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Will Sunak still be PM at the general election – politicalbetting.com

SystemSystem Posts: 11,688
edited February 15 in General
imageWill Sunak still be PM at the general election – politicalbetting.com

Every week or so it seems we get a new rumour about plots for a different CON leader to be in place for the general election. This, of course, requires that there are enough Tory MPs ready to demand a confidence vote and for that to go against the incumbent.

Read the full story here

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Comments

  • Options
    Wulfrun_PhilWulfrun_Phil Posts: 4,602
    Mike the thread header needs attention!
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    SandpitSandpit Posts: 49,907
    Yes, and if the election is going to be on 2nd May we’re only about six weeks away from the dissolution.
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    williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 48,079
    Charles could abdicate while Penny Mordaunt is still in position to carry the sword.
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    londonpubmanlondonpubman Posts: 3,197
    Yes - no point changing now

    Get on with the GE Rishi, 2 May please.
  • Options
    DecrepiterJohnLDecrepiterJohnL Posts: 24,430
    edited February 5
    Rishi is inexperienced. It is hard to see any of his predecessors falling for Piers' Rwanda bet. Worse than that, he is controlled by the clowns at CCHQ especially since the civil service was purged by Boris and Liz Truss.
  • Options
    rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 58,261
    Blimey.

    CR III
  • Options
    rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 54,007
    The King Charles III news is a timely reminder that at a certain age, health issues become increasingly common.
  • Options
    HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 117,028
    Yes Sunak will still be PM at the next general election, the other contenders will let him take the flack for defeat and then run for Leader of the Opposition.

    More importantly tonight best wishes to the King for his cancer treatment
  • Options

    Mike the thread header needs attention!

    Fixed it now.
  • Options
    I expect the media will go into a state of speculation over Charles's cancer and indeed that is happening on Sky right now

    It is a very private issue, but maybe the Palace will be more specific on the type of cancer

    It is interesting that Sky have said it Is not prostrate cancer, but you can have an enlarged prostrate and at the same time cancer cells can be present in the prostrate gland

    No doubt @Foxy can comment
  • Options
    TimSTimS Posts: 9,650
    I think he’ll still be in place but not without one more half hearted effort by the backbenchers.

    I have a feeling Sunak’s going to double down on his bet, because someone will tell him it helps to keep immigration in the news and they can try to taunt Labour with it. So don’t be surprised if he makes some lame attempt to bet with Starmer, or some off the cuff planned remark about Starmer always cashing out of his bets before the event.
  • Options
    rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 58,261
    Sandpit said:

    Yes, and if the election is going to be on 2nd May we’re only about six weeks away from the dissolution.

    Will there be an election while Charles is ill?

    Obviously later in year will be no choice as five years are up.

  • Options
    OmniumOmnium Posts: 9,786
    rcs1000 said:

    The King Charles III news is a timely reminder that at a certain age, health issues become increasingly common.

    I'm sure he'll manage to retain a degree of nobility despite his encroaching inner peasant :)

    Genuinely hope he gets a break here. After so long he deserves at least a few (ideally quiet) years.
  • Options
    TimSTimS Posts: 9,650

    I expect the media will go into a state of speculation over Charles's cancer and indeed that is happening on Sky right now

    It is a very private issue, but maybe the Palace will be more specific on the type of cancer

    It is interesting that Sky have said it Is not prostrate cancer, but you can have an enlarged prostrate and at the same time cancer cells can be present in the prostrate gland

    No doubt @Foxy can comment

    I thought it was notable and a bit of a departure for the Palace to come straight out with the diagnosis like that. They’ve tended to be excessively cagey about illnesses in the past.
  • Options

    Sandpit said:

    Yes, and if the election is going to be on 2nd May we’re only about six weeks away from the dissolution.

    Will there be an election while Charles is ill?

    Obviously later in year will be no choice as five years are up.

    Yes
  • Options
    NigelbNigelb Posts: 62,648
    Omnium said:

    rcs1000 said:

    The King Charles III news is a timely reminder that at a certain age, health issues become increasingly common.

    I'm sure he'll manage to retain a degree of nobility despite his encroaching inner peasant :)

    Genuinely hope he gets a break here. After so long he deserves at least a few (ideally quiet) years.
    Likewise.
    ‘Not prostate’ is not good, though.
  • Options
    FossFoss Posts: 694
    An April/May election may suggest Charles is in a worse state than is currently being briefed and they expect summer or autumn commotion. If it’s not true then there may be a request from the Palace to wait...
  • Options
    With today's nonsense on Talk TV I need to know which one of you is Piers Morgan and which one of you is Mr Sunak. I have my strong suspicions already but...
  • Options
    rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 54,007

    Charles could abdicate while Penny Mordaunt is still in position to carry the sword.

    Is that a euphamism?
  • Options
    AnabobazinaAnabobazina Posts: 20,011

    rcs1000 said:

    The King Charles III news is a timely reminder that at a certain age, health issues become increasingly common.

    I am about to experience that at 9.00 am in the morning !!!!!
    Is that your heart procedure Big G? Good luck with it.
    Seconded. Best of luck G. Speedy recovery sir
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    Big_G_NorthWalesBig_G_NorthWales Posts: 60,323
    edited February 5

    rcs1000 said:

    The King Charles III news is a timely reminder that at a certain age, health issues become increasingly common.

    I am about to experience that at 9.00 am in the morning !!!!!
    Is that your heart procedure Big G? Good luck with it.
    Yes indeed and thank you
    Best of luck old chap. I'm sure everyone on PB will be keeping fingers crossed for tomorrow morning for you.
    I would just comment that my haematologist has said the cause of my DVT in October is unprovoked, and despite all the tests so far they want further Xrays, blood test and topically a PSA test as without a cause I have to remain on Apixaban ( blood thinner) for life

    This is separate to my pacemaker operation tomorrow
  • Options
    dixiedeandixiedean Posts: 27,986

    rcs1000 said:

    The King Charles III news is a timely reminder that at a certain age, health issues become increasingly common.

    I am about to experience that at 9.00 am in the morning !!!!!
    Is that your heart procedure Big G? Good luck with it.
    Yes indeed and thank you
    Best of luck old chap. I'm sure everyone on PB will be keeping fingers crossed for tomorrow morning for you.
    I would just comment that my haematologist has said the cause of my DVT in October is unprovoked, and despite all the tests so far they want further Xrays, blood test and topically a PSA test as without a cause I have to remain on Apixaban ( blood thinner) for life

    This is separate to my pacemaker operation tomorrow
    Best of British to you.
  • Options
    rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 58,261
    Any bad news been buried since 6pm this evening?

  • Options
    NigelbNigelb Posts: 62,648
    Damn those Amazon Prime ads are offensively irritating.
    Lasted about two minutes before I paid to make them go away.
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    NigelbNigelb Posts: 62,648
    All the best to Big_G.
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    FlatlanderFlatlander Posts: 3,891
    edited February 5
    Nigelb said:

    Damn those Amazon Prime ads are offensively irritating.
    Lasted about two minutes before I paid to make them go away.

    That's the idea, surely.

    I haven't tried watching anything yet. I expect that with uBlock and a PiHole it will be possible to make them go away.
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    NigelbNigelb Posts: 62,648
    edited February 5

    Nigelb said:

    Damn those Amazon Prime ads are offensively irritating.
    Lasted about two minutes before I paid to make them go away.

    That's the idea, surely.

    I haven't tried watching anything yet. I expect that with uBlock and a PiHole it will be possible to make them go away.
    They indeed seem commissioned to be supremely irritating.
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    TazTaz Posts: 11,198

    rcs1000 said:

    The King Charles III news is a timely reminder that at a certain age, health issues become increasingly common.

    I am about to experience that at 9.00 am in the morning !!!!!
    Hope it all goes well for you Big G 👍
  • Options

    Any bad news been buried since 6pm this evening?

    Don’t wish to alarm anybody but for the next few days you’re getting a daily thread from me.
  • Options
    FoxyFoxy Posts: 44,694

    I expect the media will go into a state of speculation over Charles's cancer and indeed that is happening on Sky right now

    It is a very private issue, but maybe the Palace will be more specific on the type of cancer

    It is interesting that Sky have said it Is not prostrate cancer, but you can have an enlarged prostrate and at the same time cancer cells can be present in the prostrate gland

    No doubt @Foxy can comment

    It could be nearly anything bar prostate, but my hunch from the press release is that this was an incidental finding, and the plan is to treat nonsurgical, so probably not a bladder ca. I think possibly a haematological or lymphoid malignancy, as these could be picked up on routine tests and are usually treated with chemo or radiotherapy.
  • Options
    Foxy said:

    I expect the media will go into a state of speculation over Charles's cancer and indeed that is happening on Sky right now

    It is a very private issue, but maybe the Palace will be more specific on the type of cancer

    It is interesting that Sky have said it Is not prostrate cancer, but you can have an enlarged prostrate and at the same time cancer cells can be present in the prostrate gland

    No doubt @Foxy can comment

    It could be nearly anything bar prostate, but my hunch from the press release is that this was an incidental finding, and the plan is to treat nonsurgical, so probably not a bladder ca. I think possibly a haematological or lymphoid malignancy, as these could be picked up on routine tests and are usually treated with chemo or radiotherapy.
    Thank you
  • Options
    TazTaz Posts: 11,198
    Cheap from Sunak here. SKS is not a supporter of terrorist groups.

    https://x.com/piersuncensored/status/1754508743427928076?s=61
  • Options
    FoxyFoxy Posts: 44,694

    Foxy said:

    I expect the media will go into a state of speculation over Charles's cancer and indeed that is happening on Sky right now

    It is a very private issue, but maybe the Palace will be more specific on the type of cancer

    It is interesting that Sky have said it Is not prostrate cancer, but you can have an enlarged prostrate and at the same time cancer cells can be present in the prostrate gland

    No doubt @Foxy can comment

    It could be nearly anything bar prostate, but my hunch from the press release is that this was an incidental finding, and the plan is to treat nonsurgical, so probably not a bladder ca. I think possibly a haematological or lymphoid malignancy, as these could be picked up on routine tests and are usually treated with chemo or radiotherapy.
    Thank you
    Best of luck with my colleagues and the pacing tomorrow.
  • Options
    stodgestodge Posts: 12,864
    At best, Sunak will shore up the core vote and the Conservatives will take a beating.

    However, they are in the mid-20s while Labour are in the mid-40s which is a significant gap with barely nine months (presumably) until polling day.

    I suspect Levido will be hoping the spring and probably autumn budgets will have plenty of nice tax cuts but I fear he has misread the public mood as political strategists often do. The anger against the Conservative Party is bordering on visceral and needs to be expunged via the ballot box.

    It may well be Wellingborough in particular will be a sign of things to come.
  • Options
    rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 58,261

    Any bad news been buried since 6pm this evening?

    Don’t wish to alarm anybody but for the next few days you’re getting a daily thread from me.
    'Mike On Holiday' alert?
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    StuartinromfordStuartinromford Posts: 14,491
    Taz said:

    Cheap from Sunak here. SKS is not a supporter of terrorist groups.

    https://x.com/piersuncensored/status/1754508743427928076?s=61

    The other thing that is emerging about Rishi; he can be a nasty piece of work, especially when cornered.

    (Also, about the millionth example of Rishi Is Bad At Politics. All you need to do is be one step kinder about your opponent than the interviewer. "I wouldn't go that far Piers, but I do think he has his priorities wrong...")
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    bigglesbiggles Posts: 4,347
    Leon said:

    This is a thing in families isn’t it, especially royals. You go for ages when no one dies then suddenly 15 are scythed in a couple of seasons

    Its a bit like the way wickets cluster in an innings

    What, Satan has taken the new ball?
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    NigelbNigelb Posts: 62,648
    The U.S. rallied the world to help the Ukrainians. And now, led by the
    @SpeakerJohnson, the US Congress is preparing to abandon them.

    https://twitter.com/anneapplebaum/status/1754588640435487145
  • Options

    Any bad news been buried since 6pm this evening?

    Don’t wish to alarm anybody but for the next few days you’re getting a daily thread from me.
    'Mike On Holiday' alert?
    Nope, just helping out.
  • Options
    rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 58,261
    Electric van maker once valued at £10bn collapses into administration

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2024/02/05/electric-van-maker-arrival-collapses-administration/
  • Options
    SandpitSandpit Posts: 49,907

    Any bad news been buried since 6pm this evening?

    Red Bull F1 boss Christian Horner is quite happy to see the news being cleared for the king.

    Christian Horner, the Red Bull team principal, is under investigation concerning an allegation of “inappropriate controlling behaviour” by a female colleague.”

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/formula-1/2024/02/05/christian-horner-red-bull-investigation-behaviour/
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    DecrepiterJohnLDecrepiterJohnL Posts: 24,430
    Foxy said:

    I expect the media will go into a state of speculation over Charles's cancer and indeed that is happening on Sky right now

    It is a very private issue, but maybe the Palace will be more specific on the type of cancer

    It is interesting that Sky have said it Is not prostrate cancer, but you can have an enlarged prostrate and at the same time cancer cells can be present in the prostrate gland

    No doubt @Foxy can comment

    It could be nearly anything bar prostate, but my hunch from the press release is that this was an incidental finding, and the plan is to treat nonsurgical, so probably not a bladder ca. I think possibly a haematological or lymphoid malignancy, as these could be picked up on routine tests and are usually treated with chemo or radiotherapy.
    Except that this cancer was detected during the prostate operation or either side of it, and surely the King would have had the full array of blood tests before this? More sinister is they found something solid. Anyway, let us hope for the best.
  • Options
    FoxyFoxy Posts: 44,694
    TimS said:

    I expect the media will go into a state of speculation over Charles's cancer and indeed that is happening on Sky right now

    It is a very private issue, but maybe the Palace will be more specific on the type of cancer

    It is interesting that Sky have said it Is not prostrate cancer, but you can have an enlarged prostrate and at the same time cancer cells can be present in the prostrate gland

    No doubt @Foxy can comment

    I thought it was notable and a bit of a departure for the Palace to come straight out with the diagnosis like that. They’ve tended to be excessively cagey about illnesses in the past.
    Best policy really, there would be even more speculation otherwise.
  • Options
    Foxy said:

    Foxy said:

    I expect the media will go into a state of speculation over Charles's cancer and indeed that is happening on Sky right now

    It is a very private issue, but maybe the Palace will be more specific on the type of cancer

    It is interesting that Sky have said it Is not prostrate cancer, but you can have an enlarged prostrate and at the same time cancer cells can be present in the prostrate gland

    No doubt @Foxy can comment

    It could be nearly anything bar prostate, but my hunch from the press release is that this was an incidental finding, and the plan is to treat nonsurgical, so probably not a bladder ca. I think possibly a haematological or lymphoid malignancy, as these could be picked up on routine tests and are usually treated with chemo or radiotherapy.
    Thank you
    Best of luck with my colleagues and the pacing tomorrow.
    Thanks and I have every confidence in all your colleagues
  • Options
    Sandpit said:

    Any bad news been buried since 6pm this evening?

    Red Bull F1 boss Christian Horner is quite happy to see the news being cleared for the king.

    Christian Horner, the Red Bull team principal, is under investigation concerning an allegation of “inappropriate controlling behaviour” by a female colleague.”

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/formula-1/2024/02/05/christian-horner-red-bull-investigation-behaviour/
    Am I a terrible man for hoping this scandal extends to Max Verstappen which leads to his lifetime ban from F1.
  • Options
    TimSTimS Posts: 9,650
    edited February 5

    Taz said:

    Cheap from Sunak here. SKS is not a supporter of terrorist groups.

    https://x.com/piersuncensored/status/1754508743427928076?s=61

    The other thing that is emerging about Rishi; he can be a nasty piece of work, especially when cornered.

    (Also, about the millionth example of Rishi Is Bad At Politics. All you need to do is be one step kinder about your opponent than the interviewer. "I wouldn't go that far Piers, but I do think he has his priorities wrong...")
    If he does enough of this before the election (and I think he may, as the pressure rises) he’s going to lose anyone who felt slightly sorry for him being handed a hospital pass by Johnson and Truss. Truss for all her ideological zeal never descended to petty nastiness. (Though Johnson did, frequently)
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    NigelbNigelb Posts: 62,648
    Sandpit said:

    Any bad news been buried since 6pm this evening?

    Red Bull F1 boss Christian Horner is quite happy to see the news being cleared for the king.

    Christian Horner, the Red Bull team principal, is under investigation concerning an allegation of “inappropriate controlling behaviour” by a female colleague.”

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/formula-1/2024/02/05/christian-horner-red-bull-investigation-behaviour/
    I don’t think we’ll be seeing that move to Ferrari.
  • Options
    TimSTimS Posts: 9,650

    Foxy said:

    I expect the media will go into a state of speculation over Charles's cancer and indeed that is happening on Sky right now

    It is a very private issue, but maybe the Palace will be more specific on the type of cancer

    It is interesting that Sky have said it Is not prostrate cancer, but you can have an enlarged prostrate and at the same time cancer cells can be present in the prostrate gland

    No doubt @Foxy can comment

    It could be nearly anything bar prostate, but my hunch from the press release is that this was an incidental finding, and the plan is to treat nonsurgical, so probably not a bladder ca. I think possibly a haematological or lymphoid malignancy, as these could be picked up on routine tests and are usually treated with chemo or radiotherapy.
    Except that this cancer was detected during the prostate operation or either side of it, and surely the King would have had the full array of blood tests before this? More sinister is they found something solid. Anyway, let us hope for the best.
    Possible it was melanoma of course - I don’t think the palace said it was internal.
  • Options
    TimSTimS Posts: 9,650

    Foxy said:

    Foxy said:

    I expect the media will go into a state of speculation over Charles's cancer and indeed that is happening on Sky right now

    It is a very private issue, but maybe the Palace will be more specific on the type of cancer

    It is interesting that Sky have said it Is not prostrate cancer, but you can have an enlarged prostrate and at the same time cancer cells can be present in the prostrate gland

    No doubt @Foxy can comment

    It could be nearly anything bar prostate, but my hunch from the press release is that this was an incidental finding, and the plan is to treat nonsurgical, so probably not a bladder ca. I think possibly a haematological or lymphoid malignancy, as these could be picked up on routine tests and are usually treated with chemo or radiotherapy.
    Thank you
    Best of luck with my colleagues and the pacing tomorrow.
    Thanks and I have every confidence in all your colleagues
    Good luck.
  • Options
    SandpitSandpit Posts: 49,907
    Nigelb said:

    Sandpit said:

    Any bad news been buried since 6pm this evening?

    Red Bull F1 boss Christian Horner is quite happy to see the news being cleared for the king.

    Christian Horner, the Red Bull team principal, is under investigation concerning an allegation of “inappropriate controlling behaviour” by a female colleague.”

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/formula-1/2024/02/05/christian-horner-red-bull-investigation-behaviour/
    I don’t think we’ll be seeing that move to Ferrari.
    Ferrari should take advantage and make a raid for Newey.
  • Options
    Northern_AlNorthern_Al Posts: 7,543
    edited February 5
    Maybe it's just me, but I have no interest at all in the fevered speculation on the specifics of the King's cancer. Pure guesswork anyway, a private matter, and none of my business.
  • Options
    TazTaz Posts: 11,198

    Electric van maker once valued at £10bn collapses into administration

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2024/02/05/electric-van-maker-arrival-collapses-administration/

    Volta Trucks went a few months ago. Still as it was mostly ex land rover people !

    There will be many failures along the way.

    Just like when the motor car first started. For every Ford there were many many losers.
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    sarissasarissa Posts: 1,787
    OT - as I have three City attackers in my FPL lineup, it will undoubtedly end up a 1-0 win for them.
  • Options
    williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 48,079
    sarissa said:

    OT - as I have three City attackers in my FPL lineup, it will undoubtedly end up a 1-0 win for them.

    "City attackers"? As in "the bankers, the bonuses"?
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    JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 39,044
    Sandpit said:

    Nigelb said:

    Sandpit said:

    Any bad news been buried since 6pm this evening?

    Red Bull F1 boss Christian Horner is quite happy to see the news being cleared for the king.

    Christian Horner, the Red Bull team principal, is under investigation concerning an allegation of “inappropriate controlling behaviour” by a female colleague.”

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/formula-1/2024/02/05/christian-horner-red-bull-investigation-behaviour/
    I don’t think we’ll be seeing that move to Ferrari.
    Ferrari should take advantage and make a raid for Newey.
    I don't think Newey and Ferrari would get on very well. But Ferrari need someone like Horner. And there were all those rumours last year about Horner to Ferrari...
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    FoxyFoxy Posts: 44,694
    Taz said:

    Electric van maker once valued at £10bn collapses into administration

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2024/02/05/electric-van-maker-arrival-collapses-administration/

    Volta Trucks went a few months ago. Still as it was mostly ex land rover people !

    There will be many failures along the way.

    Just like when the motor car first started. For every Ford there were many many losers.
    Also see the speculation on AI.

    The technology may be destined to dominate, but that doesn't mean the current companies will do so. The history of disruptive technology is that there will be lots of failures alongside some meteoric rises.
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    stodgestodge Posts: 12,864
    Foxy said:

    FPT:

    stodge said:

    Evening all :)

    I'm interested in a couple of barbed comments on public sector productivty which, we are told, is 5.7% lower than pre-pandemic.

    This was Jeremy Hunt from his speech to the Centre for Policy Studies in June 2023:

    We also need to be better at measuring productivity.

    The UK is one of the few countries to include public sector output measures as well as input data in its productivity statistics, which is a good start. But we can still do better.

    Crime, for example, is down approximately 50% since 2010, great achievement. That excluded fraud and computer misuse (which wasn’t measured then.) But it barely makes a dent on their policing productivity figures because our productivity figures don’t capture crime outcomes.

    Likewise on defence we measure what we spend, but not how safe that makes us.

    And where we do measure outputs and the quality of delivery, mainly in the NHS, we count the number of hospital treatments but not the value of preventative care, even though that saves lives and reduces cost.

    So I have asked the National Statistician to review how we can improve the way we measure public sector productivity which he has agreed to do.


    We don't really know about public sector productivity because we don't know to quantify it in significant areas of the public sector. It's easy to witter on about form filling and "diversity" jobs and there are no doubt some improvements tp be made (we talked about "process" yesterday) but there's so much more to the public sector than that. Are fire officers unproductive if there are no fires to fight? Are soldiers unproductive with no wars to fight? How do you define the "productivity" of a social worker? Do you count how many cases they are trying to handle?

    It's a false equivalence with the private sector - there's also the point a lot the public sector does the private sector won't or can't do.

    I would agree, measuring productivity in the public sector is difficult. It isn't impossible though, as surgical productivity can be readily measured. Other specialities are more complicated, but we do have a number of other measures such as length of stay, readmission rates etc.

    I think productivity has generally fallen. We have had a lot of veteran clinicians retire, and it takes rookies a while to achieve the same productivity. There has been a massive turnover of staff with covid, and major disruption of training programmes producing less experienced clinicians.

    As ever fixing NHS productivity is much the same solution as elsewhere in our economy. Invest in capital equipment and training. It isn't brain surgery...
    We were talking about "process" yesterday and one of the main areas is capital expenditure. Councils get capital money which they have to use in the financial year - "use" means start works at the site - the euphemistic "spades in the ground".

    The problem is with so many projects on the go it's clogging up everyone's favourite - the planning process - and sometimes you get the situation where one Council department objects to another department's plan. For example, the main property department might put in an application which gets objected to by the Highways department on the grounds of traffic management.

    The other part is the consultation process which some on here would cheerfully abolish. The problem is it's not just about building houses - there are applications submitted for other things. One example might be a pupil referral unit on a site formally occupied by a residential home for the elderly.
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    AverageNinjaAverageNinja Posts: 1,169
    Rishi Sunak says Labour would take us back to square one in 2010.

    When the NHS worked and waiting lists were at an all time low

    When homelessness was still dropping

    When the economy was actually growing

    When public duty meant something

    When the government wasn't run by incompetent fools

    Let's go back to square one. Please Rishi.
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    FairlieredFairliered Posts: 3,991

    rcs1000 said:

    The King Charles III news is a timely reminder that at a certain age, health issues become increasingly common.

    I am about to experience that at 9.00 am in the morning !!!!!
    Is that your heart procedure Big G? Good luck with it.
    Yes indeed and thank you
    Best of luck old chap. I'm sure everyone on PB will be keeping fingers crossed for tomorrow morning for you.
    I would just comment that my haematologist has said the cause of my DVT in October is unprovoked, and despite all the tests so far they want further Xrays, blood test and topically a PSA test as without a cause I have to remain on Apixaban ( blood thinner) for life

    This is separate to my pacemaker operation tomorrow
    Mrs. F has been on blood thinners for years. She just takes them with the rest of her pills. Better safe than sorry.
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    For decades following football I didn't realise you cannot be offside from a goal kick

    Brentford 1 - City 0
  • Options

    rcs1000 said:

    The King Charles III news is a timely reminder that at a certain age, health issues become increasingly common.

    I am about to experience that at 9.00 am in the morning !!!!!
    Is that your heart procedure Big G? Good luck with it.
    Yes indeed and thank you
    Best of luck old chap. I'm sure everyone on PB will be keeping fingers crossed for tomorrow morning for you.
    I would just comment that my haematologist has said the cause of my DVT in October is unprovoked, and despite all the tests so far they want further Xrays, blood test and topically a PSA test as without a cause I have to remain on Apixaban ( blood thinner) for life

    This is separate to my pacemaker operation tomorrow
    Mrs. F has been on blood thinners for years. She just takes them with the rest of her pills. Better safe than sorry.
    Very much so
  • Options
    FairlieredFairliered Posts: 3,991

    Any bad news been buried since 6pm this evening?

    Don’t wish to alarm anybody but for the next few days you’re getting a daily thread from me.
    'Mike On Holiday' alert?
    Mike is K C III and I claim my £5 (with the King’s head on).
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    ydoethurydoethur Posts: 67,296

    These health problems should remind us all of our shared humanity. Tomorrow, my younger borther, who just turned 77, will have another treatment for pancreatic cancer. The poor guy has had a pacemaker installed for years, long enough so they had to replace the battery recently. So some of the stories I have been seeing in the comments hit close to home, for me.

    (Me? Nothing serious. I've been lucky to start out adult life skinny (close to 6 feet, less than 10 stones), and have exercised regularly. I think all the cross country skiing I have done over the years has done a lot for my health. I am not joking when I urge Nick Palmer to try to bring that to his community.)

    The problem is after you start skiing your health is all downhill from there.
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    ohnotnowohnotnow Posts: 2,948
    Nigelb said:

    Damn those Amazon Prime ads are offensively irritating.
    Lasted about two minutes before I paid to make them go away.

    I lasted about two minutes before I just torrented the content.
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    FoxyFoxy Posts: 44,694
    ydoethur said:

    These health problems should remind us all of our shared humanity. Tomorrow, my younger borther, who just turned 77, will have another treatment for pancreatic cancer. The poor guy has had a pacemaker installed for years, long enough so they had to replace the battery recently. So some of the stories I have been seeing in the comments hit close to home, for me.

    (Me? Nothing serious. I've been lucky to start out adult life skinny (close to 6 feet, less than 10 stones), and have exercised regularly. I think all the cross country skiing I have done over the years has done a lot for my health. I am not joking when I urge Nick Palmer to try to bring that to his community.)

    The problem is after you start skiing your health is all downhill from there.
    Yes, winter sports are the slippery slope...
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    SandpitSandpit Posts: 49,907

    Sandpit said:

    Nigelb said:

    Sandpit said:

    Any bad news been buried since 6pm this evening?

    Red Bull F1 boss Christian Horner is quite happy to see the news being cleared for the king.

    Christian Horner, the Red Bull team principal, is under investigation concerning an allegation of “inappropriate controlling behaviour” by a female colleague.”

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/formula-1/2024/02/05/christian-horner-red-bull-investigation-behaviour/
    I don’t think we’ll be seeing that move to Ferrari.
    Ferrari should take advantage and make a raid for Newey.
    I don't think Newey and Ferrari would get on very well. But Ferrari need someone like Horner. And there were all those rumours last year about Horner to Ferrari...
    What Ferrari really need, above everyone else, is a decisive strategist. They should be looking at every other experienced team strategist and make them an unrefusable offer. They lost a championship position with bad strategy calls last year, so that person is easily worth paying seven figures.
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    ydoethurydoethur Posts: 67,296
    Foxy said:

    ydoethur said:

    These health problems should remind us all of our shared humanity. Tomorrow, my younger borther, who just turned 77, will have another treatment for pancreatic cancer. The poor guy has had a pacemaker installed for years, long enough so they had to replace the battery recently. So some of the stories I have been seeing in the comments hit close to home, for me.

    (Me? Nothing serious. I've been lucky to start out adult life skinny (close to 6 feet, less than 10 stones), and have exercised regularly. I think all the cross country skiing I have done over the years has done a lot for my health. I am not joking when I urge Nick Palmer to try to bring that to his community.)

    The problem is after you start skiing your health is all downhill from there.
    Yes, winter sports are the slippery slope...
    Do I get the feeling that was an icy response?
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    FoxyFoxy Posts: 44,694
    ydoethur said:

    Foxy said:

    ydoethur said:

    These health problems should remind us all of our shared humanity. Tomorrow, my younger borther, who just turned 77, will have another treatment for pancreatic cancer. The poor guy has had a pacemaker installed for years, long enough so they had to replace the battery recently. So some of the stories I have been seeing in the comments hit close to home, for me.

    (Me? Nothing serious. I've been lucky to start out adult life skinny (close to 6 feet, less than 10 stones), and have exercised regularly. I think all the cross country skiing I have done over the years has done a lot for my health. I am not joking when I urge Nick Palmer to try to bring that to his community.)

    The problem is after you start skiing your health is all downhill from there.
    Yes, winter sports are the slippery slope...
    Do I get the feeling that was an icy response?
    Snow need to be snarky!
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    FlatlanderFlatlander Posts: 3,891

    These health problems should remind us all of our shared humanity. Tomorrow, my younger borther, who just turned 77, will have another treatment for pancreatic cancer. The poor guy has had a pacemaker installed for years, long enough so they had to replace the battery recently. So some of the stories I have been seeing in the comments hit close to home, for me.

    (Me? Nothing serious. I've been lucky to start out adult life skinny (close to 6 feet, less than 10 stones), and have exercised regularly. I think all the cross country skiing I have done over the years has done a lot for my health. I am not joking when I urge Nick Palmer to try to bring that to his community.)

    I can just imagine the trouble people on out of control roller skis would cause in Richmond Park or the like.

    I tried skiing at Methow in the Cascades once. They had their warmest January week on record.
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    ohnotnowohnotnow Posts: 2,948
    Foxy said:

    Taz said:

    Electric van maker once valued at £10bn collapses into administration

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2024/02/05/electric-van-maker-arrival-collapses-administration/

    Volta Trucks went a few months ago. Still as it was mostly ex land rover people !

    There will be many failures along the way.

    Just like when the motor car first started. For every Ford there were many many losers.
    Also see the speculation on AI.

    The technology may be destined to dominate, but that doesn't mean the current companies will do so. The history of disruptive technology is that there will be lots of failures alongside some meteoric rises.
    I have many early-investor options on 'Ohnotnow's amazing AI tech', if anyone of an unquestioning mind wants to have a gamble?
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    ydoethurydoethur Posts: 67,296
    Foxy said:

    ydoethur said:

    Foxy said:

    ydoethur said:

    These health problems should remind us all of our shared humanity. Tomorrow, my younger borther, who just turned 77, will have another treatment for pancreatic cancer. The poor guy has had a pacemaker installed for years, long enough so they had to replace the battery recently. So some of the stories I have been seeing in the comments hit close to home, for me.

    (Me? Nothing serious. I've been lucky to start out adult life skinny (close to 6 feet, less than 10 stones), and have exercised regularly. I think all the cross country skiing I have done over the years has done a lot for my health. I am not joking when I urge Nick Palmer to try to bring that to his community.)

    The problem is after you start skiing your health is all downhill from there.
    Yes, winter sports are the slippery slope...
    Do I get the feeling that was an icy response?
    Snow need to be snarky!
    Peace be with you, slalom.
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    ohnotnowohnotnow Posts: 2,948

    Rishi Sunak says Labour would take us back to square one in 2010.

    When the NHS worked and waiting lists were at an all time low

    When homelessness was still dropping

    When the economy was actually growing

    When public duty meant something

    When the government wasn't run by incompetent fools

    Let's go back to square one. Please Rishi.

    I look on it as 'square first'.
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    FrankBoothFrankBooth Posts: 9,047

    sarissa said:

    OT - as I have three City attackers in my FPL lineup, it will undoubtedly end up a 1-0 win for them.

    "City attackers"? As in "the bankers, the bonuses"?
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3tUqRBiMVo
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    ohnotnowohnotnow Posts: 2,948

    rcs1000 said:

    The King Charles III news is a timely reminder that at a certain age, health issues become increasingly common.

    I am about to experience that at 9.00 am in the morning !!!!!
    Is that your heart procedure Big G? Good luck with it.
    Yes indeed and thank you
    Best of luck old chap. I'm sure everyone on PB will be keeping fingers crossed for tomorrow morning for you.
    I would just comment that my haematologist has said the cause of my DVT in October is unprovoked, and despite all the tests so far they want further Xrays, blood test and topically a PSA test as without a cause I have to remain on Apixaban ( blood thinner) for life

    This is separate to my pacemaker operation tomorrow
    Mrs. F has been on blood thinners for years. She just takes them with the rest of her pills. Better safe than sorry.
    I've been on some sort of thinner medication for years and a few months ago - out of the blue - my GP explained "that medication is really hard on your kidneys". And I thought "Good to know. Now. Cheers."
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    NigelbNigelb Posts: 62,648
    edited February 5
    ohnotnow said:

    Nigelb said:

    Damn those Amazon Prime ads are offensively irritating.
    Lasted about two minutes before I paid to make them go away.

    I lasted about two minutes before I just torrented the content.
    I am incorrigibly law abiding.

    Sadly.
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    ohnotnowohnotnow Posts: 2,948
    TimS said:

    Foxy said:

    I expect the media will go into a state of speculation over Charles's cancer and indeed that is happening on Sky right now

    It is a very private issue, but maybe the Palace will be more specific on the type of cancer

    It is interesting that Sky have said it Is not prostrate cancer, but you can have an enlarged prostrate and at the same time cancer cells can be present in the prostrate gland

    No doubt @Foxy can comment

    It could be nearly anything bar prostate, but my hunch from the press release is that this was an incidental finding, and the plan is to treat nonsurgical, so probably not a bladder ca. I think possibly a haematological or lymphoid malignancy, as these could be picked up on routine tests and are usually treated with chemo or radiotherapy.
    Except that this cancer was detected during the prostate operation or either side of it, and surely the King would have had the full array of blood tests before this? More sinister is they found something solid. Anyway, let us hope for the best.
    Possible it was melanoma of course - I don’t think the palace said it was internal.
    Has Liz Truss shaken his hand recently? I think we should be told.
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    SandyRentoolSandyRentool Posts: 20,634

    On Monday, Rishi Sunak shook hands on a £1,000 bet with Piers Morgan 🤝

    Remarkably, the level of stake agreed would be enough to see the loser face an enhanced financial check under the government's proposals if it had been placed with an online bookmaker


    https://twitter.com/RacingPost/status/1754588202558714183

    While a grand means nothing to Rishi Rich, if he loses the bet I wonder if he will be claiming it back on expenses?
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    ohnotnowohnotnow Posts: 2,948
    Nigelb said:

    ohnotnow said:

    Nigelb said:

    Damn those Amazon Prime ads are offensively irritating.
    Lasted about two minutes before I paid to make them go away.

    I lasted about two minutes before I just torrented the content.
    I am incorrigibly law abiding.

    Sadly.
    I felt less guilty having given Amazon quite a lot of cash down the years, and specifically not torrented this series as it was on Prime at the behest of Bezos himself as he was a fan. And then at a climactic moment "WHY NOT BUY CORNFLAKES?!?!?".

    At which point I realised I was actually a firebrand revolutionary. Down with this sort of thing.
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    tysontyson Posts: 6,050

    For decades following football I didn't realise you cannot be offside from a goal kick

    Brentford 1 - City 0

    It's one of those things that you kind of know but have probably forgotten...

    My sister was convinced that balls scored off someone's head were not allowed
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    SandpitSandpit Posts: 49,907
    edited February 5
    ohnotnow said:

    Nigelb said:

    Damn those Amazon Prime ads are offensively irritating.
    Lasted about two minutes before I paid to make them go away.

    I lasted about two minutes before I just torrented the content.
    There was a brief moment in history, probably about five years ago, where it looked like the media content companies had learned their lesson and were going to get behind Netflix as the single source of online content. Then they all decided to split the pie again, and now we’re all expected to pay $100/month to half a dozen companies to watch everything, but only in certain regions, and maybe with adverts, and the live sports are extra.

    So there’s again a massive rise in piracy, not helped by governments like Russia wanting to encourage it in the West.
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    NigelbNigelb Posts: 62,648
    edited February 5
    A confused Trump forgets the name of the person interviewing him, appears to refer to Dan Bongino as “Joe”
    https://twitter.com/BidenHQ/status/1754597786786451702

    Haley/Pelosi … easily confused, too.
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    ohnotnowohnotnow Posts: 2,948
    tyson said:

    For decades following football I didn't realise you cannot be offside from a goal kick

    Brentford 1 - City 0

    It's one of those things that you kind of know but have probably forgotten...

    My sister was convinced that balls scored off someone's head were not allowed
    Isn't that how you become head boy at Eton?
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    Jim_MillerJim_Miller Posts: 2,508
    It would be possble to take, for example, a running track, outfit it with snow machines, and make a decent place to learn cross country skiing during the winter. You might want to shelter the snow with simple sheds.

    A very quick search found snow machines for sale for less than 300 dollars.

    I would guess something like that would be less expensive than a heated, indoor swimming pool. (Swimming and cross counry skiing are about equal in cardio benefits.)

    I admit I have been lucky in living so near to Mt. Rainier (height >14,000 feet) for the last 2 decades. I have skiied there in every month except October. Did get a nasty sunburn once skiing in shorts on a day in July. (Hadn't put on enough sunscreen.)

    Should add that the park is going to be requiring reservations this summer.)
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    kle4kle4 Posts: 91,798

    Rishi is inexperienced. It is hard to see any of his predecessors falling for Piers' Rwanda bet. Worse than that, he is controlled by the clowns at CCHQ especially since the civil service was purged by Boris and Liz Truss.

    He's not really inexperienced as a Minister though. Indeed, he has more Ministerial experience than many Prime Ministers when they first took over.

    It is true he has less experience as an MP, though only by a few years in the case of Cameron, and if Keir takes over this year he will be almost as inexperienced as Rishi was.
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    Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 25,466
    I fervently hope he isn't, because the concensus that has built up in politics is in my opinion a bad and dangerous thing for the people. Thatcher once broke the concensus and we need someone to do it again.

    Giving Arcelor-Mittal millions of pounds effectively to remove our capacity to create the virgin steel necessary to manufacture weapons would be the 'final straw' if such a phrase now had any meaning. It's completely irrelevant environmentally - they are building a vast blast furnace in India to make up for the lost capacity. We've fucked the taxpayer, fucked our own national security, and the net outcome will probably be more carbon released than before. What is the use of a Government that fails in its most basic duty to secure the nation?

    Sunak showed a glimpse of realism around Net Zero, and was rewarded by his only notable polling bounce. He then went right back to standard form as a banner, taxer, wrecker. SKS is more of the same. Someone needs to upset the applecart.
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    MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 44,445
    ohnotnow said:

    Foxy said:

    Taz said:

    Electric van maker once valued at £10bn collapses into administration

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2024/02/05/electric-van-maker-arrival-collapses-administration/

    Volta Trucks went a few months ago. Still as it was mostly ex land rover people !

    There will be many failures along the way.

    Just like when the motor car first started. For every Ford there were many many losers.
    Also see the speculation on AI.

    The technology may be destined to dominate, but that doesn't mean the current companies will do so. The history of disruptive technology is that there will be lots of failures alongside some meteoric rises.
    I have many early-investor options on 'Ohnotnow's amazing AI tech', if anyone of an unquestioning mind wants to have a gamble?
    The number of successful new car/truck companies in the last century is an instructive number.

    As to AI - Do you want to invest in my Thame bridge adjacent low tide property scheme, leveraged through quantum crypto novel space launch technology?
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    FairlieredFairliered Posts: 3,991
    Foxy said:

    FPT:

    stodge said:

    Evening all :)

    I'm interested in a couple of barbed comments on public sector productivty which, we are told, is 5.7% lower than pre-pandemic.

    This was Jeremy Hunt from his speech to the Centre for Policy Studies in June 2023:

    We also need to be better at measuring productivity.

    The UK is one of the few countries to include public sector output measures as well as input data in its productivity statistics, which is a good start. But we can still do better.

    Crime, for example, is down approximately 50% since 2010, great achievement. That excluded fraud and computer misuse (which wasn’t measured then.) But it barely makes a dent on their policing productivity figures because our productivity figures don’t capture crime outcomes.

    Likewise on defence we measure what we spend, but not how safe that makes us.

    And where we do measure outputs and the quality of delivery, mainly in the NHS, we count the number of hospital treatments but not the value of preventative care, even though that saves lives and reduces cost.

    So I have asked the National Statistician to review how we can improve the way we measure public sector productivity which he has agreed to do.


    We don't really know about public sector productivity because we don't know to quantify it in significant areas of the public sector. It's easy to witter on about form filling and "diversity" jobs and there are no doubt some improvements tp be made (we talked about "process" yesterday) but there's so much more to the public sector than that. Are fire officers unproductive if there are no fires to fight? Are soldiers unproductive with no wars to fight? How do you define the "productivity" of a social worker? Do you count how many cases they are trying to handle?

    It's a false equivalence with the private sector - there's also the point a lot the public sector does the private sector won't or can't do.

    I would agree, measuring productivity in the public sector is difficult. It isn't impossible though, as surgical productivity can be readily measured. Other specialities are more complicated, but we do have a number of other measures such as length of stay, readmission rates etc.

    I think productivity has generally fallen. We have had a lot of veteran clinicians retire, and it takes rookies a while to achieve the same productivity. There has been a massive turnover of staff with covid, and major disruption of training programmes producing less experienced clinicians.

    As ever fixing NHS productivity is much the same solution as elsewhere in our economy. Invest in capital equipment and training. It isn't brain surgery...
    Are Home Care Workers unproductive if they are working from home?
This discussion has been closed.