereford is looking bad. He was right
@BartholomewRoberts will be pleased to hear that James Tanner has a theory for the apparent random declines. He says they’re not random - he reckons towns which heavily pedestrianised (Hereford) are now suffering badly cause covid made people lazy and they can’t be bothered to walk into town centres. If they can drive they come
I don’t believe it: I’m sure there is something else at work. There is plenty of parking in Hereford. But that’s the opinion of a retailer/merchant
Lots of factors but I'm beginning to suspect it's a matter of getting the sweet spot between local spending power and low city centre rents.
Hereford and Gloucester: locals don't have much spending power; low city centre rents but it doesn't matter. City centres doing badly.
Worcester and Shrewsbury: locals have more spending power; low city centre rents. City centres doing well.
Oxford: locals have insane amounts of spending power; city centre rents are insanely high. City centre holding on but with a lot of empty units.
High rents but are all of the locals rich? Did you see this rather odd story from the BBC today?
Presumably she can afford to fly from Dublin where she lives rent-free at mum's because she spends the rest of her time living rent-free in London with her friend. First world problems!
Three days every fortnight isn't most people's idea of "commuting" either.
She's big on lefty/rejoin political Twitter, which is presumably how she became the subject of this story.
She rather expansively describes herself in her Twitter bio as a "Former Diplomat" when she was an attaché for six months.
So you know the type.
Apparently she's an AI expert too. How convenient!
One up to the closure of rail ticket offices. I've just tried to buy my ticket online for a journey with no reservations possible and it tells me no tickets available for that day & time. Or any other at the moment, but it is a beta site. I'll try the local booking office tomorrow.
It’s effing roasting down here, day after blazing day. My garden office has no sun on it, ever, yet it’s still uncomfortably hot. I haven’t slept properly all week.
Pub.
I've not felt it too bad tbh. I think the way the direct heat goes off a bit earlier because the sun is lower, good chance to air the dormer upstairs from pretty early in the evening.
And as TimS noted, the humidity plus reasonable nights has actually resulted in some dew, and some condensation on the cars, by morning, so there's been an oppressive humidity / refreshing mistiness play off going on.
Reasonable nights? 20c at 4am, and much warmer indoors. Grim.
20°C high daytime today up here in the blessed north.
Was in the Golden Valley last week, Stroud, Nailsworth and the surrounding villages are lovely and the scenery and history wonderful. A favourite part of the world.
Different Golden Valley I think. I presume @Leon is by the River Dore in Herefordshire close to the Welsh border?
Yes I’m in the magnificent Golden Valley of west Herefordshire where England finally yields to Wales in a blaze of rolling opulent greenery and lyrical little churches and endless ruined castles. It’s glorious
I’m specifically at the new/refurbed Bull’s Head in Craswall
I think this may be the best gastropub menu I have ever seen. I would choose literally every dish here
It may taste crap but that is a perfect menu. Simple, uncomplicated, short - but yummmm
Winchester cheese? Not sure I have heard of that before.
Me neither, It’s probably just any old cheese, But it adds that critical element of mystery and enticement. “Oooh, not just homemade Tagliatelle, homemade Tagliatelle with Winchester cheese!”
Clever
Definitely not 'just any old cheese'. Made by Lyburn Farm, I believe, one of the new surge of artisan cheeses from across the country. A 'proper' cheese though not a traditional one.
Why is Musk a Putin fan? It’s not good for business. He's (presumably) not a fascist. So what's going on there?
Elon Musk IMHO is angling to do mega-MAGA-business with the (God forbid) next Trump administration.
I doubt that. He wants to be the king of space. He could be the most important human ever (That's his goal imv).
Would you live in a settlement where Musk had control over everything you needed to live, including air? Access to which he could switch off at any time if you annoy him. Or just because he's pi**ed that he's split up with another wife?
Arsing around with Ukraine's Starlink services will have cost Ukrainian lives. It did nothing to Russia. Hence, what he did *helped* Russia in its sordid, imperialistic war. He did not do this because he was afraid of WW3; he did it to curry favour - and show his personal power - to Putin and Xi.
Was in the Golden Valley last week, Stroud, Nailsworth and the surrounding villages are lovely and the scenery and history wonderful. A favourite part of the world.
Different Golden Valley I think. I presume @Leon is by the River Dore in Herefordshire close to the Welsh border?
Yes I’m in the magnificent Golden Valley of west Herefordshire where England finally yields to Wales in a blaze of rolling opulent greenery and lyrical little churches and endless ruined castles. It’s glorious
I’m specifically at the new/refurbed Bull’s Head in Craswall
I think this may be the best gastropub menu I have ever seen. I would choose literally every dish here
It may taste crap but that is a perfect menu. Simple, uncomplicated, short - but yummmm
So if you don't eat meat you can't even have some chips? What a load of bollocks.
How would Red Wall voters vote in a referendum regarding whether the United Kingdom should or should not commit to achieving net zero by 2050? (3 September)
There are plenty of ways this question could be phrased to get the opposite response.
Same as a wealth tax. People assume only others would pay it. Hence its popularity.
Not really the same because everyone can be in favour of Net Zero if it means saving penguins, humanity and the world, whereas a wealth tax is more of a niche interest.
Was in the Golden Valley last week, Stroud, Nailsworth and the surrounding villages are lovely and the scenery and history wonderful. A favourite part of the world.
Different Golden Valley I think. I presume @Leon is by the River Dore in Herefordshire close to the Welsh border?
Yes I’m in the magnificent Golden Valley of west Herefordshire where England finally yields to Wales in a blaze of rolling opulent greenery and lyrical little churches and endless ruined castles. It’s glorious
I’m specifically at the new/refurbed Bull’s Head in Craswall
I think this may be the best gastropub menu I have ever seen. I would choose literally every dish here
It may taste crap but that is a perfect menu. Simple, uncomplicated, short - but yummmm
Winchester cheese? Not sure I have heard of that before.
Me neither, It’s probably just any old cheese, But it adds that critical element of mystery and enticement. “Oooh, not just homemade Tagliatelle, homemade Tagliatelle with Winchester cheese!”
Clever
Definitely not 'just any old cheese'. Made by Lyburn Farm, I believe, one of the new surge of artisan cheeses from across the country. A 'proper' cheese though not a traditional one.
Then I am now educated. Thank you!
(I went for the turbot, I can never resist a turbot)
Hereford is in an absolutely shocking state. Like a rural town in Pennsylvania
At least a third of the town centre properties are empty. Streets are deserted in areas. Sense of real deprivation. And this is in bright warm sun
I was here in feb 2022 and it felt bustling - in the cold. What has happened in the intervening year and a half? Covid belatedly impacting? Inflation?
It feels almost random. Ludlow is doing OK. Shrewsbury is thriving and crowded. Hereford is fucked
🤷♂️
Maybe everyone's at work?
No. This is weird, and sad
This is High Town, the premier retail street. Empty empty empty
The guy at Tanners wine merchant (based in thriving Shrewsbury, but which branches all down the Marches) warned me that Hereford is looking bad. He was right
@BartholomewRoberts will be pleased to hear that James Tanner has a theory for the apparent random declines. He says they’re not random - he reckons towns which heavily pedestrianised (Hereford) are now suffering badly cause covid made people lazy and they can’t be bothered to walk into town centres. If they can drive they come
I don’t believe it: I’m sure there is something else at work. There is plenty of parking in Hereford. But that’s the opinion of a retailer/merchant
Lots of factors but I'm beginning to suspect it's a matter of getting the sweet spot between local spending power and low city centre rents.
Hereford and Gloucester: locals don't have much spending power; low city centre rents but it doesn't matter. City centres doing badly.
Worcester and Shrewsbury: locals have more spending power; low city centre rents. City centres doing well.
Oxford: locals have insane amounts of spending power; city centre rents are insanely high. City centre holding on but with a lot of empty units.
High rents but are all of the locals rich? Did you see this rather odd story from the BBC today?
Presumably she can afford to fly from Dublin where she lives rent-free at mum's because she spends the rest of her time living rent-free in London with her friend. First world problems!
Three days every fortnight isn't most people's idea of "commuting" either.
She's big on lefty/rejoin political Twitter, which is presumably how she became the subject of this story.
She rather expansively describes herself in her Twitter bio as a "Former Diplomat" when she was an attaché for six months.
So you know the type.
Apparently she's an AI expert too. How convenient!
I know it’s been discussed here before but the sort of barrel scraping guff that is passed off as news on the BBC site just continues to get worse.
Was in the Golden Valley last week, Stroud, Nailsworth and the surrounding villages are lovely and the scenery and history wonderful. A favourite part of the world.
Different Golden Valley I think. I presume @Leon is by the River Dore in Herefordshire close to the Welsh border?
Yes I’m in the magnificent Golden Valley of west Herefordshire where England finally yields to Wales in a blaze of rolling opulent greenery and lyrical little churches and endless ruined castles. It’s glorious
I’m specifically at the new/refurbed Bull’s Head in Craswall
I think this may be the best gastropub menu I have ever seen. I would choose literally every dish here
It may taste crap but that is a perfect menu. Simple, uncomplicated, short - but yummmm
Winchester cheese? Not sure I have heard of that before.
Me neither, It’s probably just any old cheese, But it adds that critical element of mystery and enticement. “Oooh, not just homemade Tagliatelle, homemade Tagliatelle with Winchester cheese!”
Clever
Definitely not 'just any old cheese'. Made by Lyburn Farm, I believe, one of the new surge of artisan cheeses from across the country. A 'proper' cheese though not a traditional one.
So one that would be banned from being advertised by TFL 👍
It’s effing roasting down here, day after blazing day. My garden office has no sun on it, ever, yet it’s still uncomfortably hot. I haven’t slept properly all week.
Pub.
I've not felt it too bad tbh. I think the way the direct heat goes off a bit earlier because the sun is lower, good chance to air the dormer upstairs from pretty early in the evening.
And as TimS noted, the humidity plus reasonable nights has actually resulted in some dew, and some condensation on the cars, by morning, so there's been an oppressive humidity / refreshing mistiness play off going on.
Reasonable nights? 20c at 4am, and much warmer indoors. Grim.
20°C high daytime today up here in the blessed north.
Light rain this morning for my cycle to work.
Light rain here too last night - straight from the Sahara by the look of it:
One up to the closure of rail ticket offices. I've just tried to buy my ticket online for a journey with no reservations possible and it tells me no tickets available for that day & time. Or any other at the moment, but it is a beta site. I'll try the local booking office tomorrow.
Good evening, everybody
Bug in the beta. Bought my ticket through another website.
. . . in case you didn't notice . . . based on results from yesterday's special election primary to fill vacancy for US House from Rhode Island District 1 (Providence, Pawtucket, Newport)
> Gabriel Amo, an African American of Ghanaian-Liberian heritage who worked in Obama & Biden admins, won Democratic nomination with 32.4% of Dem primary vote; he is now highly-favored to win November special election; (btw he studied at Merton College, Oxford as a Marshall fellow).
> Progressive hopeful former state rep. Aaron Regunberg, endorsed by Bernie Sanders and AOC, was second-place runner-up with 24.9%.
> RI's current Lieutenant Gov Sabina Matos, who is herself African American, started the summer special election as the frontrunner; but discovery that bunch of petition signatures filed in her name were fraudulent tanked her campaign, even though she still qualified for the primary ballot.
> Result is being interpreted largely as a defeat for progressive Dems, and while many primary voters clearly preferred a moderate, seems to me that what may have really boosted Gabe Amo was desire of of significant sector of electorate, to nominate and eventually elect a candidate of color to represent them in Congress - a first for Rhode Island
> Note that, according to 2020 census, 62% of RI total pop was non-Hispanic White, 18% Hispanic, 12% Black, 6% Asian
> Further note that state senator Sandra Cano, a youngimmigrant from Columbia, came in 3rd primary with 13.9% of Dem vote.
Cheeeeeeers from the Golden Valley. The horrors of Hereford feel far away
Is that an Aperol spritz? I had never heard of them before four months ago. I was away with sone friends at the weekend and they were suddenly ubiquitous. It is sitting in the niche that artisan gins were four years ago. My verdict was: not unpleasant, but over far too quickly for what you've paid. Still, I would happily be in your shoes right now. Looks splendid.
It is an Aperol spritz. I picked up a taste for them in Trentino years ago. They are great on hot evenings as an aperitif. And yes now ubiquitous in the UK (belatedly)
Good choice.
I almost ordered one yesterday evening, but at £12 a pop I decided to stick to beer.
Hereford is in an absolutely shocking state. Like a rural town in Pennsylvania
At least a third of the town centre properties are empty. Streets are deserted in areas. Sense of real deprivation. And this is in bright warm sun
I was here in feb 2022 and it felt bustling - in the cold. What has happened in the intervening year and a half? Covid belatedly impacting? Inflation?
It feels almost random. Ludlow is doing OK. Shrewsbury is thriving and crowded. Hereford is fucked
🤷♂️
Maybe everyone's at work?
No. This is weird, and sad
This is High Town, the premier retail street. Empty empty empty
The guy at Tanners wine merchant (based in thriving Shrewsbury, but which branches all down the Marches) warned me that Hereford is looking bad. He was right
@BartholomewRoberts will be pleased to hear that James Tanner has a theory for the apparent random declines. He says they’re not random - he reckons towns which heavily pedestrianised (Hereford) are now suffering badly cause covid made people lazy and they can’t be bothered to walk into town centres. If they can drive they come
I don’t believe it: I’m sure there is something else at work. There is plenty of parking in Hereford. But that’s the opinion of a retailer/merchant
Lots of factors but I'm beginning to suspect it's a matter of getting the sweet spot between local spending power and low city centre rents.
Hereford and Gloucester: locals don't have much spending power; low city centre rents but it doesn't matter. City centres doing badly.
Worcester and Shrewsbury: locals have more spending power; low city centre rents. City centres doing well.
Oxford: locals have insane amounts of spending power; city centre rents are insanely high. City centre holding on but with a lot of empty units.
High rents but are all of the locals rich? Did you see this rather odd story from the BBC today?
Presumably she can afford to fly from Dublin where she lives rent-free at mum's because she spends the rest of her time living rent-free in London with her friend. First world problems!
Three days every fortnight isn't most people's idea of "commuting" either.
She's big on lefty/rejoin political Twitter, which is presumably how she became the subject of this story.
She rather expansively describes herself in her Twitter bio as a "Former Diplomat" when she was an attaché for six months.
So you know the type.
Apparently she's an AI expert too. How convenient!
I know it’s been discussed here before but the sort of barrel scraping guff that is passed off as news on the BBC site just continues to get worse.
To be fair, it was on the Oxford section of the BBC site.
It’s effing roasting down here, day after blazing day. My garden office has no sun on it, ever, yet it’s still uncomfortably hot. I haven’t slept properly all week.
Pub.
I've not felt it too bad tbh. I think the way the direct heat goes off a bit earlier because the sun is lower, good chance to air the dormer upstairs from pretty early in the evening.
And as TimS noted, the humidity plus reasonable nights has actually resulted in some dew, and some condensation on the cars, by morning, so there's been an oppressive humidity / refreshing mistiness play off going on.
Reasonable nights? 20c at 4am, and much warmer indoors. Grim.
20°C high daytime today up here in the blessed north.
Light rain this morning for my cycle to work.
Light rain here too last night - straight from the Sahara by the look of it:
My wife’s car was the same when I got home from work.
It’s effing roasting down here, day after blazing day. My garden office has no sun on it, ever, yet it’s still uncomfortably hot. I haven’t slept properly all week.
Pub.
I've not felt it too bad tbh. I think the way the direct heat goes off a bit earlier because the sun is lower, good chance to air the dormer upstairs from pretty early in the evening.
And as TimS noted, the humidity plus reasonable nights has actually resulted in some dew, and some condensation on the cars, by morning, so there's been an oppressive humidity / refreshing mistiness play off going on.
Reasonable nights? 20c at 4am, and much warmer indoors. Grim.
20°C high daytime today up here in the blessed north.
Light rain this morning for my cycle to work.
Light rain here too last night - straight from the Sahara by the look of it:
Hereford is in an absolutely shocking state. Like a rural town in Pennsylvania
At least a third of the town centre properties are empty. Streets are deserted in areas. Sense of real deprivation. And this is in bright warm sun
I was here in feb 2022 and it felt bustling - in the cold. What has happened in the intervening year and a half? Covid belatedly impacting? Inflation?
It feels almost random. Ludlow is doing OK. Shrewsbury is thriving and crowded. Hereford is fucked
🤷♂️
Maybe everyone's at work?
No. This is weird, and sad
This is High Town, the premier retail street. Empty empty empty
The guy at Tanners wine merchant (based in thriving Shrewsbury, but which branches all down the Marches) warned me that Hereford is looking bad. He was right
@BartholomewRoberts will be pleased to hear that James Tanner has a theory for the apparent random declines. He says they’re not random - he reckons towns which heavily pedestrianised (Hereford) are now suffering badly cause covid made people lazy and they can’t be bothered to walk into town centres. If they can drive they come
I don’t believe it: I’m sure there is something else at work. There is plenty of parking in Hereford. But that’s the opinion of a retailer/merchant
Lots of factors but I'm beginning to suspect it's a matter of getting the sweet spot between local spending power and low city centre rents.
Hereford and Gloucester: locals don't have much spending power; low city centre rents but it doesn't matter. City centres doing badly.
Worcester and Shrewsbury: locals have more spending power; low city centre rents. City centres doing well.
Oxford: locals have insane amounts of spending power; city centre rents are insanely high. City centre holding on but with a lot of empty units.
High rents but are all of the locals rich? Did you see this rather odd story from the BBC today?
Presumably she can afford to fly from Dublin where she lives rent-free at mum's because she spends the rest of her time living rent-free in London with her friend. First world problems!
Three days every fortnight isn't most people's idea of "commuting" either.
She's big on lefty/rejoin political Twitter, which is presumably how she became the subject of this story.
She rather expansively describes herself in her Twitter bio as a "Former Diplomat" when she was an attaché for six months.
So you know the type.
Apparently she's an AI expert too. How convenient!
I know it’s been discussed here before but the sort of barrel scraping guff that is passed off as news on the BBC site just continues to get worse.
To be fair, it was on the Oxford section of the BBC site.
I’m not in Oxford. It comes up on the BBC homepage underneath the article about the escaped prisoner.
‘Heartbroken lecturer commutes from Dublin to Oxford due to rent increases’.
It is an ancient drover’s inn, in a spectacular location, was one of the original gastropubs. Years ago it was bought by some evil Crooked House type couple, who deliberately ran it into the ground - eg they would close at 2pm, they refused to change £10 notes, were exceptionally rude to everyone (“we don’t like your sort in here”) - in the hope of getting permission to turn it into a lovely home, due to lack of demand for a pub!
But the locals fought back against The Evil Couple, and now it is restored to glory. Splendid
Hereford is in an absolutely shocking state. Like a rural town in Pennsylvania
At least a third of the town centre properties are empty. Streets are deserted in areas. Sense of real deprivation. And this is in bright warm sun
I was here in feb 2022 and it felt bustling - in the cold. What has happened in the intervening year and a half? Covid belatedly impacting? Inflation?
It feels almost random. Ludlow is doing OK. Shrewsbury is thriving and crowded. Hereford is fucked
🤷♂️
Maybe everyone's at work?
No. This is weird, and sad
This is High Town, the premier retail street. Empty empty empty
The guy at Tanners wine merchant (based in thriving Shrewsbury, but which branches all down the Marches) warned me that Hereford is looking bad. He was right
@BartholomewRoberts will be pleased to hear that James Tanner has a theory for the apparent random declines. He says they’re not random - he reckons towns which heavily pedestrianised (Hereford) are now suffering badly cause covid made people lazy and they can’t be bothered to walk into town centres. If they can drive they come
I don’t believe it: I’m sure there is something else at work. There is plenty of parking in Hereford. But that’s the opinion of a retailer/merchant
Lots of factors but I'm beginning to suspect it's a matter of getting the sweet spot between local spending power and low city centre rents.
Hereford and Gloucester: locals don't have much spending power; low city centre rents but it doesn't matter. City centres doing badly.
Worcester and Shrewsbury: locals have more spending power; low city centre rents. City centres doing well.
Oxford: locals have insane amounts of spending power; city centre rents are insanely high. City centre holding on but with a lot of empty units.
High rents but are all of the locals rich? Did you see this rather odd story from the BBC today?
Presumably she can afford to fly from Dublin where she lives rent-free at mum's because she spends the rest of her time living rent-free in London with her friend. First world problems!
Three days every fortnight isn't most people's idea of "commuting" either.
She's big on lefty/rejoin political Twitter, which is presumably how she became the subject of this story.
She rather expansively describes herself in her Twitter bio as a "Former Diplomat" when she was an attaché for six months.
So you know the type.
Apparently she's an AI expert too. How convenient!
I know it’s been discussed here before but the sort of barrel scraping guff that is passed off as news on the BBC site just continues to get worse.
To be fair, it was on the Oxford section of the BBC site.
Surely the Dublin section would be more appropriate?
No doubt there are properties that a lecturer can afford in Oxford, or the towns near by. I suspect just not ones she believes she is entitled to.
The government failed to get any bidders for offshore wind developments at a maximum guaranteed price of £44 per MWH. Gas generated electricity currently costs about twice that. The guaranteed price for nuclear generation, if it happens, is £90 per MWH.
Doesn't seem to make a lot of sense to set the cap so low as alternatives are likely to be more expensive.
The wind doesn't blow all the time, so whatever capacity we build for wind generation requires another source to be available for redundancy. It doesn't seem entirely irrational to set the maximum guaranteed price at a low number.
While that's true, the reality is that the cost of purchasing gas backup is extremely inexpensive: it's the fuel that's expensive. If you had the country covered in wind turbines*, plus backup gas generators that would be dramatically cheaper than gas generators alone.
Don't forget the availability payments to the CCGT and OCGT plants for sitting there doing nothing. In the case of the latter, the last thing that they want to do is actually generate electricity since, as you say, it costs them so much for the fuel gas.
A very large amount of battery storage is the alternative to gas fired plants to provide dispatchability. But once there is an EV on every driveway*, then we'll be half way there by accident.
Was in the Golden Valley last week, Stroud, Nailsworth and the surrounding villages are lovely and the scenery and history wonderful. A favourite part of the world.
Different Golden Valley I think. I presume @Leon is by the River Dore in Herefordshire close to the Welsh border?
Yes I’m in the magnificent Golden Valley of west Herefordshire where England finally yields to Wales in a blaze of rolling opulent greenery and lyrical little churches and endless ruined castles. It’s glorious
I’m specifically at the new/refurbed Bull’s Head in Craswall
I think this may be the best gastropub menu I have ever seen. I would choose literally every dish here
It may taste crap but that is a perfect menu. Simple, uncomplicated, short - but yummmm
So if you don't eat meat you can't even have some chips? What a load of bollocks.
It’s Herefordshire, mate. Home of Hereford cows and The Beefy Boys
One up to the closure of rail ticket offices. I've just tried to buy my ticket online for a journey with no reservations possible and it tells me no tickets available for that day & time. Or any other at the moment, but it is a beta site. I'll try the local booking office tomorrow.
Good evening, everybody
If you are buying a flexible ticket, just select a different train but catch the one you want. No problem.
Was in the Golden Valley last week, Stroud, Nailsworth and the surrounding villages are lovely and the scenery and history wonderful. A favourite part of the world.
Different Golden Valley I think. I presume @Leon is by the River Dore in Herefordshire close to the Welsh border?
Yes I’m in the magnificent Golden Valley of west Herefordshire where England finally yields to Wales in a blaze of rolling opulent greenery and lyrical little churches and endless ruined castles. It’s glorious
I’m specifically at the new/refurbed Bull’s Head in Craswall
I think this may be the best gastropub menu I have ever seen. I would choose literally every dish here
It may taste crap but that is a perfect menu. Simple, uncomplicated, short - but yummmm
Is that CS Lewis’s Golden Valley? I only know about it because I watched Shadowlands for the first time a couple of weeks ago. Not a bad movie.
I’ve never seen it. It was filmed around the time I was at the university. There must be an extra rowing a boat who looks exactly like me as I’ve lost count of the number of times people I knew there mention my “appearance” in the film. I decided to roll with it some time ago.
Comments
Move the writ!
Pub.
There are plenty of ways this question could be phrased to get the opposite response.
Doesn't seem to make a lot of sense to set the cap so low as alternatives are likely to be more expensive.
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/sep/07/suank-offshore-wind-auction-bidders-government-energy-bills
And as TimS noted, the humidity plus reasonable nights has actually resulted in some dew, and some condensation on the cars, by morning, so there's been an oppressive humidity / refreshing mistiness play off going on.
Everyone is all for increased taxes as long as they are not applied to them
Worth at least 500k a year in CEO compensation, I reckon.
Sorry to break it to you.
"Elon Musk secretly shut down Starlink access off the coast of Crimea last year to thwart Ukraine's underwater USV attack on the Russian Navy."
https://twitter.com/clashreport/status/1699770672715563131
Sorry to break it to you.
A LTN restricts access, there is no restriction to any vehicles coming into our cul de sac 24/7
p.S. I'm one of the 3.
I don't think a challenge would succeed arguing there was no legitimate reason for collection, or that it should have been instantly deleted as it was no longer required.
Add in all sorts of other matters like a football match being a public event, where anyone might pull out a phone and record, or that when purchasing a ticket people probably sign up to have their name retained for a mailing list or other purposes, and it sounds very unlikely to be a problem.
After all, what the heck is CCTV for if not to look at? 'Right to be forgotten' isn't some magic shield.
Ok, people don't generally moan about offshore wind, but I'm sure some can be found.
@BigG an LTN does not restrict access. That's what conspiracy theorists think.
All they do is prevent ratrunning, and all modern housing estates (including yours) are based on the LTN principle.
Furthermore, cul de sac or not, most everyone depends on the use of their car and this is not going to change
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/elon-musk-putin-colin-kahl-pentagon-ukraine-starlink-b2397109.html
Trump: 47%
Biden: 46%
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/09/07/politics/cnn-poll-joe-biden-headwinds/index.html
Here is link for live broadcast, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAbpqbVMXUs
also this link
https://www.texastribune.org/2023/09/07/ken-paxton-impeachment-trial-live-updates/
PLUS excerpts Thur NYT
. . . . The trial is focused on 16 articles of impeachment related to the whistle-blowers’ central allegations: that Mr. Paxton had abused his office by using it to benefit Mr. Paul [real estate developer] who had given him a $25,000 campaign contribution and, lawyers for the prosecution said, paid for renovations to one of Mr. Paxton’s houses and helped him engage in an extramarital affair.
Mr. Paul, who was indicted on federal financial fraud charges in June, has denied any wrongdoing. Mr. Paxton, who has been under state indictment for securities fraud since 2015, pleaded not guilty to all the articles of impeachment on Tuesday. He was not present at the trial on Wednesday. . . .
Mr. Mateer and others confronted Mr. Paxton about what seemed to be his unusual concern for legal matters involving Mr. Paul. . . . .
The next month, Mr. Mateer said, he learned that the attorney general’s office was issuing legal guidance related to the reopening of businesses during the coronavirus pandemic that said outdoor foreclosure auctions should not resume.
Mr. Mateer said it seemed directly contrary to the state’s policy on reopening after pandemic-related business closures. “It was as if Anthony Fauci had written it,” he said, referring to the face of the federal government’s response to Covid-19, a reviled figure among many Republicans. “What was this?” he said. “We were not for shutting things down. Certainly not for shutting down outdoor foreclosure sales.”
Later, he said, he learned who had wanted the guidance, in order to prevent foreclosure sales of his properties: Mr. Paul.
At one point, Mr. Mateer recalled confronting the attorney general over the interventions, including Mr. Paxton’s interest in hiring a young lawyer, Brandon Cammack, to look into the federal criminal investigation of Mr. Paul.
“Ken, why are we involved in this?” Mr. Mateer recalled asking.
He said he later learned that Mr. Paxton had resumed an extramarital affair that had been revealed during his first re-election campaign in 2018, and which Mr. Paxton had promised at the time that he had ended. Prosecutors have said Mr. Paul hired the woman involved in the affair, and also helped Mr. Paxton conceal it by providing an Uber account under an alias that Mr. Paxton used to meet her.
SSI - with particular reference to final paragraph above, note one of the 31 Texas state senators who are Ken Paxton's jury, included his wife, Sen. Angela Paxton.
BTW, as of last census and apportionment, the Lone State State has 38 members of the US House, thus a Texas state senator represents significantly more residents and voters; in fact, the Texas Senate is one of the most powerful state legislative bodies in the USA.
My verdict was: not unpleasant, but over far too quickly for what you've paid.
Still, I would happily be in your shoes right now. Looks splendid.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0k43g4rSobc
So if you watched under the old title, there's no need to go back. Clickbait or a straw in the wind?
Hereford and Gloucester: locals don't have much spending power; low city centre rents but it doesn't matter. City centres doing badly.
Worcester and Shrewsbury: locals have more spending power; low city centre rents. City centres doing well.
Oxford: locals have insane amounts of spending power; city centre rents are insanely high. City centre holding on but with a lot of empty units.
Also, if you're in the Golden Valley, seek out the Gwatkins cider. One of the finest made-in-Britain drinks I've ever tried.
IF post 2024 equation is, 47 = 45
Cost of Living: Oxford lecturer commutes from Dublin
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-66732639
Presumably she can afford to fly from Dublin where she lives rent-free at mum's because she spends the rest of her time living rent-free in London with her friend. First world problems!
I’m specifically at the new/refurbed Bull’s Head in Craswall
I think this may be the best gastropub menu I have ever seen. I would choose literally every dish here
It may taste crap but that is a perfect menu. Simple, uncomplicated, short - but yummmm
Also based on body language, this time of senators also shown when the lawyer is speaking, at least some of the jury are finding his cross examination a tad tedious, at best.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tLE2enW6a0
In hypothetical head-to-head matchups with 2024 GOP challengers, Biden was statistically tied with one exception: former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley stood as the only Republican candidate to hold a lead over Biden, with 49 percent to Biden’s 43 percent.
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/09/07/biden-polls-age-00114435
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/08/28/elon-musks-shadow-rule
Clever
She rather expansively describes herself in her Twitter bio as a "Former Diplomat" when she was an attaché for six months.
So you know the type.
Good evening, everybody
It completely baffles me how 50% of the country plans to vote for that corrupt, egotistical wannabe dictator of a man that is a danger to the world as a result of his preference for strongmen over democratic allies.
It's like if you combined the worst qualities of Boris, Corbyn and Truss and you told me 50% of the UK planned to vote for them on a joint ticket...
Clearly I don't understand Americans.
Apparently she's an AI expert too. How convenient!
Arsing around with Ukraine's Starlink services will have cost Ukrainian lives. It did nothing to Russia. Hence, what he did *helped* Russia in its sordid, imperialistic war. He did not do this because he was afraid of WW3; he did it to curry favour - and show his personal power - to Putin and Xi.
(I went for the turbot, I can never resist a turbot)
> Gabriel Amo, an African American of Ghanaian-Liberian heritage who worked in Obama & Biden admins, won Democratic nomination with 32.4% of Dem primary vote; he is now highly-favored to win November special election; (btw he studied at Merton College, Oxford as a Marshall fellow).
> Progressive hopeful former state rep. Aaron Regunberg, endorsed by Bernie Sanders and AOC, was second-place runner-up with 24.9%.
> RI's current Lieutenant Gov Sabina Matos, who is herself African American, started the summer special election as the frontrunner; but discovery that bunch of petition signatures filed in her name were fraudulent tanked her campaign, even though she still qualified for the primary ballot.
> Result is being interpreted largely as a defeat for progressive Dems, and while many primary voters clearly preferred a moderate, seems to me that what may have really boosted Gabe Amo was desire of of significant sector of electorate, to nominate and eventually elect a candidate of color to represent them in Congress - a first for Rhode Island
> Note that, according to 2020 census, 62% of RI total pop was non-Hispanic White, 18% Hispanic, 12% Black, 6% Asian
> Further note that state senator Sandra Cano, a youngimmigrant from Columbia, came in 3rd primary with 13.9% of Dem vote.
I almost ordered one yesterday evening, but at £12 a pop I decided to stick to beer.
Every time I see a poll where Trump is close or ahead I get a small bout of depression. If Trump wins I fear nothing can ever come to any good again.
‘Heartbroken lecturer commutes from Dublin to Oxford due to rent increases’.
It is an ancient drover’s inn, in a spectacular location, was one of the original gastropubs. Years ago it was bought by some evil Crooked House type couple, who deliberately ran it into the ground - eg they would close at 2pm, they refused to change £10 notes, were exceptionally rude to everyone (“we don’t like your sort in here”) - in the hope of getting permission to turn it into a lovely home, due to lack of demand for a pub!
But the locals fought back against The Evil Couple, and now it is restored to glory. Splendid
No doubt there are properties that a lecturer can afford in Oxford, or the towns near by. I suspect just not ones she believes she is entitled to.
A very large amount of battery storage is the alternative to gas fired plants to provide dispatchability. But once there is an EV on every driveway*, then we'll be half way there by accident.
*Or multiple EVs, if you live in a cul-de-sac.
Vegetarians are even less popular than the Welsh
Give me 'poor choice' Biden any day.