But I don’t doubt that Boris will be reasonably entertaining. Comic bollocks is actually his metier, he’s a better “performer” than writer for sure.
Isn't there a decent amount of evidence that, as a live performer with a sober audience, he's actually pretty hopeless?
And that his turn, such as it is, wears very thin very fast.
Not that I ever listened to it much, but I caught Boris on 'Desert Island Discs' early on in his career. Painful really: he'd made no effort at all, couldn't remember the choices he'd made and just blathered on about Richard Clayderman. He was clearly someone who thought his presence alone was entertaining enough.
Which is why it is a war crime to use a hospital as a military base in time of war.*
Hamas, (and their Iranian overlords) who of course, don't care about Gazans any more than they do Israelis, are not worried about this. But we should be.
*Incidentally this is what Amnesty International criticised Ukraine for, although in that case there was some doubt as to whether the hospitals were actually being used as military bases.
Best place for the loon. I stood for over an hour at Basel Airport this morning queuing at passport control whilst EU nationals waltzed past me. The Frogs loved holding us up. Thanks Boris. You give politics a filthy name.
I’ve heard this rubbish before. There are many valid criticisms of Brexit but this isn’t one of them.
I have travelled a lot in Europe post-Brexit. Sometimes it’s been quicker to be non-EU (holiday destinations with e-gates), usually it’s the same, very occasionally it’s been slower. Overall? No change.
Nah its dreadful if you are British
I must not be British. Blimey, the transformation of the “join the EU” nutters into nu-KIP is complete.
Best place for the loon. I stood for over an hour at Basel Airport this morning queuing at passport control whilst EU nationals waltzed past me. The Frogs loved holding us up. Thanks Boris. You give politics a filthy name.
I’ve heard this rubbish before. There are many valid criticisms of Brexit but this isn’t one of them.
I have travelled a lot in Europe post-Brexit. Sometimes it’s been quicker to be non-EU (holiday destinations with e-gates), usually it’s the same, very occasionally it’s been slower. Overall? No change.
Nah its dreadful if you are British
I must not be British. Blimey, the transformation of the “join the EU” nutters into nu-KIP is complete.
When I arrived in Crete, they only had two lanes open anyway so everyone was processed the same way.
Best place for the loon. I stood for over an hour at Basel Airport this morning queuing at passport control whilst EU nationals waltzed past me. The Frogs loved holding us up. Thanks Boris. You give politics a filthy name.
Yeah?
In Catania airport the Italians have introduced a special lane for Brits (plus Americans, Japanese, Koreans, the usual). They’ve put in scanners and after the scanner a man stamps your passport in half a second
The EU queue and “approved nations” queue were the exact same size and moved at the exact same pace
Honestly, stop whining about passport queues. The problems are being ironed out and pretty soon technology will render all passport queues and eventually all passports a thing of the past
There is no reason whatsoever for queues.
When we travelled to Canada a few months ago the passport queue was all automated. There was only one queue, regardless of whether you were Canadian, American, British or anything else everyone went through the same queue, which took us about 30 seconds to reach the front of the queue from entering the room.
There were digital scanners that took scans of our passports and photos of my wife and I (not the kids), and printed a barcode which we then took to a human who scanned the barcode and waved us through.
If any country hasn't sorted out its own passport control yet, it should. Its not a reason to be in a political union with it.
Saint Chapelle is one of the most exquisite buildings in the world. I’ve had fam and friends go there - North Americans or Aussies not used to great gothic architecture - and burst into tears
There are dozens of 'not exactly shit' museums and galleries but we've been blown away by the Mauritshuis today, just saying.
Anyway, a discussion on the finest art galleries in the world has to beat best and worst* carbs surely?
(*Grits, definitely.)
You get some nice natas and coffee in the cafe, too - and outside of tourist season, it's pretty quiet..
It was nice and quiet today. Plenty of chance to take in each painting, even headliners, Girl With a Pearl Earring, The Goldfinch, View of Delft, etc. Contrast that with the scrum around Mona Lisa at the Louvre or Van Gogh's Sunflowers etc. in Amsterdam.
The lighting at the Mauritshuis is perfect too, all the paintings are beautifully presented.
Best place for the loon. I stood for over an hour at Basel Airport this morning queuing at passport control whilst EU nationals waltzed past me. The Frogs loved holding us up. Thanks Boris. You give politics a filthy name.
I’ve heard this rubbish before. There are many valid criticisms of Brexit but this isn’t one of them.
I have travelled a lot in Europe post-Brexit. Sometimes it’s been quicker to be non-EU (holiday destinations with e-gates), usually it’s the same, very occasionally it’s been slower. Overall? No change.
Nah its dreadful if you are British
I must not be British. Blimey, the transformation of the “join the EU” nutters into nu-KIP is complete.
The point is that Boris lied to us and everything is more difficult. On a n Basic level, try posting a present to Germany and pay the ludicrous tariff. The whole thing is fucked. Ask British business about how it's changed. Its fucked
Best place for the loon. I stood for over an hour at Basel Airport this morning queuing at passport control whilst EU nationals waltzed past me. The Frogs loved holding us up. Thanks Boris. You give politics a filthy name.
I’ve heard this rubbish before. There are many valid criticisms of Brexit but this isn’t one of them.
I have travelled a lot in Europe post-Brexit. Sometimes it’s been quicker to be non-EU (holiday destinations with e-gates), usually it’s the same, very occasionally it’s been slower. Overall? No change.
Nah its dreadful if you are British
I must not be British. Blimey, the transformation of the “join the EU” nutters into nu-KIP is complete.
The point is that Boris lied to us and everything is more difficult. On a n Basic level, try posting a present to Germany and pay the ludicrous tariff. The whole thing is fucked. Ask British business about how it's changed. Its fucked
Well it’s only the latte-sipping elitist wankers who want to export to Germany so - what’s the problem?
The worst passport experience I had in post-Brexit world was in Mexico.
My wife and I landed in Punta Mita. The airport was relatively quiet, with perhaps 20 people queing for the solitary inspector, and then a dozen e-gates with maybe 40 people waiting for them. The e-gates were labled "US, Canada, EU/EEA and UK".
We went for the e-gates and waited perhaps five minutes to get to the front. The e-gates refused to let us through. An immigration official came up to us, looked at our passport, said "e-gates, no UK". We pointed to the sign, he said "no UK, use other line".
The other line now had 300 people in it, because a big plane had just landed from Taiwan.
We waited more than two hours for the single, over-worked, immigration official who - when we got to the front - was very suspicious about why we hadn't use the e-gates.
Best place for the loon. I stood for over an hour at Basel Airport this morning queuing at passport control whilst EU nationals waltzed past me. The Frogs loved holding us up. Thanks Boris. You give politics a filthy name.
Yeah?
In Catania airport the Italians have introduced a special lane for Brits (plus Americans, Japanese, Koreans, the usual). They’ve put in scanners and after the scanner a man stamps your passport in half a second
The EU queue and “approved nations” queue were the exact same size and moved at the exact same pace
Honestly, stop whining about passport queues. The problems are being ironed out and pretty soon technology will render all passport queues and eventually all passports a thing of the past
There is no reason whatsoever for queues.
When we travelled to Canada a few months ago the passport queue was all automated. There was only one queue, regardless of whether you were Canadian, American, British or anything else everyone went through the same queue, which took us about 30 seconds to reach the front of the queue from entering the room.
There were digital scanners that took scans of our passports and photos of my wife and I (not the kids), and printed a barcode which we then took to a human who scanned the barcode and waved us through.
If any country hasn't sorted out its own passport control yet, it should. Its not a reason to be in a political union with it.
Quite so
It’s also in the interest of nearly every European country to make passport queues as brisk as possible for holiday makers - as holiday makers bring money and they can choose to go elsewhere
For countries that really depend on British tourists - Portugal, Spain, Greece (in parts) - it’s a no brainer. Speed the queue. And soon the queues will be gone
It is possibly only the French who might slow the Brits down out of spite but I think even they are now over Brexit
Best place for the loon. I stood for over an hour at Basel Airport this morning queuing at passport control whilst EU nationals waltzed past me. The Frogs loved holding us up. Thanks Boris. You give politics a filthy name.
Yeah?
In Catania airport the Italians have introduced a special lane for Brits (plus Americans, Japanese, Koreans, the usual). They’ve put in scanners and after the scanner a man stamps your passport in half a second
The EU queue and “approved nations” queue were the exact same size and moved at the exact same pace
Honestly, stop whining about passport queues. The problems are being ironed out and pretty soon technology will render all passport queues and eventually all passports a thing of the past
There is no reason whatsoever for queues.
When we travelled to Canada a few months ago the passport queue was all automated. There was only one queue, regardless of whether you were Canadian, American, British or anything else everyone went through the same queue, which took us about 30 seconds to reach the front of the queue from entering the room.
There were digital scanners that took scans of our passports and photos of my wife and I (not the kids), and printed a barcode which we then took to a human who scanned the barcode and waved us through.
If any country hasn't sorted out its own passport control yet, it should. Its not a reason to be in a political union with it.
Everywhere is going e-gates; it will make traveling around the world a hell of a lot easier. (So long as the signs don't lie.)
Best place for the loon. I stood for over an hour at Basel Airport this morning queuing at passport control whilst EU nationals waltzed past me. The Frogs loved holding us up. Thanks Boris. You give politics a filthy name.
Yeah?
In Catania airport the Italians have introduced a special lane for Brits (plus Americans, Japanese, Koreans, the usual). They’ve put in scanners and after the scanner a man stamps your passport in half a second
The EU queue and “approved nations” queue were the exact same size and moved at the exact same pace
Honestly, stop whining about passport queues. The problems are being ironed out and pretty soon technology will render all passport queues and eventually all passports a thing of the past
There is no reason whatsoever for queues.
When we travelled to Canada a few months ago the passport queue was all automated. There was only one queue, regardless of whether you were Canadian, American, British or anything else everyone went through the same queue, which took us about 30 seconds to reach the front of the queue from entering the room.
There were digital scanners that took scans of our passports and photos of my wife and I (not the kids), and printed a barcode which we then took to a human who scanned the barcode and waved us through.
If any country hasn't sorted out its own passport control yet, it should. Its not a reason to be in a political union with it.
Quite so
It’s also in the interest of nearly every European country to make passport queues as brisk as possible for holiday makers - as holiday makers bring money and they can choose to go elsewhere
For countries that really depend on British tourists - Portugal, Spain, Greece (in parts) - it’s a no brainer. Speed the queue. And soon the queues will be gone
It is possibly only the French who might slow the Brits down out of spite but I think even they are now over Brexit
Most of the major European airports (Rome, etc.) already have e-gates that accept Brits. It's in smaller airports where you are likely to find it a little more difficult.
Karen Pollock in the Holocaust Education Trust's October newsletter is uncharacteristically downbeat:
Since I wrote to you about the horrific massacre in Israel (you can read our statement again here), antisemitism in the UK has increased to exponential levels and many are feeling a heightened sense of anxiety as events continue to unfold. Our work to educate about the Holocaust and contemporary antisemitism could not be more important.
We know lots of people, including many in the Jewish community are feeling troubled and unsure due to current events.
Best place for the loon. I stood for over an hour at Basel Airport this morning queuing at passport control whilst EU nationals waltzed past me. The Frogs loved holding us up. Thanks Boris. You give politics a filthy name.
I’ve heard this rubbish before. There are many valid criticisms of Brexit but this isn’t one of them.
I have travelled a lot in Europe post-Brexit. Sometimes it’s been quicker to be non-EU (holiday destinations with e-gates), usually it’s the same, very occasionally it’s been slower. Overall? No change.
Nah its dreadful if you are British
I must not be British. Blimey, the transformation of the “join the EU” nutters into nu-KIP is complete.
Over the past year, I've flown to Madrid, Heraklion, Zagreb and Dubrovnik, and it couldn't be smoother.
Returning to Luton Airport from Dubrovnik was less impressive.
Best place for the loon. I stood for over an hour at Basel Airport this morning queuing at passport control whilst EU nationals waltzed past me. The Frogs loved holding us up. Thanks Boris. You give politics a filthy name.
Yeah?
In Catania airport the Italians have introduced a special lane for Brits (plus Americans, Japanese, Koreans, the usual). They’ve put in scanners and after the scanner a man stamps your passport in half a second
The EU queue and “approved nations” queue were the exact same size and moved at the exact same pace
Honestly, stop whining about passport queues. The problems are being ironed out and pretty soon technology will render all passport queues and eventually all passports a thing of the past
There is no reason whatsoever for queues.
When we travelled to Canada a few months ago the passport queue was all automated. There was only one queue, regardless of whether you were Canadian, American, British or anything else everyone went through the same queue, which took us about 30 seconds to reach the front of the queue from entering the room.
There were digital scanners that took scans of our passports and photos of my wife and I (not the kids), and printed a barcode which we then took to a human who scanned the barcode and waved us through.
If any country hasn't sorted out its own passport control yet, it should. Its not a reason to be in a political union with it.
Quite so
It’s also in the interest of nearly every European country to make passport queues as brisk as possible for holiday makers - as holiday makers bring money and they can choose to go elsewhere
For countries that really depend on British tourists - Portugal, Spain, Greece (in parts) - it’s a no brainer. Speed the queue. And soon the queues will be gone
It is possibly only the French who might slow the Brits down out of spite but I think even they are now over Brexit
I take the long view. By the time global warming has kicked in and everybody in the French desert wants to come here to cool off, they'll have to wait.
Karen Pollock in the Holocaust Education Trust's October newsletter is uncharacteristically downbeat:
Since I wrote to you about the horrific massacre in Israel (you can read our statement again here), antisemitism in the UK has increased to exponential levels and many are feeling a heightened sense of anxiety as events continue to unfold. Our work to educate about the Holocaust and contemporary antisemitism could not be more important.
We know lots of people, including many in the Jewish community are feeling troubled and unsure due to current events.
Can I add "increased to exponential levels" to the suggestions from earlier of hated phrases?
Karen Pollock in the Holocaust Education Trust's October newsletter is uncharacteristically downbeat:
Since I wrote to you about the horrific massacre in Israel (you can read our statement again here), antisemitism in the UK has increased to exponential levels and many are feeling a heightened sense of anxiety as events continue to unfold. Our work to educate about the Holocaust and contemporary antisemitism could not be more important.
We know lots of people, including many in the Jewish community are feeling troubled and unsure due to current events.
Can I add "increased to exponential levels" to the suggestions from earlier of hated phrases?
It is a phrase whose use is increasing exponentially.
Don't think it will derail SKS getting to Downing St. as the British public have made up their minds. They want the Tories OUT!
It is, however, a big warning sign of what's going to happen when Labour get into government... Not just this but over so many things such as strikes, Brexit, net zero, probably house building... Labour is very likely to get into power and rapidly disintegrate.
One term Lab government, IMO.
Wishful thinking because the Tories have so badly shit the bed.
Having said that UK Labour needs to look at NZ Labour for what happens when you over promise and badly fail to deliver.
But Starmer is no Ardern. His top team is reasonably impressive and I expect his Cabinet to be more so (Benn etc).
As a leftie, I feel Labour is positively obsessive is not promising to deliver, at any rate anything that costs money! Sadly they probably have to be in view of the current mess.
Best place for the loon. I stood for over an hour at Basel Airport this morning queuing at passport control whilst EU nationals waltzed past me. The Frogs loved holding us up. Thanks Boris. You give politics a filthy name.
Yeah?
In Catania airport the Italians have introduced a special lane for Brits (plus Americans, Japanese, Koreans, the usual). They’ve put in scanners and after the scanner a man stamps your passport in half a second
The EU queue and “approved nations” queue were the exact same size and moved at the exact same pace
Honestly, stop whining about passport queues. The problems are being ironed out and pretty soon technology will render all passport queues and eventually all passports a thing of the past
There is no reason whatsoever for queues.
When we travelled to Canada a few months ago the passport queue was all automated. There was only one queue, regardless of whether you were Canadian, American, British or anything else everyone went through the same queue, which took us about 30 seconds to reach the front of the queue from entering the room.
There were digital scanners that took scans of our passports and photos of my wife and I (not the kids), and printed a barcode which we then took to a human who scanned the barcode and waved us through.
If any country hasn't sorted out its own passport control yet, it should. Its not a reason to be in a political union with it.
Quite so
It’s also in the interest of nearly every European country to make passport queues as brisk as possible for holiday makers - as holiday makers bring money and they can choose to go elsewhere
For countries that really depend on British tourists - Portugal, Spain, Greece (in parts) - it’s a no brainer. Speed the queue. And soon the queues will be gone
It is possibly only the French who might slow the Brits down out of spite but I think even they are now over Brexit
Most of the major European airports (Rome, etc.) already have e-gates that accept Brits. It's in smaller airports where you are likely to find it a little more difficult.
Plenty of e-gates at Faro. Unfortunately not in use when we arrived last month.
Karen Pollock in the Holocaust Education Trust's October newsletter is uncharacteristically downbeat:
Since I wrote to you about the horrific massacre in Israel (you can read our statement again here), antisemitism in the UK has increased to exponential levels and many are feeling a heightened sense of anxiety as events continue to unfold. Our work to educate about the Holocaust and contemporary antisemitism could not be more important.
We know lots of people, including many in the Jewish community are feeling troubled and unsure due to current events.
Im currently re-reading Timur Vermes "Look who's back". It has got a bit more of an edge this time round.
Boris joining GB News....at this rate there will be more former Tory MPs on there than actually sitting in parliament.
They are always losing loads of money and no obvious business model to ever turn it around, not sure hiring the likes of Boris will do much more than lose them even more dosh.
The Washington Post commits jouirnalism: 'Fighters in Gaza launched a barrage of rockets toward Israel and in the direction of al-Ahli Hospital 44 seconds before an explosion there that killed at least 100 people, according to a visual analysis by The Washington Post. . . . The analysis of that and other videos, in addition to expert review of imagery of the blast site, provides circumstantial evidence that could bolster the contention by Israel and the U.S. government that a stray rocket launched by a Palestinian armed group was responsible for the Oct. 17 explosion.' source$: https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2023/10/26/gaza-hospital-blast-evidence-israel-hamas/
The article seems quite well done, but I must add that I am no expert in analyzing weapons videos.
Best place for the loon. I stood for over an hour at Basel Airport this morning queuing at passport control whilst EU nationals waltzed past me. The Frogs loved holding us up. Thanks Boris. You give politics a filthy name.
Yeah?
In Catania airport the Italians have introduced a special lane for Brits (plus Americans, Japanese, Koreans, the usual). They’ve put in scanners and after the scanner a man stamps your passport in half a second
The EU queue and “approved nations” queue were the exact same size and moved at the exact same pace
Honestly, stop whining about passport queues. The problems are being ironed out and pretty soon technology will render all passport queues and eventually all passports a thing of the past
There is no reason whatsoever for queues.
When we travelled to Canada a few months ago the passport queue was all automated. There was only one queue, regardless of whether you were Canadian, American, British or anything else everyone went through the same queue, which took us about 30 seconds to reach the front of the queue from entering the room.
There were digital scanners that took scans of our passports and photos of my wife and I (not the kids), and printed a barcode which we then took to a human who scanned the barcode and waved us through.
If any country hasn't sorted out its own passport control yet, it should. Its not a reason to be in a political union with it.
Quite so
It’s also in the interest of nearly every European country to make passport queues as brisk as possible for holiday makers - as holiday makers bring money and they can choose to go elsewhere
For countries that really depend on British tourists - Portugal, Spain, Greece (in parts) - it’s a no brainer. Speed the queue. And soon the queues will be gone
It is possibly only the French who might slow the Brits down out of spite but I think even they are now over Brexit
Most of the major European airports (Rome, etc.) already have e-gates that accept Brits. It's in smaller airports where you are likely to find it a little more difficult.
Plenty of e-gates at Faro. Unfortunately not in use when we arrived last month.
Never mind the EU, we should join Schengen.
The UK should certainly join Schengen. As the world’s second largest exporter of services, it would be a big boost to economic performance (and make life generally much lower hassle).
Don't think it will derail SKS getting to Downing St. as the British public have made up their minds. They want the Tories OUT!
It is, however, a big warning sign of what's going to happen when Labour get into government... Not just this but over so many things such as strikes, Brexit, net zero, probably house building... Labour is very likely to get into power and rapidly disintegrate.
One term Lab government, IMO.
Wishful thinking because the Tories have so badly shit the bed.
Having said that UK Labour needs to look at NZ Labour for what happens when you over promise and badly fail to deliver.
But Starmer is no Ardern. His top team is reasonably impressive and I expect his Cabinet to be more so (Benn etc).
As a leftie, I feel Labour is positively obsessive is not promising to deliver, at any rate anything that costs money! Sadly they probably have to be in view of the current mess.
Oh dont worry Nick Im sure you can mess it up even more.
As an infrequent but pro-EU traveller, I have to confess that any passport queues due to Brexit pale into utter insignificance when compared with fucking EasyJet's inability to provide an airplane anywhere proximate to the time that it is due to take off.
Best place for the loon. I stood for over an hour at Basel Airport this morning queuing at passport control whilst EU nationals waltzed past me. The Frogs loved holding us up. Thanks Boris. You give politics a filthy name.
I’ve heard this rubbish before. There are many valid criticisms of Brexit but this isn’t one of them.
I have travelled a lot in Europe post-Brexit. Sometimes it’s been quicker to be non-EU (holiday destinations with e-gates), usually it’s the same, very occasionally it’s been slower. Overall? No change.
Nah its dreadful if you are British
I must not be British. Blimey, the transformation of the “join the EU” nutters into nu-KIP is complete.
The point is that Boris lied to us and everything is more difficult. On a n Basic level, try posting a present to Germany and pay the ludicrous tariff. The whole thing is fucked. Ask British business about how it's changed. Its fucked
Yes I only have to look around me to see the dystopia of Britain today. It’s like Mad Max out there. Oh for the simple pleasures of the world before 2016 when the EU used to send us all a food parcel of pate de foie gras, a case of champagne, and Parisian hooker once a week.
Karen Pollock in the Holocaust Education Trust's October newsletter is uncharacteristically downbeat:
Since I wrote to you about the horrific massacre in Israel (you can read our statement again here), antisemitism in the UK has increased to exponential levels and many are feeling a heightened sense of anxiety as events continue to unfold. Our work to educate about the Holocaust and contemporary antisemitism could not be more important.
We know lots of people, including many in the Jewish community are feeling troubled and unsure due to current events.
Can I add "increased to exponential levels" to the suggestions from earlier of hated phrases?
It is a phrase whose use is increasing exponentially.
Are you suggesting that there is exponential growth in the use of the word exponential?
Best place for the loon. I stood for over an hour at Basel Airport this morning queuing at passport control whilst EU nationals waltzed past me. The Frogs loved holding us up. Thanks Boris. You give politics a filthy name.
I’ve heard this rubbish before. There are many valid criticisms of Brexit but this isn’t one of them.
I have travelled a lot in Europe post-Brexit. Sometimes it’s been quicker to be non-EU (holiday destinations with e-gates), usually it’s the same, very occasionally it’s been slower. Overall? No change.
Nah its dreadful if you are British
I recently landed in Helsinki in a mixed party of North Americans, Australians, EU and Brits. The EU folk were through in minutes, while we Brits had to queue up for the non EU for about an hour. The worst bit was the pisstaking by Australians and Canadians saying UK should have stayed in the EU.
Karen Pollock in the Holocaust Education Trust's October newsletter is uncharacteristically downbeat:
Since I wrote to you about the horrific massacre in Israel (you can read our statement again here), antisemitism in the UK has increased to exponential levels and many are feeling a heightened sense of anxiety as events continue to unfold. Our work to educate about the Holocaust and contemporary antisemitism could not be more important.
We know lots of people, including many in the Jewish community are feeling troubled and unsure due to current events.
Can I add "increased to exponential levels" to the suggestions from earlier of hated phrases?
It is a phrase whose use is increasing exponentially.
Best place for the loon. I stood for over an hour at Basel Airport this morning queuing at passport control whilst EU nationals waltzed past me. The Frogs loved holding us up. Thanks Boris. You give politics a filthy name.
Yeah?
In Catania airport the Italians have introduced a special lane for Brits (plus Americans, Japanese, Koreans, the usual). They’ve put in scanners and after the scanner a man stamps your passport in half a second
The EU queue and “approved nations” queue were the exact same size and moved at the exact same pace
Honestly, stop whining about passport queues. The problems are being ironed out and pretty soon technology will render all passport queues and eventually all passports a thing of the past
There is no reason whatsoever for queues.
When we travelled to Canada a few months ago the passport queue was all automated. There was only one queue, regardless of whether you were Canadian, American, British or anything else everyone went through the same queue, which took us about 30 seconds to reach the front of the queue from entering the room.
There were digital scanners that took scans of our passports and photos of my wife and I (not the kids), and printed a barcode which we then took to a human who scanned the barcode and waved us through.
If any country hasn't sorted out its own passport control yet, it should. Its not a reason to be in a political union with it.
Quite so
It’s also in the interest of nearly every European country to make passport queues as brisk as possible for holiday makers - as holiday makers bring money and they can choose to go elsewhere
For countries that really depend on British tourists - Portugal, Spain, Greece (in parts) - it’s a no brainer. Speed the queue. And soon the queues will be gone
It is possibly only the French who might slow the Brits down out of spite but I think even they are now over Brexit
Most of the major European airports (Rome, etc.) already have e-gates that accept Brits. It's in smaller airports where you are likely to find it a little more difficult.
Plenty of e-gates at Faro. Unfortunately not in use when we arrived last month.
Never mind the EU, we should join Schengen.
The UK should certainly join Schengen. As the world’s second largest exporter of services, it would be a big boost to economic performance (and make life generally much lower hassle).
A form of Schengen is coming anyway. Everyone will be photographed with facial recognition on arrival whether they like it or not. Computers will process you as you walk to the arrivals lounge and get your luggage
Customs/cops will be alerted to villainous types who will be collared as they walk, everyone else will breeze through. No need for passports
When you think about it, it is absurd we are relying on these 19th century paper documents
Best place for the loon. I stood for over an hour at Basel Airport this morning queuing at passport control whilst EU nationals waltzed past me. The Frogs loved holding us up. Thanks Boris. You give politics a filthy name.
At one time, some American tourists concluded that the British enjoyed queueing, since the tourists saw so many queues in Britain. If that was ever true, I gather it is no longer so.
Have to hand it to GB News. Andrew Neil leaves & everybody laughs. So they hire Farage & get top rated show. Then Laurence Fox leaves & everybody laughs again. So they hire former Prime Minister Boris Johnson & will now lock down the centre right. They're not going away - they're here to stay. 3:51 PM · Oct 27, 2023"
Boris joining GB News....at this rate there will be more former Tory MPs on there than actually sitting in parliament.
They are always losing loads of money and no obvious business model to ever turn it around, not sure hiring the likes of Boris will do much more than lose them even more dosh.
The home of impartial news, champions of free speech and debate ran by failed establishment politicians from the governing party.
The IDF is hardly an objective source of information and I'm not sure anybody should set much store by the credibility of their 'intelligence' either given their failings re the Hamas-led atrocities on 7 October.
As with statistics issued by the Gaza Ministry of Health, IDF propaganda should be taken with liberal quantities of salt.
Best place for the loon. I stood for over an hour at Basel Airport this morning queuing at passport control whilst EU nationals waltzed past me. The Frogs loved holding us up. Thanks Boris. You give politics a filthy name.
Yeah?
In Catania airport the Italians have introduced a special lane for Brits (plus Americans, Japanese, Koreans, the usual). They’ve put in scanners and after the scanner a man stamps your passport in half a second
The EU queue and “approved nations” queue were the exact same size and moved at the exact same pace
Honestly, stop whining about passport queues. The problems are being ironed out and pretty soon technology will render all passport queues and eventually all passports a thing of the past
There is no reason whatsoever for queues.
When we travelled to Canada a few months ago the passport queue was all automated. There was only one queue, regardless of whether you were Canadian, American, British or anything else everyone went through the same queue, which took us about 30 seconds to reach the front of the queue from entering the room.
There were digital scanners that took scans of our passports and photos of my wife and I (not the kids), and printed a barcode which we then took to a human who scanned the barcode and waved us through.
If any country hasn't sorted out its own passport control yet, it should. Its not a reason to be in a political union with it.
Quite so
It’s also in the interest of nearly every European country to make passport queues as brisk as possible for holiday makers - as holiday makers bring money and they can choose to go elsewhere
For countries that really depend on British tourists - Portugal, Spain, Greece (in parts) - it’s a no brainer. Speed the queue. And soon the queues will be gone
It is possibly only the French who might slow the Brits down out of spite but I think even they are now over Brexit
Most of the major European airports (Rome, etc.) already have e-gates that accept Brits. It's in smaller airports where you are likely to find it a little more difficult.
Plenty of e-gates at Faro. Unfortunately not in use when we arrived last month.
Never mind the EU, we should join Schengen.
The UK should certainly join Schengen. As the world’s second largest exporter of services, it would be a big boost to economic performance (and make life generally much lower hassle).
A form of Schengen is coming anyway. Everyone will be photographed with facial recognition on arrival whether they like it or not. Computers will process you as you walk to the arrivals lounge and get your luggage
Customs/cops will be alerted to villainous types who will be collared as they walk, everyone else will breeze through. No need for passports
When you think about it, it is absurd we are relying on these 19th century paper documents
But we need them in order to be able to vote, Mr Leon. I wonder what European or other foreigner thought that one up for us.....
Have to hand it to GB News. Andrew Neil leaves & everybody laughs. So they hire Farage & get top rated show. Then Laurence Fox leaves & everybody laughs again. So they hire former Prime Minister Boris Johnson & will now lock down the centre right. They're not going away - they're here to stay. 3:51 PM · Oct 27, 2023"
O/T The Mauritshuis in The Hague must surely be the finest art gallery in the world. A perfect gem.
No, absurd
It only has Dutch golden age art, really. Which js amazing but rather limiting…
It is one of the finest SMALL museums in the world
Its focus is a big plus imo. Too many art galleries try to cover far too much, and do it poorly.
I may be biased by my love of the Dutch Golden Age, of course.
Well, that's a great PB question.
What are the best *small* art galleries in the world?
The requirement being that you can see all the exhibits in an hour.
I would nominate the Hammer in Los Angeles, with an honourable mention for the Santa Barbara Museum of Art.
The Gulbenkian then. Confine yourself to the paintings, and you could do that.
No. Absurd American bias
The Courtauld beats all of those
Says you.
That's from their Chinese porcelain collection, btw.
Elsewhere in the building ..masterpieces by western European artists such as Domenico Ghirlandaio, Rubens, Rembrandt, Rodin, Carpeaux, Houdon, Renoir, Dierick Bouts, Vittore Carpaccio, Cima da Conegliano, Van Dyck, Corot, Degas, Nattier, George Romney, Stefan Lochner, Maurice-Quentin de La Tour, Édouard Manet, Henri Fantin-Latour, Claude Monet, Jean-François Millet, Sir Edward Burne-Jones, Thomas Gainsborough, Joseph Mallord William Turner, Jean-Honoré Fragonard, Giovanni Battista Moroni, Frans Hals, Ruisdael, Boucher, Largillière, Andrea della Robbia, Pisanello, Jean-Baptiste Pigalle, Antonio Rossellino, André-Charles Boulle ,Charles Cressent, Oeben, Riesener, Antoine-Sébastien Durand, Charles Spire, Jean Deforges, François-Thomas Germain...
Are you thinking of the modern art building next door, Leon ?
As an infrequent but pro-EU traveller, I have to confess that any passport queues due to Brexit pale into utter insignificance when compared with fucking EasyJet's inability to provide an airplane anywhere proximate to the time that it is due to take off.
You should try Wizz Air. Last year, we booked a flight to Dubrovnik, and we landed at Zagreb, close to midnight. They kindly offered to transport everyone by coach to Dubrovnik the following morning, and they all got there by six in the evening. We booked a hotel and flew the following day, and then sued them for £1,209 on our return, which we recovered.
Have to hand it to GB News. Andrew Neil leaves & everybody laughs. So they hire Farage & get top rated show. Then Laurence Fox leaves & everybody laughs again. So they hire former Prime Minister Boris Johnson & will now lock down the centre right. They're not going away - they're here to stay. 3:51 PM · Oct 27, 2023"
I genuinely don't understand their approach to hiring people. They hired a load of pros from Sky and ITV and I get Farage hiring (as he was a big draw on LBC before their caned him).
But then they also hire total loons, like absolute tinfoil hat nutjobs or midlife crisis breakdown types like Fox.
Boris joining GB News....at this rate there will be more former Tory MPs on there than actually sitting in parliament.
They are always losing loads of money and no obvious business model to ever turn it around, not sure hiring the likes of Boris will do much more than lose them even more dosh.
The home of impartial news, champions of free speech and debate ran by failed establishment politicians from the governing party.
So why are you getting excited ? TV is for oldies like me, younguns dont watch it. Is it just the idea that people you dont like can express their views.
Boris joining GB News....at this rate there will be more former Tory MPs on there than actually sitting in parliament.
They are always losing loads of money and no obvious business model to ever turn it around, not sure hiring the likes of Boris will do much more than lose them even more dosh.
As well as presenting he is, apparently, also producing his shows. AIUI producing involves thought and careful planning. Hmm.
Best place for the loon. I stood for over an hour at Basel Airport this morning queuing at passport control whilst EU nationals waltzed past me. The Frogs loved holding us up. Thanks Boris. You give politics a filthy name.
I’ve heard this rubbish before. There are many valid criticisms of Brexit but this isn’t one of them.
I have travelled a lot in Europe post-Brexit. Sometimes it’s been quicker to be non-EU (holiday destinations with e-gates), usually it’s the same, very occasionally it’s been slower. Overall? No change.
Nah its dreadful if you are British
Nope. I am back and forth across Europe and the rest of the world all the time and there is absolutely no uniform rule about which airports are harder to get through being British outside the EU. There are some which are a nightmare for everyone and some which are great.
Karen Pollock in the Holocaust Education Trust's October newsletter is uncharacteristically downbeat:
Since I wrote to you about the horrific massacre in Israel (you can read our statement again here), antisemitism in the UK has increased to exponential levels and many are feeling a heightened sense of anxiety as events continue to unfold. Our work to educate about the Holocaust and contemporary antisemitism could not be more important.
We know lots of people, including many in the Jewish community are feeling troubled and unsure due to current events.
Can I add "increased to exponential levels" to the suggestions from earlier of hated phrases?
It is a phrase whose use is increasing exponentially.
Various organisations are reporting increases in antisemitic attacks/crimes in the multiple hundreds of percent, since 7th October.
I seem to recall seeing a number that Islamophobic attacks/crimes had more than doubled.
A form of Schengen is coming anyway. Everyone will be photographed with facial recognition on arrival whether they like it or not. Computers will process you as you walk to the arrivals lounge and get your luggage
Customs/cops will be alerted to villainous types who will be collared as they walk, everyone else will breeze through. No need for passports
When you think about it, it is absurd we are relying on these 19th century paper documents
Indeed, it's not really an argument about EU membership, it's a need for automation. It's nuts that paper documents are checked when biometrics are available, doing it manually almost certainly has a higher error rate than the automated check. So it's not only slower, and labour intensive, it's also likely to be less secure.
No country serious about controlling their borders should be eyeballing paper documents unless it's unavoidable.
As an infrequent but pro-EU traveller, I have to confess that any passport queues due to Brexit pale into utter insignificance when compared with fucking EasyJet's inability to provide an airplane anywhere proximate to the time that it is due to take off.
They are awful, aren't they? And they never issue refunds no matter how late the flight (well, officially they do if it's three hours late).
On that subject, I wonder RyanAir haven't started including 'plane to take off on time' in their pricing plans.
As an infrequent but pro-EU traveller, I have to confess that any passport queues due to Brexit pale into utter insignificance when compared with fucking EasyJet's inability to provide an airplane anywhere proximate to the time that it is due to take off.
They are awful, aren't they? And they never issue refunds no matter how late the flight (well, officially they do if it's three hours late).
On that subject, I wonder RyanAir haven't started including 'plane to take off on time' in their pricing plans.
For all their many faults Ryanair have an excellent record on punctuality.
As an infrequent but pro-EU traveller, I have to confess that any passport queues due to Brexit pale into utter insignificance when compared with fucking EasyJet's inability to provide an airplane anywhere proximate to the time that it is due to take off.
They are awful, aren't they? And they never issue refunds no matter how late the flight (well, officially they do if it's three hours late).
On that subject, I wonder RyanAir haven't started including 'plane to take off on time' in their pricing plans.
For all their many faults Ryanair have an excellent record on punctuality.
Its because they deliberately overstate travel time.
As an infrequent but pro-EU traveller, I have to confess that any passport queues due to Brexit pale into utter insignificance when compared with fucking EasyJet's inability to provide an airplane anywhere proximate to the time that it is due to take off.
They are awful, aren't they? And they never issue refunds no matter how late the flight (well, officially they do if it's three hours late).
On that subject, I wonder RyanAir haven't started including 'plane to take off on time' in their pricing plans.
For all their many faults Ryanair have an excellent record on punctuality.
Which is why I'm surprised they don't charge a premium for it.
Karen Pollock in the Holocaust Education Trust's October newsletter is uncharacteristically downbeat:
Since I wrote to you about the horrific massacre in Israel (you can read our statement again here), antisemitism in the UK has increased to exponential levels and many are feeling a heightened sense of anxiety as events continue to unfold. Our work to educate about the Holocaust and contemporary antisemitism could not be more important.
We know lots of people, including many in the Jewish community are feeling troubled and unsure due to current events.
Can I add "increased to exponential levels" to the suggestions from earlier of hated phrases?
It is a phrase whose use is increasing exponentially.
Are you suggesting that there is exponential growth in the use of the word exponential?
As an infrequent but pro-EU traveller, I have to confess that any passport queues due to Brexit pale into utter insignificance when compared with fucking EasyJet's inability to provide an airplane anywhere proximate to the time that it is due to take off.
They are awful, aren't they? And they never issue refunds no matter how late the flight (well, officially they do if it's three hours late).
On that subject, I wonder RyanAir haven't started including 'plane to take off on time' in their pricing plans.
As an infrequent but pro-EU traveller, I have to confess that any passport queues due to Brexit pale into utter insignificance when compared with fucking EasyJet's inability to provide an airplane anywhere proximate to the time that it is due to take off.
You should try Wizz Air. Last year, we booked a flight to Dubrovnik, and we landed at Zagreb, close to midnight. They kindly offered to transport everyone by coach to Dubrovnik the following morning, and they all got there by six in the evening. We booked a hotel and flew the following day, and then sued them for £1,209 on our return, which we recovered.
Thanks. Trouble is, I live conveniently close to Gatwick and the places we want to go to are usually served by Easyjet from there. May need to re-think. Whoops - just read that more carefully, and you're not really recommending Wizz Air, are you.
As an infrequent but pro-EU traveller, I have to confess that any passport queues due to Brexit pale into utter insignificance when compared with fucking EasyJet's inability to provide an airplane anywhere proximate to the time that it is due to take off.
They are awful, aren't they? And they never issue refunds no matter how late the flight (well, officially they do if it's three hours late).
On that subject, I wonder RyanAir haven't started including 'plane to take off on time' in their pricing plans.
Easyjet and Wizzair both rely upon most people complaining, but not suing them, on return. Wizzair's complaints policy is to just ignore complaints. Thousands do sue them (Luton bailiffs now get an immense amount of work serving warrants upon both companies) but it ought to be tens of thousands.
As an infrequent but pro-EU traveller, I have to confess that any passport queues due to Brexit pale into utter insignificance when compared with fucking EasyJet's inability to provide an airplane anywhere proximate to the time that it is due to take off.
You should try Wizz Air. Last year, we booked a flight to Dubrovnik, and we landed at Zagreb, close to midnight. They kindly offered to transport everyone by coach to Dubrovnik the following morning, and they all got there by six in the evening. We booked a hotel and flew the following day, and then sued them for £1,209 on our return, which we recovered.
Thanks. Trouble is, I live conveniently close to Gatwick and the places we want to go to are usually served by Easyjet from there. May need to re-think. Whoops - just read that more carefully, and you're not really recommending Wizz Air, are you.
No. Never again. The people who took up their generous offer were left in the airport, for six hours.
As an infrequent but pro-EU traveller, I have to confess that any passport queues due to Brexit pale into utter insignificance when compared with fucking EasyJet's inability to provide an airplane anywhere proximate to the time that it is due to take off.
They are awful, aren't they? And they never issue refunds no matter how late the flight (well, officially they do if it's three hours late).
On that subject, I wonder RyanAir haven't started including 'plane to take off on time' in their pricing plans.
Easyjet and Wizzair both rely upon most people complaining, but not suing them, on return. Wizzair's complaints policy is to just ignore complaints. Thousands do sue them (Luton bailiffs now get an immense amount of work serving warrants upon both companies) but it ought to be tens of thousands.
Does that strategy venture into fraud if taken too far?
As an infrequent but pro-EU traveller, I have to confess that any passport queues due to Brexit pale into utter insignificance when compared with fucking EasyJet's inability to provide an airplane anywhere proximate to the time that it is due to take off.
They are awful, aren't they? And they never issue refunds no matter how late the flight (well, officially they do if it's three hours late).
On that subject, I wonder RyanAir haven't started including 'plane to take off on time' in their pricing plans.
Easyjet and Wizzair both rely upon most people complaining, but not suing them, on return. Wizzair's complaints policy is to just ignore complaints. Thousands do sue them (Luton bailiffs now get an immense amount of work serving warrants upon both companies) but it ought to be tens of thousands.
Problem is for the loss I've suffered - around £160 one way and another - it isn't really worth the hassle of suing.
Karen Pollock in the Holocaust Education Trust's October newsletter is uncharacteristically downbeat:
Since I wrote to you about the horrific massacre in Israel (you can read our statement again here), antisemitism in the UK has increased to exponential levels and many are feeling a heightened sense of anxiety as events continue to unfold. Our work to educate about the Holocaust and contemporary antisemitism could not be more important.
We know lots of people, including many in the Jewish community are feeling troubled and unsure due to current events.
I passed one of the local Jewish schools today and can report that... it is half term.
Best place for the loon. I stood for over an hour at Basel Airport this morning queuing at passport control whilst EU nationals waltzed past me. The Frogs loved holding us up. Thanks Boris. You give politics a filthy name.
Yeah?
In Catania airport the Italians have introduced a special lane for Brits (plus Americans, Japanese, Koreans, the usual). They’ve put in scanners and after the scanner a man stamps your passport in half a second
The EU queue and “approved nations” queue were the exact same size and moved at the exact same pace
Honestly, stop whining about passport queues. The problems are being ironed out and pretty soon technology will render all passport queues and eventually all passports a thing of the past
There is no reason whatsoever for queues.
When we travelled to Canada a few months ago the passport queue was all automated. There was only one queue, regardless of whether you were Canadian, American, British or anything else everyone went through the same queue, which took us about 30 seconds to reach the front of the queue from entering the room.
There were digital scanners that took scans of our passports and photos of my wife and I (not the kids), and printed a barcode which we then took to a human who scanned the barcode and waved us through.
If any country hasn't sorted out its own passport control yet, it should. Its not a reason to be in a political union with it.
Quite so
It’s also in the interest of nearly every European country to make passport queues as brisk as possible for holiday makers - as holiday makers bring money and they can choose to go elsewhere
For countries that really depend on British tourists - Portugal, Spain, Greece (in parts) - it’s a no brainer. Speed the queue. And soon the queues will be gone
It is possibly only the French who might slow the Brits down out of spite but I think even they are now over Brexit
Most of the major European airports (Rome, etc.) already have e-gates that accept Brits. It's in smaller airports where you are likely to find it a little more difficult.
Plenty of e-gates at Faro. Unfortunately not in use when we arrived last month.
Never mind the EU, we should join Schengen.
We’ve been trialing allowing French people on day trips to use their ID cards instead of passports as a large number of French don’t have passports and it was damaging the large numbers of school kids coming over for trips. It appears to have worked very well with an increase in French visitors and one third of them are using ID cards rather than passports.
The next stage of the trial is discussions with the UK gov early next year about expanding the travel allowed on ID cards to three days.
I don’t know whether the trial will end up with any benefits to the UK in allowing the same use of ID cards for travel to UK instead of passports but it might be a positive step for making travel easier into the UK.
As an infrequent but pro-EU traveller, I have to confess that any passport queues due to Brexit pale into utter insignificance when compared with fucking EasyJet's inability to provide an airplane anywhere proximate to the time that it is due to take off.
They are awful, aren't they? And they never issue refunds no matter how late the flight (well, officially they do if it's three hours late).
On that subject, I wonder RyanAir haven't started including 'plane to take off on time' in their pricing plans.
Easyjet and Wizzair both rely upon most people complaining, but not suing them, on return. Wizzair's complaints policy is to just ignore complaints. Thousands do sue them (Luton bailiffs now get an immense amount of work serving warrants upon both companies) but it ought to be tens of thousands.
The problem is really that people want rock bottom prices and a reliable service. And they chose the very lowest price every time.
As an infrequent but pro-EU traveller, I have to confess that any passport queues due to Brexit pale into utter insignificance when compared with fucking EasyJet's inability to provide an airplane anywhere proximate to the time that it is due to take off.
They are awful, aren't they? And they never issue refunds no matter how late the flight (well, officially they do if it's three hours late).
On that subject, I wonder RyanAir haven't started including 'plane to take off on time' in their pricing plans.
Never used Ryanair, but I hate EasyJet with a vengeance. Always delayed. No information given. No apologies made. Online tracker lies. And yet, more frequent flyers than us seem to just tolerate it - I guess they're just used to it.
I've asked SKS to put "nationalise EasyJet" in Labour's manifesto. I can ask him to add Ryanair if you wish.
Marc Thiessen was impressed by Mike Johnson's first speech as Speaker: 'For millions of Americans listening to Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) for the first time Wednesday, the new House speaker made a really good first impression. After Johnson accepted the speaker’s gavel, his first message was directed not to his fellow House Republicans, or conservative voters, but his Democratic opposition.
(Johnson and Thiessen, unlike the Loser, are "full spectrum" conservatives. In addition -- trigger warning -- Johnson is an evangelical, again unlike the Loser. Some commenters here may never forgive him for that.)
As an infrequent but pro-EU traveller, I have to confess that any passport queues due to Brexit pale into utter insignificance when compared with fucking EasyJet's inability to provide an airplane anywhere proximate to the time that it is due to take off.
They are awful, aren't they? And they never issue refunds no matter how late the flight (well, officially they do if it's three hours late).
On that subject, I wonder RyanAir haven't started including 'plane to take off on time' in their pricing plans.
Easyjet and Wizzair both rely upon most people complaining, but not suing them, on return. Wizzair's complaints policy is to just ignore complaints. Thousands do sue them (Luton bailiffs now get an immense amount of work serving warrants upon both companies) but it ought to be tens of thousands.
Does that strategy venture into fraud if taken too far?
I'm not sure.
Not many people know that by law, you're entitled to £350 per day, per person, if your holiday is disrupted by flight delays. That's in addition to out of pocket expenses, like acommodation, new flights, taxis, etc.
O/T The Mauritshuis in The Hague must surely be the finest art gallery in the world. A perfect gem.
No, absurd
It only has Dutch golden age art, really. Which js amazing but rather limiting…
It is one of the finest SMALL museums in the world
Its focus is a big plus imo. Too many art galleries try to cover far too much, and do it poorly.
I may be biased by my love of the Dutch Golden Age, of course.
Well, that's a great PB question.
What are the best *small* art galleries in the world?
The requirement being that you can see all the exhibits in an hour.
I would nominate the Hammer in Los Angeles, with an honourable mention for the Santa Barbara Museum of Art.
The Gulbenkian then. Confine yourself to the paintings, and you could do that.
No. Absurd American bias
The Courtauld beats all of those
Says you.
That's from their Chinese porcelain collection, btw.
Elsewhere in the building ..masterpieces by western European artists such as Domenico Ghirlandaio, Rubens, Rembrandt, Rodin, Carpeaux, Houdon, Renoir, Dierick Bouts, Vittore Carpaccio, Cima da Conegliano, Van Dyck, Corot, Degas, Nattier, George Romney, Stefan Lochner, Maurice-Quentin de La Tour, Édouard Manet, Henri Fantin-Latour, Claude Monet, Jean-François Millet, Sir Edward Burne-Jones, Thomas Gainsborough, Joseph Mallord William Turner, Jean-Honoré Fragonard, Giovanni Battista Moroni, Frans Hals, Ruisdael, Boucher, Largillière, Andrea della Robbia, Pisanello, Jean-Baptiste Pigalle, Antonio Rossellino, André-Charles Boulle ,Charles Cressent, Oeben, Riesener, Antoine-Sébastien Durand, Charles Spire, Jean Deforges, François-Thomas Germain...
Are you thinking of the modern art building next door, Leon ?
Well for a start I would dispute that the Gulbenkian is small, which is what we were arguing about? The best small museum?
It is a splendid museum but it is fairly massive IIRC
Whereas the Courtauld is small but exquisitely formed and has three of the most famous paintings in the entire world
The Bar at the Folies Bergere - Manet
Self Portrait with Bandaged Ear - Van Gogh
Adam and Eve - Cranach
And you can whizz through the rest in an hour or two
As an infrequent but pro-EU traveller, I have to confess that any passport queues due to Brexit pale into utter insignificance when compared with fucking EasyJet's inability to provide an airplane anywhere proximate to the time that it is due to take off.
They are awful, aren't they? And they never issue refunds no matter how late the flight (well, officially they do if it's three hours late).
On that subject, I wonder RyanAir haven't started including 'plane to take off on time' in their pricing plans.
Never used Ryanair, but I hate EasyJet with a vengeance. Always delayed. No information given. No apologies made. Online tracker lies. And yet, more frequent flyers than us seem to just tolerate it - I guess they're just used to it.
I've asked SKS to put "nationalise EasyJet" in Labour's manifesto. I can ask him to add Ryanair if you wish.
O/T The Mauritshuis in The Hague must surely be the finest art gallery in the world. A perfect gem.
No, absurd
It only has Dutch golden age art, really. Which js amazing but rather limiting…
It is one of the finest SMALL museums in the world
Its focus is a big plus imo. Too many art galleries try to cover far too much, and do it poorly.
I may be biased by my love of the Dutch Golden Age, of course.
Well, that's a great PB question.
What are the best *small* art galleries in the world?
The requirement being that you can see all the exhibits in an hour.
I would nominate the Hammer in Los Angeles, with an honourable mention for the Santa Barbara Museum of Art.
The Gulbenkian then. Confine yourself to the paintings, and you could do that.
No. Absurd American bias
The Courtauld beats all of those
Says you.
That's from their Chinese porcelain collection, btw.
Elsewhere in the building ..masterpieces by western European artists such as Domenico Ghirlandaio, Rubens, Rembrandt, Rodin, Carpeaux, Houdon, Renoir, Dierick Bouts, Vittore Carpaccio, Cima da Conegliano, Van Dyck, Corot, Degas, Nattier, George Romney, Stefan Lochner, Maurice-Quentin de La Tour, Édouard Manet, Henri Fantin-Latour, Claude Monet, Jean-François Millet, Sir Edward Burne-Jones, Thomas Gainsborough, Joseph Mallord William Turner, Jean-Honoré Fragonard, Giovanni Battista Moroni, Frans Hals, Ruisdael, Boucher, Largillière, Andrea della Robbia, Pisanello, Jean-Baptiste Pigalle, Antonio Rossellino, André-Charles Boulle ,Charles Cressent, Oeben, Riesener, Antoine-Sébastien Durand, Charles Spire, Jean Deforges, François-Thomas Germain...
Are you thinking of the modern art building next door, Leon ?
Well for a start I would dispute that the Gulbenkian is small, which is what we were arguing about? The best small museum?
It is a splendid museum but it is fairly massive IIRC
Whereas the Courtauld is small but exquisitely formed and has three of the most famous paintings in the entire world
The Bar at the Folies Bergere - Manet
Self Portrait with Bandaged Ear - Van Gogh
Adam and Eve - Cranach
And you can whizz through the rest in an hour or two
The Courtauld is absolutely magnificent, and would definitely be a part of any great small museums list.
Have to hand it to GB News. Andrew Neil leaves & everybody laughs. So they hire Farage & get top rated show. Then Laurence Fox leaves & everybody laughs again. So they hire former Prime Minister Boris Johnson & will now lock down the centre right. They're not going away - they're here to stay. 3:51 PM · Oct 27, 2023"
Marc Thiessen was impressed by Mike Johnson's first speech as Speaker: 'For millions of Americans listening to Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) for the first time Wednesday, the new House speaker made a really good first impression. After Johnson accepted the speaker’s gavel, his first message was directed not to his fellow House Republicans, or conservative voters, but his Democratic opposition.
(Johnson and Thiessen, unlike the Loser, are "full spectrum" conservatives. In addition -- trigger warning -- Johnson is an evangelical, again unlike the Loser. Some commenters here may never forgive him for that.)
I hope you are right, because I would love a moral Speaker of the House. Someone who, even if I disagreed with them, I could respect.
But Mr Johnson was - IIRC - a full on election denier back in 2020.
My great fear, for the future of the US, is if Biden were to win the Presidential election, and the House of Representatives were to refuse to certify the election. That's how civil wars happen.
Karen Pollock in the Holocaust Education Trust's October newsletter is uncharacteristically downbeat:
Since I wrote to you about the horrific massacre in Israel (you can read our statement again here), antisemitism in the UK has increased to exponential levels and many are feeling a heightened sense of anxiety as events continue to unfold. Our work to educate about the Holocaust and contemporary antisemitism could not be more important.
We know lots of people, including many in the Jewish community are feeling troubled and unsure due to current events.
I passed one of the local Jewish schools today and can report that... it is half term.
As an infrequent but pro-EU traveller, I have to confess that any passport queues due to Brexit pale into utter insignificance when compared with fucking EasyJet's inability to provide an airplane anywhere proximate to the time that it is due to take off.
They are awful, aren't they? And they never issue refunds no matter how late the flight (well, officially they do if it's three hours late).
On that subject, I wonder RyanAir haven't started including 'plane to take off on time' in their pricing plans.
Easyjet and Wizzair both rely upon most people complaining, but not suing them, on return. Wizzair's complaints policy is to just ignore complaints. Thousands do sue them (Luton bailiffs now get an immense amount of work serving warrants upon both companies) but it ought to be tens of thousands.
Problem is for the loss I've suffered - around £160 one way and another - it isn't really worth the hassle of suing.
Will leave a nasty online review instead.
Use a section 75 claim or chargeback. Straightforward and always works. Did chargeback for easyJet.
As an infrequent but pro-EU traveller, I have to confess that any passport queues due to Brexit pale into utter insignificance when compared with fucking EasyJet's inability to provide an airplane anywhere proximate to the time that it is due to take off.
They are awful, aren't they? And they never issue refunds no matter how late the flight (well, officially they do if it's three hours late).
On that subject, I wonder RyanAir haven't started including 'plane to take off on time' in their pricing plans.
Never used Ryanair, but I hate EasyJet with a vengeance. Always delayed. No information given. No apologies made. Online tracker lies. And yet, more frequent flyers than us seem to just tolerate it - I guess they're just used to it.
I've asked SKS to put "nationalise EasyJet" in Labour's manifesto. I can ask him to add Ryanair if you wish.
Ryanair is OK if one doesn’t try and push the boundaries. In my experience, anyway.
Have to hand it to GB News. Andrew Neil leaves & everybody laughs. So they hire Farage & get top rated show. Then Laurence Fox leaves & everybody laughs again. So they hire former Prime Minister Boris Johnson & will now lock down the centre right. They're not going away - they're here to stay. 3:51 PM · Oct 27, 2023"
It will possibly have blown over by then but there are few issues in British and European politics as visceral as apartheid. And since South Africa this is seen (certainly on the left) as the next great injustice.
I'm sure Starmer will water down his intemperate comments but if he doesn't there will be a backlash. A lot will depend what happens in the next few months. Blair was able to lose his support in a short time with a wrong move on Iraq and so could Starmer over Palestine
As an infrequent but pro-EU traveller, I have to confess that any passport queues due to Brexit pale into utter insignificance when compared with fucking EasyJet's inability to provide an airplane anywhere proximate to the time that it is due to take off.
They are awful, aren't they? And they never issue refunds no matter how late the flight (well, officially they do if it's three hours late).
On that subject, I wonder RyanAir haven't started including 'plane to take off on time' in their pricing plans.
Easyjet and Wizzair both rely upon most people complaining, but not suing them, on return. Wizzair's complaints policy is to just ignore complaints. Thousands do sue them (Luton bailiffs now get an immense amount of work serving warrants upon both companies) but it ought to be tens of thousands.
Does that strategy venture into fraud if taken too far?
I'm not sure.
Not many people know that by law, you're entitled to £350 per day, per person, if your holiday is disrupted by flight delays. That's in addition to out of pocket expenses, like acommodation, new flights, taxis, etc.
If a company knows they are bound by law to provide compensation but set up systems to deliberately deny that compensation, including lying to customers, then to me it seems to tick the boxes of gaining a financial advantage by false representation.
O/T The Mauritshuis in The Hague must surely be the finest art gallery in the world. A perfect gem.
No, absurd
It only has Dutch golden age art, really. Which js amazing but rather limiting…
It is one of the finest SMALL museums in the world
Its focus is a big plus imo. Too many art galleries try to cover far too much, and do it poorly.
I may be biased by my love of the Dutch Golden Age, of course.
Well, that's a great PB question.
What are the best *small* art galleries in the world?
The requirement being that you can see all the exhibits in an hour.
I would nominate the Hammer in Los Angeles, with an honourable mention for the Santa Barbara Museum of Art.
The Gulbenkian then. Confine yourself to the paintings, and you could do that.
No. Absurd American bias
The Courtauld beats all of those
Says you.
That's from their Chinese porcelain collection, btw.
Elsewhere in the building ..masterpieces by western European artists such as Domenico Ghirlandaio, Rubens, Rembrandt, Rodin, Carpeaux, Houdon, Renoir, Dierick Bouts, Vittore Carpaccio, Cima da Conegliano, Van Dyck, Corot, Degas, Nattier, George Romney, Stefan Lochner, Maurice-Quentin de La Tour, Édouard Manet, Henri Fantin-Latour, Claude Monet, Jean-François Millet, Sir Edward Burne-Jones, Thomas Gainsborough, Joseph Mallord William Turner, Jean-Honoré Fragonard, Giovanni Battista Moroni, Frans Hals, Ruisdael, Boucher, Largillière, Andrea della Robbia, Pisanello, Jean-Baptiste Pigalle, Antonio Rossellino, André-Charles Boulle ,Charles Cressent, Oeben, Riesener, Antoine-Sébastien Durand, Charles Spire, Jean Deforges, François-Thomas Germain...
Are you thinking of the modern art building next door, Leon ?
Well for a start I would dispute that the Gulbenkian is small, which is what we were arguing about? The best small museum?
It is a splendid museum but it is fairly massive IIRC
Whereas the Courtauld is small but exquisitely formed and has three of the most famous paintings in the entire world
The Bar at the Folies Bergere - Manet
Self Portrait with Bandaged Ear - Van Gogh
Adam and Eve - Cranach
And you can whizz through the rest in an hour or two
The Courtauld is absolutely magnificent, and would definitely be a part of any great small museums list.
The Guggenheim in Venice is fucking lovely. That serene location. It is impossible to be sad there
And I know this coz I once got dumped half an hour before I went there. I was quite upset. But by the time I came to the Brancusi in the garden overlooking the grand canal I was perfectly happy again.
In Spain my granddaughter was on strike yesterday. She is 14 and at school -was an officially sanctioned "strike" to protest about the Israeli -Hamas war.
Don't think it will derail SKS getting to Downing St. as the British public have made up their minds. They want the Tories OUT!
It is, however, a big warning sign of what's going to happen when Labour get into government... Not just this but over so many things such as strikes, Brexit, net zero, probably house building... Labour is very likely to get into power and rapidly disintegrate.
One term Lab government, IMO.
Wishful thinking because the Tories have so badly shit the bed.
Having said that UK Labour needs to look at NZ Labour for what happens when you over promise and badly fail to deliver.
But Starmer is no Ardern. His top team is reasonably impressive and I expect his Cabinet to be more so (Benn etc).
As a leftie, I feel Labour is positively obsessive is not promising to deliver, at any rate anything that costs money! Sadly they probably have to be in view of the current mess.
150 majority with nobody expecting much beyond an end to relentless bullshit and rank incompetence.
It will possibly have blown over by then but there are few issues in British and European politics as visceral as apartheid. And since South Africa this is seen (certainly on the left) as the next great injustice.
I'm sure Starmer will water down his intemperate comments but if he doesn't there will be a backlash. A lot will depend what happens in the next few months. Blair was able to lose his support in a short time with a wrong decision on Iraq and so could Starmer over Palestine
I'm always fascinated by the way the british Left decides it can willy nilly tell other people how to run their countries . Its just imperialism by other means.
It will possibly have blown over by then but there are few issues in British and European politics as visceral as apartheid. And since South Africa this is seen (certainly on the left) as the next great injustice.
I'm sure Starmer will water down his intemperate comments but if he doesn't there will be a backlash. A lot will depend what happens in the next few months. Blair was able to lose his support in a short time with a wrong decision on Iraq and so could Starmer over Palestine
My irony meter exploded so badly it obliterated half of Crete.
As an infrequent but pro-EU traveller, I have to confess that any passport queues due to Brexit pale into utter insignificance when compared with fucking EasyJet's inability to provide an airplane anywhere proximate to the time that it is due to take off.
They are awful, aren't they? And they never issue refunds no matter how late the flight (well, officially they do if it's three hours late).
On that subject, I wonder RyanAir haven't started including 'plane to take off on time' in their pricing plans.
For all their many faults Ryanair have an excellent record on punctuality.
Ryanair are great. Flown with them loads of times, never a problem and punctual (within acceptable tolerances). Maybe I've been lucky but I can't help thinking that there are a load of whingers about.
The only airline that got my back up is Wizz Air during the pandemic - couldn't be contacted for refunds.
rcs1000 said: 'My great fear, for the future of the US, is if Biden were to win the Presidential election, and the House of Representatives were to refuse to certify the election. That's how civil wars happen.'
I share your fear, but less so after watching, and then reading, Johnson's speech, and seeing what he did yesterday. There was no mention of the Loser in the speech, nor was there any mention of the 2020 election. (A careful reader can even find examples in the speech where he rejects the Loser's policies.)
Yesterday he met with President Biden, not with the Loser. And when asked by a reporter about his part in election denial, he simply moved on to the next question. That may not be courageous, but it is, unfortunately, a practical tactic, for now.
But, read the transcript, and judge for yourself. It's not long.
Karen Pollock in the Holocaust Education Trust's October newsletter is uncharacteristically downbeat:
Since I wrote to you about the horrific massacre in Israel (you can read our statement again here), antisemitism in the UK has increased to exponential levels and many are feeling a heightened sense of anxiety as events continue to unfold. Our work to educate about the Holocaust and contemporary antisemitism could not be more important.
We know lots of people, including many in the Jewish community are feeling troubled and unsure due to current events.
I passed one of the local Jewish schools today and can report that... it is half term.
It will possibly have blown over by then but there are few issues in British and European politics as visceral as apartheid. And since South Africa this is seen (certainly on the left) as the next great injustice.
I'm sure Starmer will water down his intemperate comments but if he doesn't there will be a backlash. A lot will depend what happens in the next few months. Blair was able to lose his support in a short time with a wrong decision on Iraq and so could Starmer over Palestine
I'm always fascinated by the way the british Left decides it can willy nilly tell other people how to run their countries . Its just imperialism by other means.
But as imperialisms go I'd say campaigning against apartheid beats invading Iraq.
Yeah, less good in the policing of blue chip vs individuals in the first place though. Regulators need to be tougher when obvious, unfair and persistent shenanigans are deployed.
As an infrequent but pro-EU traveller, I have to confess that any passport queues due to Brexit pale into utter insignificance when compared with fucking EasyJet's inability to provide an airplane anywhere proximate to the time that it is due to take off.
They are awful, aren't they? And they never issue refunds no matter how late the flight (well, officially they do if it's three hours late).
On that subject, I wonder RyanAir haven't started including 'plane to take off on time' in their pricing plans.
Comments
https://genevasolutions.news/peace-humanitarian/ukraine-is-targeting-hospitals-always-a-war-crime
Which is why it is a war crime to use a hospital as a military base in time of war.*
Hamas, (and their Iranian overlords) who of course, don't care about Gazans any more than they do Israelis, are not worried about this. But we should be.
*Incidentally this is what Amnesty International criticised Ukraine for, although in that case there was some doubt as to whether the hospitals were actually being used as military bases.
https://twitter.com/tedgioia/status/1717692029361123698
I recognise the mild irony in my posting this, as it's still one of my most used sources of news.
Mind, it was 23.30.
When we travelled to Canada a few months ago the passport queue was all automated. There was only one queue, regardless of whether you were Canadian, American, British or anything else everyone went through the same queue, which took us about 30 seconds to reach the front of the queue from entering the room.
There were digital scanners that took scans of our passports and photos of my wife and I (not the kids), and printed a barcode which we then took to a human who scanned the barcode and waved us through.
If any country hasn't sorted out its own passport control yet, it should. Its not a reason to be in a political union with it.
The lighting at the Mauritshuis is perfect too, all the paintings are beautifully presented.
Basic level, try posting a present to Germany and pay the ludicrous tariff. The whole thing is fucked. Ask British business about how it's changed. Its fucked
My wife and I landed in Punta Mita. The airport was relatively quiet, with perhaps 20 people queing for the solitary inspector, and then a dozen e-gates with maybe 40 people waiting for them. The e-gates were labled "US, Canada, EU/EEA and UK".
We went for the e-gates and waited perhaps five minutes to get to the front. The e-gates refused to let us through. An immigration official came up to us, looked at our passport, said "e-gates, no UK". We pointed to the sign, he said "no UK, use other line".
The other line now had 300 people in it, because a big plane had just landed from Taiwan.
We waited more than two hours for the single, over-worked, immigration official who - when we got to the front - was very suspicious about why we hadn't use the e-gates.
Sigh.
(Not really Brexit's fault. But bloody annoying.)
It’s also in the interest of nearly every European country to make passport queues as brisk as possible for holiday makers - as holiday makers bring money and they can choose to go elsewhere
For countries that really depend on British tourists - Portugal, Spain, Greece (in parts) - it’s a no brainer. Speed the queue. And soon the queues will be gone
It is possibly only the French who might slow the Brits down out of spite but I think even they are now over Brexit
Since I wrote to you about the horrific massacre in Israel (you can read our statement again here), antisemitism in the UK has increased to exponential levels and many are feeling a heightened sense of anxiety as events continue to unfold. Our work to educate about the Holocaust and contemporary antisemitism could not be more important.
We know lots of people, including many in the Jewish community are feeling troubled and unsure due to current events.
Returning to Luton Airport from Dubrovnik was less impressive.
Never mind the EU, we should join Schengen.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Look_Who's_Back
They are always losing loads of money and no obvious business model to ever turn it around, not sure hiring the likes of Boris will do much more than lose them even more dosh.
. . .
The analysis of that and other videos, in addition to expert review of imagery of the blast site, provides circumstantial evidence that could bolster the contention by Israel and the U.S. government that a stray rocket launched by a Palestinian armed group was responsible for the Oct. 17 explosion.'
source$: https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2023/10/26/gaza-hospital-blast-evidence-israel-hamas/
The article seems quite well done, but I must add that I am no expert in analyzing weapons videos.
As the world’s second largest exporter of services, it would be a big boost to economic performance (and make life generally much lower hassle).
Customs/cops will be alerted to villainous types who will be collared as they walk, everyone else will breeze through. No need for passports
When you think about it, it is absurd we are relying on these 19th century paper documents
The Duomo of Ortygia in the slant evening sun. The columns on the left come from the original Greek temple to Athena, built right here in 400BC
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-67241374
Imagine how high it would be if the MET actually did their job....
@GoodwinMJ
Have to hand it to GB News. Andrew Neil leaves & everybody laughs. So they hire Farage & get top rated show. Then Laurence Fox leaves & everybody laughs again. So they hire former Prime Minister Boris Johnson & will now lock down the centre right. They're not going away - they're here to stay.
3:51 PM · Oct 27, 2023"
https://twitter.com/GoodwinMJ/status/1717916821901209986
As with statistics issued by the Gaza Ministry of Health, IDF propaganda should be taken with liberal quantities of salt.
Elsewhere in the building ..masterpieces by western European artists such as Domenico Ghirlandaio, Rubens, Rembrandt, Rodin, Carpeaux, Houdon, Renoir, Dierick Bouts, Vittore Carpaccio, Cima da Conegliano, Van Dyck, Corot, Degas, Nattier, George Romney, Stefan Lochner, Maurice-Quentin de La Tour, Édouard Manet, Henri Fantin-Latour, Claude Monet, Jean-François Millet, Sir Edward Burne-Jones, Thomas Gainsborough, Joseph Mallord William Turner, Jean-Honoré Fragonard, Giovanni Battista Moroni, Frans Hals, Ruisdael, Boucher, Largillière, Andrea della Robbia, Pisanello, Jean-Baptiste Pigalle, Antonio Rossellino, André-Charles Boulle ,Charles Cressent, Oeben, Riesener, Antoine-Sébastien Durand, Charles Spire, Jean Deforges, François-Thomas Germain...
Are you thinking of the modern art building next door, Leon ?
But then they also hire total loons, like absolute tinfoil hat nutjobs or midlife crisis breakdown types like Fox.
Hmm.
I seem to recall seeing a number that Islamophobic attacks/crimes had more than doubled.
No country serious about controlling their borders should be eyeballing paper documents unless it's unavoidable.
On that subject, I wonder RyanAir haven't started including 'plane to take off on time' in their pricing plans.
Bit like Fucker Carlson.
Whoops - just read that more carefully, and you're not really recommending Wizz Air, are you.
Will leave a nasty online review instead.
The next stage of the trial is discussions with the UK gov early next year about expanding the travel allowed on ID cards to three days.
I don’t know whether the trial will end up with any benefits to the UK in allowing the same use of ID cards for travel to UK instead of passports but it might be a positive step for making travel easier into the UK.
I've asked SKS to put "nationalise EasyJet" in Labour's manifesto. I can ask him to add Ryanair if you wish.
'For millions of Americans listening to Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) for the first time Wednesday, the new House speaker made a really good first impression. After Johnson accepted the speaker’s gavel, his first message was directed not to his fellow House Republicans, or conservative voters, but his Democratic opposition.
“I know we see things from very different points of view,” he said, directly addressing House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.). “But I know that in your heart, you love and care about this country, and you want to do what’s right. And so, we’re going to find common ground.”'
source$: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/10/26/house-speaker-mike-johnson-promising-start/
speech transcript: https://transcripts.cnn.com/show/se/date/2023-10-25/segment/06
(Johnson and Thiessen, unlike the Loser, are "full spectrum" conservatives. In addition -- trigger warning -- Johnson is an evangelical, again unlike the Loser. Some commenters here may never forgive him for that.)
Not many people know that by law, you're entitled to £350 per day, per person, if your holiday is disrupted by flight delays. That's in addition to out of pocket expenses, like acommodation, new flights, taxis, etc.
It is a splendid museum but it is fairly massive IIRC
Whereas the Courtauld is small but exquisitely formed and has three of the most famous paintings in the entire world
The Bar at the Folies Bergere - Manet
Self Portrait with Bandaged Ear - Van Gogh
Adam and Eve - Cranach
And you can whizz through the rest in an hour or two
https://www.gbnews.com/news/noddy-holder-wife-slams-sex-education-schools-gillian-keegan-uk-latest
Posted without comment.
But Mr Johnson was - IIRC - a full on election denier back in 2020.
My great fear, for the future of the US, is if Biden were to win the Presidential election, and the House of Representatives were to refuse to certify the election. That's how civil wars happen.
(I think I'm centre-enough to avoid the centre-right lockdown)
The problem is that these days the really cheap tickets have gone. Everyone wants to travel again. Airlines and hotels are rammed
https://twitter.com/LukeTryl/status/1717808511126581578
(This woman on question time speaks for many; From Northern Ireland. Worth watching the whole piece https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yaXNkCfLF6A)
I'm sure Starmer will water down his intemperate comments but if he doesn't there will be a backlash. A lot will depend what happens in the next few months. Blair was able to lose his support in a short time with a wrong move on Iraq and so could Starmer over Palestine
There's clearly a gap in the market for a specialist law firm whose only business is suing EasyJet/WhizzAir/etc.
And I know this coz I once got dumped half an hour before I went there. I was quite upset. But by the time I came to the Brancusi in the garden overlooking the grand canal I was perfectly happy again.
Talk about the sweet spot.
The only airline that got my back up is Wizz Air during the pandemic - couldn't be contacted for refunds.
I share your fear, but less so after watching, and then reading, Johnson's speech, and seeing what he did yesterday. There was no mention of the Loser in the speech, nor was there any mention of the 2020 election. (A careful reader can even find examples in the speech where he rejects the Loser's policies.)
Yesterday he met with President Biden, not with the Loser. And when asked by a reporter about his part in election denial, he simply moved on to the next question. That may not be courageous, but it is, unfortunately, a practical tactic, for now.
But, read the transcript, and judge for yourself. It's not long.
Gap filled.