Rishi would be smart to not fight the election on the Tory record.
So that’s exactly what he’s going to do.
Boasting about tax cuts when taxes are at a record high. Criticising Starmer about 100k illegal refugees when legal immigrants are nearly that a month
What could go wrong?
Rishi Sunak is a Labour plant? How can anyone be this dumb, I do not understand it.
Immigration is the achilles heel of the Tories and yet he wants to make it his mission to highlight how bad it is. He is doing nothing about the migration he can control and then to make it worse, is highlighting how his party can't handle illegal migration either.
It is honestly baffling - but just shows him to be a bit thick.
If in doubt, return the basic principle that Sunak Is Crap At Politics. That is almost always the explanation for whatever the day's self-own happens to be.
The principle needs a name, like Cookie's Law. Rishi's Razor?
Sunak's Saw: 'No matter how badly a message can be presented Rishi Sunak will find a way to make it worse'.
I was musing the other day about words matched with Prime Ministers.
Fear. Thatcher.
Respect. Brown.
Horror. Truss.
Pity. Sunak
As a politician, to be pitied is worse than any other emotion...
First time you have missed Boris! Was it the one word that might get you a ban?
I was watching a Kevin Bridges show the other night. He does a whole riff on the word which would get me banned.
Then he suggests using the word "fanny" instead
Or, as he puts it, "diet ****"
Trying the converse, "Full sugar fanny" perhaps moves the context off line a bit further than Swifty's bowling.
Really good left arm wrist spinners are so rare that you wonder if there is some way she could switch to a more useful career and qualify for England. It would be fun to see Lords full of Swifties.
"These two look very comfortable against the seamers. One is loath to second guess Ben Stokes but surely it's worth giving Swift a couple of overs before tea."
The prospect of a slow bowler called Swift is undoubtedly appealing.
How can Miriam Cates be accused of damaging the reputation of the Commons, when nobody knows what she’s supposed to have done?
Something Kafkaesque about this process, even if I am hardly a natural supporter of the loonbag Ms Cates.
On the face of it, this is right and I agree that it feels a bit odd - but I guess the 'reputation of the Commons' is a fairly nebulous and flexible concept. For example, if it was discovered she'd been taking backhanders to set up an APPG on something obscure, we might not know about it (yet), but it'd fall under that blanket term. Equally, she could have been using her office or position to exert undue/improper influence elsewhere; we might not have heard about it, but it doesn't mean it's not worthy of rebuke or sanction. Who knows?
Rishi would be smart to not fight the election on the Tory record.
So that’s exactly what he’s going to do.
Boasting about tax cuts when taxes are at a record high. Criticising Starmer about 100k illegal refugees when legal immigrants are nearly that a month
What could go wrong?
Rishi Sunak is a Labour plant? How can anyone be this dumb, I do not understand it.
Immigration is the achilles heel of the Tories and yet he wants to make it his mission to highlight how bad it is. He is doing nothing about the migration he can control and then to make it worse, is highlighting how his party can't handle illegal migration either.
It is honestly baffling - but just shows him to be a bit thick.
If in doubt, return the basic principle that Sunak Is Crap At Politics. That is almost always the explanation for whatever the day's self-own happens to be.
The principle needs a name, like Cookie's Law. Rishi's Razor?
Sunak's Saw: 'No matter how badly a message can be presented Rishi Sunak will find a way to make it worse'.
I was musing the other day about words matched with Prime Ministers.
Fear. Thatcher.
Respect. Brown.
Horror. Truss.
Pity. Sunak
As a politician, to be pitied is worse than any other emotion...
First time you have missed Boris! Was it the one word that might get you a ban?
I was watching a Kevin Bridges show the other night. He does a whole riff on the word which would get me banned.
Then he suggests using the word "fanny" instead
Or, as he puts it, "diet ****"
Trying the converse, "Full sugar fanny" perhaps moves the context off line a bit further than Swifty's bowling.
'Front bottom' always made me giggle for some reason.
Rishi would be smart to not fight the election on the Tory record.
So that’s exactly what he’s going to do.
Boasting about tax cuts when taxes are at a record high. Criticising Starmer about 100k illegal refugees when legal immigrants are nearly that a month
What could go wrong?
Rishi Sunak is a Labour plant? How can anyone be this dumb, I do not understand it.
Immigration is the achilles heel of the Tories and yet he wants to make it his mission to highlight how bad it is. He is doing nothing about the migration he can control and then to make it worse, is highlighting how his party can't handle illegal migration either.
It is honestly baffling - but just shows him to be a bit thick.
If in doubt, return the basic principle that Sunak Is Crap At Politics. That is almost always the explanation for whatever the day's self-own happens to be.
The principle needs a name, like Cookie's Law. Rishi's Razor?
Sunak's Saw: 'No matter how badly a message can be presented Rishi Sunak will find a way to make it worse'.
I was musing the other day about words matched with Prime Ministers.
Fear. Thatcher.
Respect. Brown.
Horror. Truss.
Pity. Sunak
As a politician, to be pitied is worse than any other emotion...
First time you have missed Boris! Was it the one word that might get you a ban?
A nice article. I absolutely love that Bryan Robson was on standby every single week. Also that Beaumont and Botham and their families used to go on holiday together.
I used to love AQOS when I was small. It was telly - a quiz show, even - I could watch with my parents on almost equal terms. I played rugby, so always supported Bill Beaumont, but obviously Willie Carson was ace too, and so was Emlyn Hughes.
For my tastes, it went downhill a bit after David Coleman left. I have nothing against Sue Barker, Ally McCoist, Matt Dawson or Phil Tufnell, but it always felt a bit like it was trying hard to find the laughs, rather than letting them come naturally. It didn't have to be hilarious, just pleasant and agreeable.
Yes, my sentiments exactly. Although perhaps the laugh chasing just seems more obvious when you’re not a child anymore?
There’s got to be space for serious quizzes where knowledge is the prize and they don’t feel the need to be funny. What have we got at the moment?
Only Connect Mastermind University Challenge
I like OC but Victoria Coren-Mitchell’s opening & closing monologues are so unfunny it hurts. I can barely believe they make it past the editors
Any non Beeb serous quizzes?
I do miss Fifteen To One. If memory serves, the ultimate winner would take home a nice relic of antiquity or similar.
Btw, I don't consider Mastermind a serious quiz; the general knowledge round is laughably easy and whoever lets some of the specialist subjects through ('Seasons 8 through 10 of Seinfeld") needs a slap.
I went on that, Fifteen To One. Eliminated early but I still have the photo of myself with William G Stewart. The other big thing from the day was seeing Angela Rippon in reception.
The legendary Williams, G Stewart producer of some great ItV sitcoms of the seventies
A nice article. I absolutely love that Bryan Robson was on standby every single week. Also that Beaumont and Botham and their families used to go on holiday together.
I used to love AQOS when I was small. It was telly - a quiz show, even - I could watch with my parents on almost equal terms. I played rugby, so always supported Bill Beaumont, but obviously Willie Carson was ace too, and so was Emlyn Hughes.
For my tastes, it went downhill a bit after David Coleman left. I have nothing against Sue Barker, Ally McCoist, Matt Dawson or Phil Tufnell, but it always felt a bit like it was trying hard to find the laughs, rather than letting them come naturally. It didn't have to be hilarious, just pleasant and agreeable.
Yes, my sentiments exactly. Although perhaps the laugh chasing just seems more obvious when you’re not a child anymore?
There’s got to be space for serious quizzes where knowledge is the prize and they don’t feel the need to be funny. What have we got at the moment?
Only Connect Mastermind University Challenge
I like OC but Victoria Coren-Mitchell’s opening & closing monologues are so unfunny it hurts. I can barely believe they make it past the editors
Any non Beeb serous quizzes?
You just don't understand VCM's intellectual, elitist left- wing humour.
N.B. Neither do I!
It crossed my mind I might not be clever enough to understand them!
I quite like the way she presents the quiz, but those monologues leave me slack jawed, I just don’t get how they’re funny. Maybe the lack of a laugh track accentuates it, as someone else said
Serious question. I attended a U3a discussion session today, and someone raised the issue of the Post Office scandal. Someone remarked that around the turn of the century quite a few sub Post Offices were run by large companies, such as WH Smith. Did they have any problems with Horizon and if so how did the “investigators” deal with it?
A nice article. I absolutely love that Bryan Robson was on standby every single week. Also that Beaumont and Botham and their families used to go on holiday together.
I used to love AQOS when I was small. It was telly - a quiz show, even - I could watch with my parents on almost equal terms. I played rugby, so always supported Bill Beaumont, but obviously Willie Carson was ace too, and so was Emlyn Hughes.
For my tastes, it went downhill a bit after David Coleman left. I have nothing against Sue Barker, Ally McCoist, Matt Dawson or Phil Tufnell, but it always felt a bit like it was trying hard to find the laughs, rather than letting them come naturally. It didn't have to be hilarious, just pleasant and agreeable.
Yes, my sentiments exactly. Although perhaps the laugh chasing just seems more obvious when you’re not a child anymore?
There’s got to be space for serious quizzes where knowledge is the prize and they don’t feel the need to be funny. What have we got at the moment?
Only Connect Mastermind University Challenge
I like OC but Victoria Coren-Mitchell’s opening & closing monologues are so unfunny it hurts. I can barely believe they make it past the editors
Any non Beeb serous quizzes?
You just don't understand VCM's intellectual, elitist left- wing humour.
N.B. Neither do I!
It crossed my mind I might not be clever enough to understand them!
I quite like the way she presents the quiz, but those monologues leave me slack jawed, I just don’t get how they’re funny. Maybe the lack of a laugh track accentuates it, as someone else said
Thanks to all who responded with the explanations on the emus.
Perhaps this will clarify matters: I have a number of collections of jokes, including three of political jokes. (If you can find it, the oldest, by Lukes and Galnoor, is definitely worth buying for anyone interested in politics, though I should warn you that not all of the jokes in that collection would pass modern political correctness tests. https://www.amazon.com/No-Laughing-Matter-Collection-Political/dp/0710099657
And, at 80, I try to behave myself so I rarely reply with punch lines to the unintentional straight lines I see here, almost every day.
(One of my long-time favorite political jokes:
We all know the North Korean dictator, Kim Jong Un.
But you may have missed this news about him: A few months ago, he was showing off a smart phone.
And we know it's a smart phone because it left North Korea the next day.
How can Miriam Cates be accused of damaging the reputation of the Commons, when nobody knows what she’s supposed to have done?
Something Kafkaesque about this process, even if I am hardly a natural supporter of the loonbag Ms Cates.
Let me get this right, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards is currently investigating eight MPs:
Rt Hon. Colonel Bob Stewart (Con*) Mr Andrew Bridgen (Con*) Ms Virginia Crosbie (Con) Rt Hon. Dame Eleanor Laing (Con) Mr Marco Longhi (Con) Mr David Duguid (Con) Sir Bernard Jenkin (Con) Ms Miriam Cates (Con)
Is there a pattern I wonder?
(*Elected as Con, now disowned by them - too late.)
Bernard Jenkin and Eleanor Laing feel like odd-ones-out on that list though. I wouldn't have ranked them alongside full-bore moonhowlers like Cates and Bridgen.
Constitutional theory is about 100 years behind the reality and we could really do with a modern-day Bagehot to point out that actually, yes, the people are sovereign.
1. The principle that parliament should be elected by and is accountable to the (adult) population of the country is unchallenged, bar fringe cases.
2. Parliament may exercise sovereignty on behalf of the people but this is not the same as actually being sovereign in its own right. Legal sovereignty is not the same as the enduring political reality that underpins constitutional practice.
3. The principle that first-order political questions should be settled by the people themselves through referendums - in other words, that parliament doesn't have the authority or legitimacy to decide those questions for itself - is now a constitutional convention. (This is not the same as saying that all referendums involve first-order political questions).
4. The nature of the Parliament Act, Salisbury Convention and 'mandates' in general point to the people being the fundamental source of sovereignty.
I take your point, but it seems to me that you are arguing in effect that sovereignty of 'people' or of 'parliament' amount to the same thing. The problem with the 'people' idea is that it is not recognisably cashable in terms of governance except through what parliament does. 'People' don't have legislating power (even through referendums). Perhaps 'the sovereignty of parliament is the means by which that of the people is effected' might be the best we can do.
'Sovereignty of people' is an expression which smacks slightly of the sub-optimal elements of the French revolution, for all people are equal but when the shouting starts some tend to be more equal than others; and it also invites the cynical question: Who, whom?
Rishi would be smart to not fight the election on the Tory record.
So that’s exactly what he’s going to do.
Boasting about tax cuts when taxes are at a record high. Criticising Starmer about 100k illegal refugees when legal immigrants are nearly that a month
What could go wrong?
The A&E '% seen within 4 hours' is telling too.
Not quite so dramatic maybe but pretty clear.
As always with graphs/charts; look at what they're saying. In this case, why does one graph start well after the other? What happened in the earlier years?
Not saying this doesn't show a problem; just that it's the sort of thing that always pops into my mind when I see any chart.
Good question.
I'm struggling in a quick search to find pre-2010 data for A&E waiting times, so I wonder where that FT graph got its data from. Was that target measured before 2003?
There's no reason why the two graphs should have the same x-axis limits of course, they work independently.
If, as I hope, Labour do use any of these they really need to make sure they're watertight though
Good afternoon
I am not posting much due to my on going health issues but I would just say that as poor as England's NHS stats are, Wales are worse and this is the responsibility of Wales Labour government
9 weeks ago today at this time I was sent directly into A & E by my GP as a medical emergency. I was triaged at 5.30pm, had blood at 6.30pm and then my wife and I waited with 114 other patients overnight, being asked back at 3.00am for more bloods as they had made an error with those at 6.30pm
It was 7.00am, (over 13 hours later) I first saw the A & E doctor who immediately admitted me to hospital and arranged an emergency ultrasound which confirmed a massive left thigh DVT and other issues
I continue under the care of the hospital and three consultants, but the point I would make is that it not just an English issues, but also a Welsh and as I understand it from our family, a Scottish one which covers the political divide of Conservative, Labour and SNP
I do not know the answer and certainly Streeting will have his work cut out to come a anywhere near a resolution for England, and as for Wales I see little prospect of improvement in the short term
Really sorry to hear about your health issues Big_G and your terrible experience at A&E.
You may be right about Welsh Labour but I can't escape the feeling that this is all determined in Westminster. I suspect the powers of the Welsh and Scottish governments are severely constrained by what Westminster does.
Graun feed reports another, erm, original bit of shtick:
'In an earlier message on X, Michelle Mone also suggested that, if anyone was to blame for the government overspending on PPE, it was Michael Gove, the Cabinet Office minister during Covid and now levelling up secretary, and Sir Chris Wormald, permanent secretary at the Department of Health.
"Michael Gove and Sir Chris Wormald approved the purchase of 5 years supply of PPE when the remit was to build up only 4 months. They oversaw huge waste in PPE contracts. They have both had questions to answer for a very long time."'
Is that 4 months as in normal pre-covid or 4 months of covid she means??
@Foxy would be the one to ask, but there were stories at the time that PPE was being used at 20-30 times the normal rate.
I still think that we need to investigate non-disposable PPE. Cleaning chemicals are much easier to stockpile than thin, bio-degradable plastic.
For ydoethur (and others): Two brothers went out West and established a cattle ranch. After some years, their father came out to visit to see their success.
He learned that they had not yet named their ranch, thought a bit, and came up with this suggestion: Focus.
Why Focus? Because that's where the sons raise meat.
How can Miriam Cates be accused of damaging the reputation of the Commons, when nobody knows what she’s supposed to have done?
Something Kafkaesque about this process, even if I am hardly a natural supporter of the loonbag Ms Cates.
Let me get this right, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards is currently investigating eight MPs:
Rt Hon. Colonel Bob Stewart (Con*) Mr Andrew Bridgen (Con*) Ms Virginia Crosbie (Con) Rt Hon. Dame Eleanor Laing (Con) Mr Marco Longhi (Con) Mr David Duguid (Con) Sir Bernard Jenkin (Con) Ms Miriam Cates (Con)
Is there a pattern I wonder?
(*Elected as Con, now disowned by them - too late.)
Bear in mind that two Labour MPs elected in 2019 resigned or were recalled this parliament too following either a suspension or custodial sentence being imposed, and another could very easily have been. Also one SNP MP.
How can Miriam Cates be accused of damaging the reputation of the Commons, when nobody knows what she’s supposed to have done?
Something Kafkaesque about this process, even if I am hardly a natural supporter of the loonbag Ms Cates.
Let me get this right, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards is currently investigating eight MPs:
Rt Hon. Colonel Bob Stewart (Con*) Mr Andrew Bridgen (Con*) Ms Virginia Crosbie (Con) Rt Hon. Dame Eleanor Laing (Con) Mr Marco Longhi (Con) Mr David Duguid (Con) Sir Bernard Jenkin (Con) Ms Miriam Cates (Con)
Is there a pattern I wonder?
(*Elected as Con, now disowned by them - too late.)
Bear in mind that two Labour MPs elected in 2019 resigned or were recalled this parliament too following either a suspension or custodial sentence being imposed, and another could very easily have been. Also one SNP MP.
Of course, just looking at the current 'under investigation' list.
For ydoethur (and others): Two brothers went out West and established a cattle ranch. After some years, their father came out to visit to see their success.
He learned that they had not yet named their ranch, thought a bit, and came up with this suggestion: Focus.
Why Focus? Because that's where the sons raise meat.
Constitutional theory is about 100 years behind the reality and we could really do with a modern-day Bagehot to point out that actually, yes, the people are sovereign.
1. The principle that parliament should be elected by and is accountable to the (adult) population of the country is unchallenged, bar fringe cases.
2. Parliament may exercise sovereignty on behalf of the people but this is not the same as actually being sovereign in its own right. Legal sovereignty is not the same as the enduring political reality that underpins constitutional practice.
3. The principle that first-order political questions should be settled by the people themselves through referendums - in other words, that parliament doesn't have the authority or legitimacy to decide those questions for itself - is now a constitutional convention. (This is not the same as saying that all referendums involve first-order political questions).
4. The nature of the Parliament Act, Salisbury Convention and 'mandates' in general point to the people being the fundamental source of sovereignty.
I take your point, but it seems to me that you are arguing in effect that sovereignty of 'people' or of 'parliament' amount to the same thing. The problem with the 'people' idea is that it is not recognisably cashable in terms of governance except through what parliament does. 'People' don't have legislating power (even through referendums). Perhaps 'the sovereignty of parliament is the means by which that of the people is effected' might be the best we can do.
'Sovereignty of people' is an expression which smacks slightly of the sub-optimal elements of the French revolution, for all people are equal but when the shouting starts some tend to be more equal than others; and it also invites the cynical question: Who, whom?
Parliament also has the power to change the franchise, and, as proven through history, how it chooses to constitute itself.
Rishi would be smart to not fight the election on the Tory record.
So that’s exactly what he’s going to do.
Boasting about tax cuts when taxes are at a record high. Criticising Starmer about 100k illegal refugees when legal immigrants are nearly that a month
What could go wrong?
The A&E '% seen within 4 hours' is telling too.
Not quite so dramatic maybe but pretty clear.
As always with graphs/charts; look at what they're saying. In this case, why does one graph start well after the other? What happened in the earlier years?
Not saying this doesn't show a problem; just that it's the sort of thing that always pops into my mind when I see any chart.
Good question.
I'm struggling in a quick search to find pre-2010 data for A&E waiting times, so I wonder where that FT graph got its data from. Was that target measured before 2003?
There's no reason why the two graphs should have the same x-axis limits of course, they work independently.
If, as I hope, Labour do use any of these they really need to make sure they're watertight though
Good afternoon
I am not posting much due to my on going health issues but I would just say that as poor as England's NHS stats are, Wales are worse and this is the responsibility of Wales Labour government
9 weeks ago today at this time I was sent directly into A & E by my GP as a medical emergency. I was triaged at 5.30pm, had blood at 6.30pm and then my wife and I waited with 114 other patients overnight, being asked back at 3.00am for more bloods as they had made an error with those at 6.30pm
It was 7.00am, (over 13 hours later) I first saw the A & E doctor who immediately admitted me to hospital and arranged an emergency ultrasound which confirmed a massive left thigh DVT and other issues
I continue under the care of the hospital and three consultants, but the point I would make is that it not just an English issues, but also a Welsh and as I understand it from our family, a Scottish one which covers the political divide of Conservative, Labour and SNP
I do not know the answer and certainly Streeting will have his work cut out to come a anywhere near a resolution for England, and as for Wales I see little prospect of improvement in the short term
Really sorry to hear about your health issues Big_G and your terrible experience at A&E.
You may be right about Welsh Labour but I can't escape the feeling that this is all determined in Westminster. I suspect the powers of the Welsh and Scottish governments are severely constrained by what Westminster does.
Thank you and I certainly am not as active as I was and just wait for the results of my various tests, and possibly more in the new year
It will be interesting as we move to a Welsh labour government and an English one just how this plays out in Wales
Drakeford has resigned at just the point when his popularity and labour's show falls in the polls, not least from the terrible implementation of the 20mph scheme which is widely criticised and with a Labour government in Westminster and Cardiff the conservatives cannot be blamed as Wales NHS will almost certainly continue to fail
A nice article. I absolutely love that Bryan Robson was on standby every single week. Also that Beaumont and Botham and their families used to go on holiday together.
I used to love AQOS when I was small. It was telly - a quiz show, even - I could watch with my parents on almost equal terms. I played rugby, so always supported Bill Beaumont, but obviously Willie Carson was ace too, and so was Emlyn Hughes.
For my tastes, it went downhill a bit after David Coleman left. I have nothing against Sue Barker, Ally McCoist, Matt Dawson or Phil Tufnell, but it always felt a bit like it was trying hard to find the laughs, rather than letting them come naturally. It didn't have to be hilarious, just pleasant and agreeable.
Yes, my sentiments exactly. Although perhaps the laugh chasing just seems more obvious when you’re not a child anymore?
There’s got to be space for serious quizzes where knowledge is the prize and they don’t feel the need to be funny. What have we got at the moment?
Only Connect Mastermind University Challenge
I like OC but Victoria Coren-Mitchell’s opening & closing monologues are so unfunny it hurts. I can barely believe they make it past the editors
Any non Beeb serous quizzes?
I do miss Fifteen To One. If memory serves, the ultimate winner would take home a nice relic of antiquity or similar.
Btw, I don't consider Mastermind a serious quiz; the general knowledge round is laughably easy and whoever lets some of the specialist subjects through ('Seasons 8 through 10 of Seinfeld") needs a slap.
I went on that, Fifteen To One. Eliminated early but I still have the photo of myself with William G Stewart. The other big thing from the day was seeing Angela Rippon in reception.
The legendary Williams, G Stewart producer of some great ItV sitcoms of the seventies
I do hope he was lovely in person
Yes he was great. Had that detached professional courtesy with a hint of warmth that I always respond well to. Nobody wants chilliness but I personally dislike in your face jocularity even more. He was right in the sweet spot. It wasn't his fault I failed to do myself justice.
A nice article. I absolutely love that Bryan Robson was on standby every single week. Also that Beaumont and Botham and their families used to go on holiday together.
I used to love AQOS when I was small. It was telly - a quiz show, even - I could watch with my parents on almost equal terms. I played rugby, so always supported Bill Beaumont, but obviously Willie Carson was ace too, and so was Emlyn Hughes.
For my tastes, it went downhill a bit after David Coleman left. I have nothing against Sue Barker, Ally McCoist, Matt Dawson or Phil Tufnell, but it always felt a bit like it was trying hard to find the laughs, rather than letting them come naturally. It didn't have to be hilarious, just pleasant and agreeable.
Yes, my sentiments exactly. Although perhaps the laugh chasing just seems more obvious when you’re not a child anymore?
There’s got to be space for serious quizzes where knowledge is the prize and they don’t feel the need to be funny. What have we got at the moment?
Only Connect Mastermind University Challenge
I like OC but Victoria Coren-Mitchell’s opening & closing monologues are so unfunny it hurts. I can barely believe they make it past the editors
Any non Beeb serous quizzes?
You just don't understand VCM's intellectual, elitist left- wing humour.
N.B. Neither do I!
It crossed my mind I might not be clever enough to understand them!
I quite like the way she presents the quiz, but those monologues leave me slack jawed, I just don’t get how they’re funny. Maybe the lack of a laugh track accentuates it, as someone else said
They are bizarre. I think the 'point' – if indeed there is a point - is that they are outlandish, unfunny and inane. Coren writes them herself I suspect and they have become part of the show's trademark. For better or worse (worse in my view).
Russian casualties have hit 1,000 a day, quite frequently in recent weeks.
I feel like the Putin-as-strategic-mastermind meme has been reappearing of late, but while he is certainly a formidable character the SMO remains a massive strategic error and a human catastrophe. He has already likely spent hundreds of thousands of Russian lives in the meatgrinder; the conflict may claim over a million deaths before it is over. And for what? A relatively small strip of land*, swathes of which will be uninhabitable for years.
He vastly underestimated the level of opposition he would face. Now thousands die daily to save face. He himself may not live to see the reckoning, but it will come.
*My belief is that Donbas and Crimea will be taken in the end, and become a part of Russia, as the price of peace.
A nice article. I absolutely love that Bryan Robson was on standby every single week. Also that Beaumont and Botham and their families used to go on holiday together.
I used to love AQOS when I was small. It was telly - a quiz show, even - I could watch with my parents on almost equal terms. I played rugby, so always supported Bill Beaumont, but obviously Willie Carson was ace too, and so was Emlyn Hughes.
For my tastes, it went downhill a bit after David Coleman left. I have nothing against Sue Barker, Ally McCoist, Matt Dawson or Phil Tufnell, but it always felt a bit like it was trying hard to find the laughs, rather than letting them come naturally. It didn't have to be hilarious, just pleasant and agreeable.
Yes, my sentiments exactly. Although perhaps the laugh chasing just seems more obvious when you’re not a child anymore?
There’s got to be space for serious quizzes where knowledge is the prize and they don’t feel the need to be funny. What have we got at the moment?
Only Connect Mastermind University Challenge
I like OC but Victoria Coren-Mitchell’s opening & closing monologues are so unfunny it hurts. I can barely believe they make it past the editors
Any non Beeb serous quizzes?
I love her monologues, particularly the Michael Portillo ones. She is admittedly completely bonkers.
Proven by her decision to have a child in her fifties. Where does she find the energy?
The Tories are now calling a Gove a traitor. God help us
The Tories are tired and need a good few years out of power.
Having said that, I expect them to get worse before they get better: as the Tories did with IDS, or Labour with Corbyn.
IMV, short of unexpected events (of which we have had none recently...) we are looking at three terms for Labour.
That's your decade of national renewal right there.
Labour's last 'decade of national renewal' ended with a massive financial crash...
Balancing the books matter. which is why I want politicians to be honest and say: "If you want good services, taxes need to go up."
Brown bringing down Lehman Brothers, Fanny Mae and Freddie Mac defined his term in office. Fortunately 15 years on we are, as a nation, in much better shape- NOT!
How can Miriam Cates be accused of damaging the reputation of the Commons, when nobody knows what she’s supposed to have done?
Something Kafkaesque about this process, even if I am hardly a natural supporter of the loonbag Ms Cates.
Let me get this right, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards is currently investigating eight MPs:
Rt Hon. Colonel Bob Stewart (Con*) Mr Andrew Bridgen (Con*) Ms Virginia Crosbie (Con) Rt Hon. Dame Eleanor Laing (Con) Mr Marco Longhi (Con) Mr David Duguid (Con) Sir Bernard Jenkin (Con) Ms Miriam Cates (Con)
Is there a pattern I wonder?
(*Elected as Con, now disowned by them - too late.)
Bernard Jenkin and Eleanor Laing feel like odd-ones-out on that list though. I wouldn't have ranked them alongside full-bore moonhowlers like Cates and Bridgen.
Maybe it's just me, but I'm not entirely comfortable with Eleanor Laing continuing as Deputy Speaker (and Chair of Ways and Means) until the investigation into her (for actions causing significant damage to the reputation of the House etc.) is completed. Maybe she should step down temporarily.
A nice article. I absolutely love that Bryan Robson was on standby every single week. Also that Beaumont and Botham and their families used to go on holiday together.
I used to love AQOS when I was small. It was telly - a quiz show, even - I could watch with my parents on almost equal terms. I played rugby, so always supported Bill Beaumont, but obviously Willie Carson was ace too, and so was Emlyn Hughes.
For my tastes, it went downhill a bit after David Coleman left. I have nothing against Sue Barker, Ally McCoist, Matt Dawson or Phil Tufnell, but it always felt a bit like it was trying hard to find the laughs, rather than letting them come naturally. It didn't have to be hilarious, just pleasant and agreeable.
Yes, my sentiments exactly. Although perhaps the laugh chasing just seems more obvious when you’re not a child anymore?
There’s got to be space for serious quizzes where knowledge is the prize and they don’t feel the need to be funny. What have we got at the moment?
Only Connect Mastermind University Challenge
I like OC but Victoria Coren-Mitchell’s opening & closing monologues are so unfunny it hurts. I can barely believe they make it past the editors
Any non Beeb serous quizzes?
You just don't understand VCM's intellectual, elitist left- wing humour.
N.B. Neither do I!
It crossed my mind I might not be clever enough to understand them!
I quite like the way she presents the quiz, but those monologues leave me slack jawed, I just don’t get how they’re funny. Maybe the lack of a laugh track accentuates it, as someone else said
They are bizarre. I think the 'point' – if indeed there is a point - is that they are outlandish, unfunny and inane. Coren writes them herself I suspect and they have become part of the show's trademark. For better or worse (worse in my view).
It just depends on your sense of humour. I quite like the surreal. Not dissimilar from early Vic Reeves.
How can Miriam Cates be accused of damaging the reputation of the Commons, when nobody knows what she’s supposed to have done?
Something Kafkaesque about this process, even if I am hardly a natural supporter of the loonbag Ms Cates.
Let me get this right, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards is currently investigating eight MPs:
Rt Hon. Colonel Bob Stewart (Con*) Mr Andrew Bridgen (Con*) Ms Virginia Crosbie (Con) Rt Hon. Dame Eleanor Laing (Con) Mr Marco Longhi (Con) Mr David Duguid (Con) Sir Bernard Jenkin (Con) Ms Miriam Cates (Con)
Is there a pattern I wonder?
(*Elected as Con, now disowned by them - too late.)
Bernard Jenkin and Eleanor Laing feel like odd-ones-out on that list though. I wouldn't have ranked them alongside full-bore moonhowlers like Cates and Bridgen.
Maybe it's just me, but I'm not entirely comfortable with Eleanor Laing continuing as Deputy Speaker (and Chair of Ways and Means) until the investigation into her (for actions causing significant damage to the reputation of the House etc.) is completed. Maybe she should step down temporarily.
I understand your viewpoint but it is also tempered by the premise of innocent until proven guilty.
There's potential for anarchy if people start putting spurious claims.
A nice article. I absolutely love that Bryan Robson was on standby every single week. Also that Beaumont and Botham and their families used to go on holiday together.
I used to love AQOS when I was small. It was telly - a quiz show, even - I could watch with my parents on almost equal terms. I played rugby, so always supported Bill Beaumont, but obviously Willie Carson was ace too, and so was Emlyn Hughes.
For my tastes, it went downhill a bit after David Coleman left. I have nothing against Sue Barker, Ally McCoist, Matt Dawson or Phil Tufnell, but it always felt a bit like it was trying hard to find the laughs, rather than letting them come naturally. It didn't have to be hilarious, just pleasant and agreeable.
Yes, my sentiments exactly. Although perhaps the laugh chasing just seems more obvious when you’re not a child anymore?
There’s got to be space for serious quizzes where knowledge is the prize and they don’t feel the need to be funny. What have we got at the moment?
Only Connect Mastermind University Challenge
I like OC but Victoria Coren-Mitchell’s opening & closing monologues are so unfunny it hurts. I can barely believe they make it past the editors
Any non Beeb serous quizzes?
You just don't understand VCM's intellectual, elitist left- wing humour.
N.B. Neither do I!
I find VCM's humour one of the funniest things on TV.
The Tories are now calling a Gove a traitor. God help us
The Tories are tired and need a good few years out of power.
Having said that, I expect them to get worse before they get better: as the Tories did with IDS, or Labour with Corbyn.
IMV, short of unexpected events (of which we have had none recently...) we are looking at three terms for Labour.
That's your decade of national renewal right there.
Lol. More like a decade of decline through splurging money at an unreformed public sector until they leave a note to the next Tory administration saying "sorry there is no money left".
The Tories might be terrible, but Labour have been put on this earth to remind us that putting amateurs in charge (the Tories tried it with Johnson) never makes anything work better.
How can Miriam Cates be accused of damaging the reputation of the Commons, when nobody knows what she’s supposed to have done?
Something Kafkaesque about this process, even if I am hardly a natural supporter of the loonbag Ms Cates.
Let me get this right, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards is currently investigating eight MPs:
Rt Hon. Colonel Bob Stewart (Con*) Mr Andrew Bridgen (Con*) Ms Virginia Crosbie (Con) Rt Hon. Dame Eleanor Laing (Con) Mr Marco Longhi (Con) Mr David Duguid (Con) Sir Bernard Jenkin (Con) Ms Miriam Cates (Con)
Is there a pattern I wonder?
(*Elected as Con, now disowned by them - too late.)
Bernard Jenkin and Eleanor Laing feel like odd-ones-out on that list though. I wouldn't have ranked them alongside full-bore moonhowlers like Cates and Bridgen.
Maybe it's just me, but I'm not entirely comfortable with Eleanor Laing continuing as Deputy Speaker (and Chair of Ways and Means) until the investigation into her (for actions causing significant damage to the reputation of the House etc.) is completed. Maybe she should step down temporarily.
I understand your viewpoint but it is also tempered by the premise of innocent until proven guilty.
There's potential for anarchy if people start putting spurious claims.
Fair point. But it's not uncommon to have to step aside temporarily if allegations are made against you, even if they turn out to be entirely spurious. Teachers, for example. It's just that the Deputy Speaker is a key figure in upholding the good reputation of the House - she would be stepping aside without prejudice.
A nice article. I absolutely love that Bryan Robson was on standby every single week. Also that Beaumont and Botham and their families used to go on holiday together.
I used to love AQOS when I was small. It was telly - a quiz show, even - I could watch with my parents on almost equal terms. I played rugby, so always supported Bill Beaumont, but obviously Willie Carson was ace too, and so was Emlyn Hughes.
For my tastes, it went downhill a bit after David Coleman left. I have nothing against Sue Barker, Ally McCoist, Matt Dawson or Phil Tufnell, but it always felt a bit like it was trying hard to find the laughs, rather than letting them come naturally. It didn't have to be hilarious, just pleasant and agreeable.
Yes, my sentiments exactly. Although perhaps the laugh chasing just seems more obvious when you’re not a child anymore?
There’s got to be space for serious quizzes where knowledge is the prize and they don’t feel the need to be funny. What have we got at the moment?
Only Connect Mastermind University Challenge
I like OC but Victoria Coren-Mitchell’s opening & closing monologues are so unfunny it hurts. I can barely believe they make it past the editors
Any non Beeb serous quizzes?
You just don't understand VCM's intellectual, elitist left- wing humour.
N.B. Neither do I!
I find VCM's humour one of the funniest things on TV.
I think VCN just gave you a "like".
if she's reading - VCM, I think you're quite splendid.
Rishi would be smart to not fight the election on the Tory record.
So that’s exactly what he’s going to do.
Boasting about tax cuts when taxes are at a record high. Criticising Starmer about 100k illegal refugees when legal immigrants are nearly that a month
What could go wrong?
The A&E '% seen within 4 hours' is telling too.
Not quite so dramatic maybe but pretty clear.
As always with graphs/charts; look at what they're saying. In this case, why does one graph start well after the other? What happened in the earlier years?
Not saying this doesn't show a problem; just that it's the sort of thing that always pops into my mind when I see any chart.
Good question.
I'm struggling in a quick search to find pre-2010 data for A&E waiting times, so I wonder where that FT graph got its data from. Was that target measured before 2003?
There's no reason why the two graphs should have the same x-axis limits of course, they work independently.
If, as I hope, Labour do use any of these they really need to make sure they're watertight though
Good afternoon
I am not posting much due to my on going health issues but I would just say that as poor as England's NHS stats are, Wales are worse and this is the responsibility of Wales Labour government
9 weeks ago today at this time I was sent directly into A & E by my GP as a medical emergency. I was triaged at 5.30pm, had blood at 6.30pm and then my wife and I waited with 114 other patients overnight, being asked back at 3.00am for more bloods as they had made an error with those at 6.30pm
It was 7.00am, (over 13 hours later) I first saw the A & E doctor who immediately admitted me to hospital and arranged an emergency ultrasound which confirmed a massive left thigh DVT and other issues
I continue under the care of the hospital and three consultants, but the point I would make is that it not just an English issues, but also a Welsh and as I understand it from our family, a Scottish one which covers the political divide of Conservative, Labour and SNP
I do not know the answer and certainly Streeting will have his work cut out to come a anywhere near a resolution for England, and as for Wales I see little prospect of improvement in the short term
Really sorry to hear about your health issues Big_G and your terrible experience at A&E.
You may be right about Welsh Labour but I can't escape the feeling that this is all determined in Westminster. I suspect the powers of the Welsh and Scottish governments are severely constrained by what Westminster does.
Thank you and I certainly am not as active as I was and just wait for the results of my various tests, and possibly more in the new year
It will be interesting as we move to a Welsh labour government and an English one just how this plays out in Wales
Drakeford has resigned at just the point when his popularity and labour's show falls in the polls, not least from the terrible implementation of the 20mph scheme which is widely criticised and with a Labour government in Westminster and Cardiff the conservatives cannot be blamed as Wales NHS will almost certainly continue to fail
Of course the Tories can be blames - and are. The devolved administrations manage their own budgets - but only within the boundaries of the cash the are given and can generate. A shortage of cash is the issue, which is how we see a variety of parties in a variety of bodies all having a lack of cash.
"Don't blame the government, blame your council" doesn't work either.
The Tories are now calling a Gove a traitor. God help us
The Tories are tired and need a good few years out of power.
Having said that, I expect them to get worse before they get better: as the Tories did with IDS, or Labour with Corbyn.
IMV, short of unexpected events (of which we have had none recently...) we are looking at three terms for Labour.
That's your decade of national renewal right there.
Lol. More like a decade of decline through splurging money at an unreformed public sector until they leave a note to the next Tory administration saying "sorry there is no money left".
The Tories might be terrible, but Labour have been put on this earth to remind us that putting amateurs in charge (the Tories tried it with Johnson) never makes anything work better.
Liam Byrne's note was customary good humour between exchanging Ministers (in this case expected to be Philip Hammond) weaponised by LD David Laws. Never trust the LDs!
Should the Government change, what kind of a note could the Chief Secretary to the Treasury leave? "There is no money left and a humongous dept which can only be paid down after decades of rampant inflation".
The Tories are now calling a Gove a traitor. God help us
The Tories are tired and need a good few years out of power.
Having said that, I expect them to get worse before they get better: as the Tories did with IDS, or Labour with Corbyn.
IMV, short of unexpected events (of which we have had none recently...) we are looking at three terms for Labour.
That's your decade of national renewal right there.
Labour's last 'decade of national renewal' ended with a massive financial crash...
Balancing the books matter. which is why I want politicians to be honest and say: "If you want good services, taxes need to go up."
Brown bringing down Lehman Brothers, Fanny Mae and Freddie Mac defined his term in office. Fortunately 15 years on we are, as a nation, in much better shape- NOT!
Blair and Brown were blessed with 13 years of stability, having inherited good public finances. In that time, they had three major events: foot and mouth, 9/11, and the financial crash.
Their answer to foot-and-mouth was to throw money at the problem. Literally. Shovel money at it until it went away.
Their 9/11 response was good in terms of Afghanistan (initially); hideous in terms of Iraq. That continues to harm us up to this day.
They did not cause the financial crash; but Brown did put us into a position where we were utterly unprepared for it. Shame on him.
In comparison, the Conservatives/coalition inherited a terrible fiscal situation, and faced three major issues:
Brexit (their own doing)
Covid (orders of magnitude greater than anything Blair/Brown faced)
Ukraine (directly affecting cost-of-living); again, greater than anything Blair/Brown faced.
Brexit was a self-own by the Conservatives (although for explainable reasons). But Blair/Brown squandered some good years, whilst the Conservatives have had to fight against an ebbing tide.
Just one of the candidates selected to fight Labour’s most winnable 100 constituencies works for a company listed on the London Stock Exchange.
Analysis of Labour’s prospective parliamentary candidates by Apella Advisors, a strategic communications and public affairs consultancy, has laid bare the lack of business experience among those most likely to be elected as new MPs.
Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, and Rachel Reeves, shadow chancellor, have embarked on an extensive charm offensive to win over British business leaders and international investors in the past 18 months.
The Tories are now calling a Gove a traitor. God help us
The Tories are tired and need a good few years out of power.
Having said that, I expect them to get worse before they get better: as the Tories did with IDS, or Labour with Corbyn.
IMV, short of unexpected events (of which we have had none recently...) we are looking at three terms for Labour.
That's your decade of national renewal right there.
Lol. More like a decade of decline through splurging money at an unreformed public sector until they leave a note to the next Tory administration saying "sorry there is no money left".
The Tories might be terrible, but Labour have been put on this earth to remind us that putting amateurs in charge (the Tories tried it with Johnson) never makes anything work better.
Liam Byrne's note was customary good humour between exchanging Ministers (in this case expected to be Philip Hammond) weaponised by LD David Laws. Never trust the LDs! (snip)
It may have been humorous; but all the best humour carries more than a hint of truth. Labour wrecked the public finances during 'good' times.
The Tories are now calling a Gove a traitor. God help us
The Tories are tired and need a good few years out of power.
Having said that, I expect them to get worse before they get better: as the Tories did with IDS, or Labour with Corbyn.
IMV, short of unexpected events (of which we have had none recently...) we are looking at three terms for Labour.
That's your decade of national renewal right there.
Labour's last 'decade of national renewal' ended with a massive financial crash...
Balancing the books matter. which is why I want politicians to be honest and say: "If you want good services, taxes need to go up."
Brown bringing down Lehman Brothers, Fanny Mae and Freddie Mac defined his term in office. Fortunately 15 years on we are, as a nation, in much better shape- NOT!
Blair and Brown were blessed with 13 years of stability, having inherited good public finances. In that time, they had three major events: foot and mouth, 9/11, and the financial crash.
Their answer to foot-and-mouth was to throw money at the problem. Literally. Shovel money at it until it went away.
Their 9/11 response was good in terms of Afghanistan (initially); hideous in terms of Iraq. That continues to harm us up to this day.
They did not cause the financial crash; but Brown did put us into a position where we were utterly unprepared for it. Shame on him.
In comparison, the Conservatives/coalition inherited a terrible fiscal situation, and faced three major issues:
Brexit (their own doing)
Covid (orders of magnitude greater than anything Blair/Brown faced)
Ukraine (directly affecting cost-of-living); again, greater than anything Blair/Brown faced.
Brexit was a self-own by the Conservatives (although for explainable reasons). But Blair/Brown squandered some good years, whilst the Conservatives have had to fight against an ebbing tide.
Sorry but you miss the fact that currently to most people the Government looks like it’s doing nothing at the moment (courts in a mess, roads a mess, local government going bankrupt, NHS a mess….) while tax rates are higher than ever and worse are going to continue to increase for the next 5 years
And a lot of that comes down to decisions Osborne implemented in 2010-12
The Tories are now calling a Gove a traitor. God help us
The Tories are tired and need a good few years out of power.
Having said that, I expect them to get worse before they get better: as the Tories did with IDS, or Labour with Corbyn.
IMV, short of unexpected events (of which we have had none recently...) we are looking at three terms for Labour.
That's your decade of national renewal right there.
Labour's last 'decade of national renewal' ended with a massive financial crash...
Balancing the books matter. which is why I want politicians to be honest and say: "If you want good services, taxes need to go up."
Brown bringing down Lehman Brothers, Fanny Mae and Freddie Mac defined his term in office. Fortunately 15 years on we are, as a nation, in much better shape- NOT!
Blair and Brown were blessed with 13 years of stability, having inherited good public finances. In that time, they had three major events: foot and mouth, 9/11, and the financial crash.
Their answer to foot-and-mouth was to throw money at the problem. Literally. Shovel money at it until it went away.
Their 9/11 response was good in terms of Afghanistan (initially); hideous in terms of Iraq. That continues to harm us up to this day.
They did not cause the financial crash; but Brown did put us into a position where we were utterly unprepared for it. Shame on him.
In comparison, the Conservatives/coalition inherited a terrible fiscal situation, and faced three major issues:
Brexit (their own doing)
Covid (orders of magnitude greater than anything Blair/Brown faced)
Ukraine (directly affecting cost-of-living); again, greater than anything Blair/Brown faced.
Brexit was a self-own by the Conservatives (although for explainable reasons). But Blair/Brown squandered some good years, whilst the Conservatives have had to fight against an ebbing tide.
Sorry but you miss the fact that currently to most people the Government looks like it’s doing nothing at the moment (courts in a mess, roads a mess, local government going bankrupt, NHS a mess….) while tax rates are higher than ever and worse are going to continue to increase for the next 5 years
And a lot of that comes down to decisions Osborne implemented in 2010-12
The Tories are now calling a Gove a traitor. God help us
The Tories are tired and need a good few years out of power.
Having said that, I expect them to get worse before they get better: as the Tories did with IDS, or Labour with Corbyn.
IMV, short of unexpected events (of which we have had none recently...) we are looking at three terms for Labour.
That's your decade of national renewal right there.
Labour's last 'decade of national renewal' ended with a massive financial crash...
Balancing the books matter. which is why I want politicians to be honest and say: "If you want good services, taxes need to go up."
Brown bringing down Lehman Brothers, Fanny Mae and Freddie Mac defined his term in office. Fortunately 15 years on we are, as a nation, in much better shape- NOT!
Blair and Brown were blessed with 13 years of stability, having inherited good public finances. In that time, they had three major events: foot and mouth, 9/11, and the financial crash.
Their answer to foot-and-mouth was to throw money at the problem. Literally. Shovel money at it until it went away.
Their 9/11 response was good in terms of Afghanistan (initially); hideous in terms of Iraq. That continues to harm us up to this day.
They did not cause the financial crash; but Brown did put us into a position where we were utterly unprepared for it. Shame on him.
In comparison, the Conservatives/coalition inherited a terrible fiscal situation, and faced three major issues:
Brexit (their own doing)
Covid (orders of magnitude greater than anything Blair/Brown faced)
Ukraine (directly affecting cost-of-living); again, greater than anything Blair/Brown faced.
Brexit was a self-own by the Conservatives (although for explainable reasons). But Blair/Brown squandered some good years, whilst the Conservatives have had to fight against an ebbing tide.
You are probably not old enough to remember the Truss administration.
Is she suggesting he set up a company, bought a load of Moderna shares before they created a vaccine (but knew they were going to) and then gave a call to the vaccine committee to arrange the Moderna approval as the third choice vaccine? He should be praised for his foresight if that’s the case.
I am delighted that none of you have disagreed with my observation in the header that David Cameron is awesome.
Er ... the same Mr Cameron who elevated Ms Mone to the HoL, at the time very much as a good upstanding reputable Unionist? Or are we talking about another member of the clan?
A nice article. I absolutely love that Bryan Robson was on standby every single week. Also that Beaumont and Botham and their families used to go on holiday together.
I used to love AQOS when I was small. It was telly - a quiz show, even - I could watch with my parents on almost equal terms. I played rugby, so always supported Bill Beaumont, but obviously Willie Carson was ace too, and so was Emlyn Hughes.
For my tastes, it went downhill a bit after David Coleman left. I have nothing against Sue Barker, Ally McCoist, Matt Dawson or Phil Tufnell, but it always felt a bit like it was trying hard to find the laughs, rather than letting them come naturally. It didn't have to be hilarious, just pleasant and agreeable.
Yes, my sentiments exactly. Although perhaps the laugh chasing just seems more obvious when you’re not a child anymore?
There’s got to be space for serious quizzes where knowledge is the prize and they don’t feel the need to be funny. What have we got at the moment?
Only Connect Mastermind University Challenge
I like OC but Victoria Coren-Mitchell’s opening & closing monologues are so unfunny it hurts. I can barely believe they make it past the editors
Any non Beeb serous quizzes?
You just don't understand VCM's intellectual, elitist left- wing humour.
N.B. Neither do I!
It crossed my mind I might not be clever enough to understand them!
I quite like the way she presents the quiz, but those monologues leave me slack jawed, I just don’t get how they’re funny. Maybe the lack of a laugh track accentuates it, as someone else said
I think VCM's humour is a bit like 'Monty Python' or 'The Fast Show': with hindsight a lot of minor misses; but the times she hits the mark make up for the misses.
The Tories are now calling a Gove a traitor. God help us
The Tories are tired and need a good few years out of power.
Having said that, I expect them to get worse before they get better: as the Tories did with IDS, or Labour with Corbyn.
IMV, short of unexpected events (of which we have had none recently...) we are looking at three terms for Labour.
That's your decade of national renewal right there.
Labour's last 'decade of national renewal' ended with a massive financial crash...
Balancing the books matter. which is why I want politicians to be honest and say: "If you want good services, taxes need to go up."
Brown bringing down Lehman Brothers, Fanny Mae and Freddie Mac defined his term in office. Fortunately 15 years on we are, as a nation, in much better shape- NOT!
Blair and Brown were blessed with 13 years of stability, having inherited good public finances. In that time, they had three major events: foot and mouth, 9/11, and the financial crash.
Their answer to foot-and-mouth was to throw money at the problem. Literally. Shovel money at it until it went away.
Their 9/11 response was good in terms of Afghanistan (initially); hideous in terms of Iraq. That continues to harm us up to this day.
They did not cause the financial crash; but Brown did put us into a position where we were utterly unprepared for it. Shame on him.
In comparison, the Conservatives/coalition inherited a terrible fiscal situation, and faced three major issues:
Brexit (their own doing)
Covid (orders of magnitude greater than anything Blair/Brown faced)
Ukraine (directly affecting cost-of-living); again, greater than anything Blair/Brown faced.
Brexit was a self-own by the Conservatives (although for explainable reasons). But Blair/Brown squandered some good years, whilst the Conservatives have had to fight against an ebbing tide.
You are probably not old enough to remember the Truss administration.
Graun feed reports another, erm, original bit of shtick:
'In an earlier message on X, Michelle Mone also suggested that, if anyone was to blame for the government overspending on PPE, it was Michael Gove, the Cabinet Office minister during Covid and now levelling up secretary, and Sir Chris Wormald, permanent secretary at the Department of Health.
"Michael Gove and Sir Chris Wormald approved the purchase of 5 years supply of PPE when the remit was to build up only 4 months. They oversaw huge waste in PPE contracts. They have both had questions to answer for a very long time."'
Is that 4 months as in normal pre-covid or 4 months of covid she means??
@Foxy would be the one to ask, but there were stories at the time that PPE was being used at 20-30 times the normal rate.
I still think that we need to investigate non-disposable PPE. Cleaning chemicals are much easier to stockpile than thin, bio-degradable plastic.
Quite so re the rates. Her statement doesn't make sense to me either way. She seems to be mixing pre-covid and during-covid.
Russian casualties have hit 1,000 a day, quite frequently in recent weeks.
I feel like the Putin-as-strategic-mastermind meme has been reappearing of late, but while he is certainly a formidable character the SMO remains a massive strategic error and a human catastrophe. He has already likely spent hundreds of thousands of Russian lives in the meatgrinder; the conflict may claim over a million deaths before it is over. And for what? A relatively small strip of land*, swathes of which will be uninhabitable for years.
He vastly underestimated the level of opposition he would face. Now thousands die daily to save face. He himself may not live to see the reckoning, but it will come.
*My belief is that Donbas and Crimea will be taken in the end, and become a part of Russia, as the price of peace.
I can see why one might want to fight for Crimea - but AFAIUI, the Donbas is an almost relentless shithole. Imagine if that was all they ended up with? Extinguishing the flower of your nation's wealth for a dead and sullen coalfield.
How can Miriam Cates be accused of damaging the reputation of the Commons, when nobody knows what she’s supposed to have done?
Something Kafkaesque about this process, even if I am hardly a natural supporter of the loonbag Ms Cates.
Let me get this right, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards is currently investigating eight MPs:
Rt Hon. Colonel Bob Stewart (Con*) Mr Andrew Bridgen (Con*) Ms Virginia Crosbie (Con) Rt Hon. Dame Eleanor Laing (Con) Mr Marco Longhi (Con) Mr David Duguid (Con) Sir Bernard Jenkin (Con) Ms Miriam Cates (Con)
Is there a pattern I wonder?
(*Elected as Con, now disowned by them - too late.)
Bernard Jenkin and Eleanor Laing feel like odd-ones-out on that list though. I wouldn't have ranked them alongside full-bore moonhowlers like Cates and Bridgen.
Bernard signed off the execution warrant for Boris Johnson. Just sayin
Rishi would be smart to not fight the election on the Tory record.
So that’s exactly what he’s going to do.
Boasting about tax cuts when taxes are at a record high. Criticising Starmer about 100k illegal refugees when legal immigrants are nearly that a month
What could go wrong?
The A&E '% seen within 4 hours' is telling too.
Not quite so dramatic maybe but pretty clear.
As always with graphs/charts; look at what they're saying. In this case, why does one graph start well after the other? What happened in the earlier years?
Not saying this doesn't show a problem; just that it's the sort of thing that always pops into my mind when I see any chart.
Good question.
I'm struggling in a quick search to find pre-2010 data for A&E waiting times, so I wonder where that FT graph got its data from. Was that target measured before 2003?
There's no reason why the two graphs should have the same x-axis limits of course, they work independently.
If, as I hope, Labour do use any of these they really need to make sure they're watertight though
Good afternoon
I am not posting much due to my on going health issues but I would just say that as poor as England's NHS stats are, Wales are worse and this is the responsibility of Wales Labour government
9 weeks ago today at this time I was sent directly into A & E by my GP as a medical emergency. I was triaged at 5.30pm, had blood at 6.30pm and then my wife and I waited with 114 other patients overnight, being asked back at 3.00am for more bloods as they had made an error with those at 6.30pm
It was 7.00am, (over 13 hours later) I first saw the A & E doctor who immediately admitted me to hospital and arranged an emergency ultrasound which confirmed a massive left thigh DVT and other issues
I continue under the care of the hospital and three consultants, but the point I would make is that it not just an English issues, but also a Welsh and as I understand it from our family, a Scottish one which covers the political divide of Conservative, Labour and SNP
I do not know the answer and certainly Streeting will have his work cut out to come a anywhere near a resolution for England, and as for Wales I see little prospect of improvement in the short term
Really sorry to hear about your health issues Big_G and your terrible experience at A&E.
You may be right about Welsh Labour but I can't escape the feeling that this is all determined in Westminster. I suspect the powers of the Welsh and Scottish governments are severely constrained by what Westminster does.
Thank you and I certainly am not as active as I was and just wait for the results of my various tests, and possibly more in the new year
It will be interesting as we move to a Welsh labour government and an English one just how this plays out in Wales
Drakeford has resigned at just the point when his popularity and labour's show falls in the polls, not least from the terrible implementation of the 20mph scheme which is widely criticised and with a Labour government in Westminster and Cardiff the conservatives cannot be blamed as Wales NHS will almost certainly continue to fail
Of course the Tories can be blames - and are. The devolved administrations manage their own budgets - but only within the boundaries of the cash the are given and can generate. A shortage of cash is the issue, which is how we see a variety of parties in a variety of bodies all having a lack of cash.
"Don't blame the government, blame your council" doesn't work either.
You misread my post
I said that when Labour are in power in Westminster and also in Wales (first time since 2010) then Wales NHS continued failure cannot be blamed on the conservatives then
And as you are aware Wales and Scotland receive money through the devolved settlement and how they choose to spend that money or indeed raise taxes is in their own hands
As with the PRI in Mexico, the last gasp will be the worst…
Significant development: Zuma has said he's no longer supporting the ANC.
"By announcing he will not vote or campaign for South Africa's governing African National Congress (ANC) in next year's general election, former president Jacob Zuma is seeking to portray himself as its saviour. This might seem a contradiction in terms, but the strategy appears clear from his words, including the highly personal attack on his successor, President Cyril Ramaphosa."
As with the PRI in Mexico, the last gasp will be the worst…
Significant development: Zuma has said he's no longer supporting the ANC.
"By announcing he will not vote or campaign for South Africa's governing African National Congress (ANC) in next year's general election, former president Jacob Zuma is seeking to portray himself as its saviour. This might seem a contradiction in terms, but the strategy appears clear from his words, including the highly personal attack on his successor, President Cyril Ramaphosa."
How can Miriam Cates be accused of damaging the reputation of the Commons, when nobody knows what she’s supposed to have done?
Something Kafkaesque about this process, even if I am hardly a natural supporter of the loonbag Ms Cates.
Let me get this right, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards is currently investigating eight MPs:
Rt Hon. Colonel Bob Stewart (Con*) Mr Andrew Bridgen (Con*) Ms Virginia Crosbie (Con) Rt Hon. Dame Eleanor Laing (Con) Mr Marco Longhi (Con) Mr David Duguid (Con) Sir Bernard Jenkin (Con) Ms Miriam Cates (Con)
Is there a pattern I wonder?
(*Elected as Con, now disowned by them - too late.)
Bernard Jenkin and Eleanor Laing feel like odd-ones-out on that list though. I wouldn't have ranked them alongside full-bore moonhowlers like Cates and Bridgen.
Maybe it's just me, but I'm not entirely comfortable with Eleanor Laing continuing as Deputy Speaker (and Chair of Ways and Means) until the investigation into her (for actions causing significant damage to the reputation of the House etc.) is completed. Maybe she should step down temporarily.
For attending a party in Dec 2020 which people have claimed breached Covid regulations but which the police said didn’t meet the threshold for fines?
Third festive engagement of the season done. Four more to go
It is an endurance race, isn't it? Why do we do this? Pack everything into two or three insane frenetic weeks?
The oysters are nice, tho
When I was a young whippersnapper of a stockbroker my Decembers were horrific/amazing. 4 days a week, every week, in December were either very pissy client lunches that went on until late or client dinners that went later. I was shoving every supplement I could get into my system to keep going. We always still managed to find room in the schedule for a big lunch to thank all the corporate clients’ support staff which coincidentally were all the prettiest girls we vaguely had any professional contact with.
When we weren’t entertaining we were being entertained by our counterparts. Very messy and numerous mornings waking up in hotel rooms with randoms and having to get a quick taxi home, shower and change whilst they waited, a morning of work then back on it.
Couldn’t do it now as I would die and it’s a bit frowned upon these days sadly. Definitely got more new and further business from the relationships and laughs made during December than any competence, which was lucky.
Third festive engagement of the season done. Four more to go
It is an endurance race, isn't it? Why do we do this? Pack everything into two or three insane frenetic weeks?
The oysters are nice, tho
When I was a young whippersnapper of a stockbroker my Decembers were horrific/amazing. 4 days a week, every week, in December were either very pissy client lunches that went on until late or client dinners that went later. I was shoving every supplement I could get into my system to keep going. We always still managed to find room in the schedule for a big lunch to thank all the corporate clients’ support staff which coincidentally were all the prettiest girls we vaguely had any professional contact with.
When we weren’t entertaining we were being entertained by our counterparts. Very messy and numerous mornings waking up in hotel rooms with randoms and having to get a quick taxi home, shower and change whilst they waited, a morning of work then back on it.
Couldn’t do it now as I would die and it’s a bit frowned upon these days sadly. Definitely got more new and further business from the relationships and laughs made during December than any competence, which was lucky.
Oh god yeah. In reality I can't believe I am complaining about a handful of functions. My social diary is pitiful compared to what I used to do in London in my 20s and 30s
From about Dec 5th on there was often 3 or 4 different media/TV/magazine/flint knapping parties a night, maybe 3 nights a week, and you would try to hit 2 of them
So you could end up doing literally 20 parties by December 25 at which point you collapsed into an alcoholic coma and your family wondered why you looked a bit peaky and subdued on Xmas Day morning
Comments
https://www.newsweek.com/russia-artillery-systems-casualty-count-tanks-avdiivka-ukraine-1853110
Which company please?
I do hope he was lovely in person
I quite like the way she presents the quiz, but those monologues leave me slack jawed, I just don’t get how they’re funny. Maybe the lack of a laugh track accentuates it, as someone else said
Someone remarked that around the turn of the century quite a few sub Post Offices were run by large companies, such as WH Smith. Did they have any problems with Horizon and if so how did the “investigators” deal with it?
Perhaps this will clarify matters: I have a number of collections of jokes, including three of political jokes. (If you can find it, the oldest, by Lukes and Galnoor, is definitely worth buying for anyone interested in politics, though I should warn you that not all of the jokes in that collection would pass modern political correctness tests.
https://www.amazon.com/No-Laughing-Matter-Collection-Political/dp/0710099657
And, at 80, I try to behave myself so I rarely reply with punch lines to the unintentional straight lines I see here, almost every day.
(One of my long-time favorite political jokes:
We all know the North Korean dictator, Kim Jong Un.
But you may have missed this news about him: A few months ago, he was showing off a smart phone.
And we know it's a smart phone because it left North Korea the next day.
Stolen from Jimmy Fallon years ago.)
'Sovereignty of people' is an expression which smacks slightly of the sub-optimal elements of the French revolution, for all people are equal but when the shouting starts some tend to be more equal than others; and it also invites the cynical question: Who, whom?
You may be right about Welsh Labour but I can't escape the feeling that this is all determined in Westminster. I suspect the powers of the Welsh and Scottish governments are severely constrained by what Westminster does.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12876721/Russian-warplane-shot-Putin-surface-air-missiles.html
A few more of those for Christmas, please Mr Putin.
I still think that we need to investigate non-disposable PPE. Cleaning chemicals are much easier to stockpile than thin, bio-degradable plastic.
This is just one such example.
Apple-TSMC-Amkor Pact Bolsters U.S. Chip Supply Chain
https://www.eetimes.com/apple-tsmc-amkor-pact-bolsters-u-s-chip-supply-chain/
He learned that they had not yet named their ranch, thought a bit, and came up with this suggestion: Focus.
Why Focus? Because that's where the sons raise meat.
Sir Keir’s ratings are his worst since May (+4) and the gap in lead as best PM lowest since August, (still +7 though)
Sunak is -19, down 4 so no need for him to feel encouraged
Bear in mind that two Labour MPs elected in 2019 resigned or were recalled this parliament too following either a suspension or custodial sentence being imposed, and another could very easily have been. Also one SNP MP.
It will be interesting as we move to a Welsh labour government and an English one just how this plays out in Wales
Drakeford has resigned at just the point when his popularity and labour's show falls in the polls, not least from the terrible implementation of the 20mph scheme which is widely criticised and with a Labour government in Westminster and Cardiff the conservatives cannot be blamed as Wales NHS will almost certainly continue to fail
Balancing the books matter. which is why I want politicians to be honest and say: "If you want good services, taxes need to go up."
That was the magicians dog wasn’t it?
The Labracadabrador!
Meanwhile, as good as their word, Rishi’s government have taken the strongest action, and banned a whole breed of dog.
Apart from an odd few exceptions.
https://news.sky.com/story/thousands-of-xl-bully-dogs-granted-exemption-from-upcoming-ban-13032721
But Rishi’s government are being sensible, fair and realistic here aren’t they?
He vastly underestimated the level of opposition he would face. Now thousands die daily to save face. He himself may not live to see the reckoning, but it will come.
*My belief is that Donbas and Crimea will be taken in the end, and become a part of Russia, as the price of peace.
There's potential for anarchy if people start putting spurious claims.
The Tories might be terrible, but Labour have been put on this earth to remind us that putting amateurs in charge (the Tories tried it with Johnson) never makes anything work better.
Giles Coren is awful.
I’d use the Drake meme to illustrate this, but can’t be bothered.
There's no 'easy' answer to fixing public services aside from increasing the tax-take from the public. Fudges are lies.
https://twitter.com/MichelleMone/status/1736780339329048608
"Don't blame the government, blame your council" doesn't work either.
Liam Byrne's note was customary good humour between exchanging Ministers (in this case expected to be Philip Hammond) weaponised by LD David Laws. Never trust the LDs!
Should the Government change, what kind of a note could the Chief Secretary to the Treasury leave? "There is no money left and a humongous dept which can only be paid down after decades of rampant inflation".
Their answer to foot-and-mouth was to throw money at the problem. Literally. Shovel money at it until it went away.
Their 9/11 response was good in terms of Afghanistan (initially); hideous in terms of Iraq. That continues to harm us up to this day.
They did not cause the financial crash; but Brown did put us into a position where we were utterly unprepared for it. Shame on him.
In comparison, the Conservatives/coalition inherited a terrible fiscal situation, and faced three major issues:
Brexit (their own doing)
Covid (orders of magnitude greater than anything Blair/Brown faced)
Ukraine (directly affecting cost-of-living); again, greater than anything Blair/Brown faced.
Brexit was a self-own by the Conservatives (although for explainable reasons). But Blair/Brown squandered some good years, whilst the Conservatives have had to fight against an ebbing tide.
Just one of the candidates selected to fight Labour’s most winnable 100 constituencies works for a company listed on the London Stock Exchange.
Analysis of Labour’s prospective parliamentary candidates by Apella Advisors, a strategic communications and public affairs consultancy, has laid bare the lack of business experience among those most likely to be elected as new MPs.
Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, and Rachel Reeves, shadow chancellor, have embarked on an extensive charm offensive to win over British business leaders and international investors in the past 18 months.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/business-charm-offensive-masks-labours-lack-of-experience-r9fcccf0q
And a lot of that comes down to decisions Osborne implemented in 2010-12
https://twitter.com/hurryupharry/status/1736722419379826756
I skip over every single one of his columns.
He seems to be labouring under the illusion he's a real wag.
https://twitter.com/mikegalsworthy/status/1736798538724528315
I said that when Labour are in power in Westminster and also in Wales (first time since 2010) then Wales NHS continued failure cannot be blamed on the conservatives then
And as you are aware Wales and Scotland receive money through the devolved settlement and how they choose to spend that money or indeed raise taxes is in their own hands
"By announcing he will not vote or campaign for South Africa's governing African National Congress (ANC) in next year's general election, former president Jacob Zuma is seeking to portray himself as its saviour. This might seem a contradiction in terms, but the strategy appears clear from his words, including the highly personal attack on his successor, President Cyril Ramaphosa."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-67741527
Can the grandson of immigrants to this country be described as a toff?
It is an endurance race, isn't it? Why do we do this? Pack everything into two or three insane frenetic weeks?
The oysters are nice, tho
It doesn’t impact on her ability to do her job
This is Nazi-style anti-Semitism. It is back. Hidden in plain sight
When we weren’t entertaining we were being entertained by our counterparts. Very messy and numerous mornings waking up in hotel rooms with randoms and having to get a quick taxi home, shower and change whilst they waited, a morning of work then back on it.
Couldn’t do it now as I would die and it’s a bit frowned upon these days sadly. Definitely got more new and further business from the relationships and laughs made during December than any competence, which was lucky.
Circulating on chat groups right now “takeaway from Figma/Adobe is don’t open a UK office as a US startup”
Going into London tomorrow- last time this year.
From about Dec 5th on there was often 3 or 4 different media/TV/magazine/flint knapping parties a night, maybe 3 nights a week, and you would try to hit 2 of them
So you could end up doing literally 20 parties by December 25 at which point you collapsed into an alcoholic coma and your family wondered why you looked a bit peaky and subdued on Xmas Day morning