That is horrible news Mike. I am so sorry. But live in hope. Understanding of dementia and its causes has moved forward in great leaps in recent years and surely treatments to hinder or reverse the effects can't be far behind. As with so many ailments the one sure way to lose is to give up so keep fighting. You have a big and loyal support network here who will have your back.
I'm so sorry to hear that, Mike - something that all of us worry about. My father had it, and in his case it wasn't actually disabling. Essentially his short-term memory was bad, so we made sure someone was with him when he went out, in case he couldn't find his way back. But his mind was fine in terms of just enjoying good times and he remained happy - in fact said it was the happiest time of his life, with caring family and no responsibilities to worry about - and he joked that he could now re-read his favourite books as he couldn't remember the endings. A friend's wife is experiencing the same - she doesn't reliably remember things, but it hasn't stopped her enjoying life, and she and her husband simply accept that remembering isn't her thing.
I do hope that you'll find it similarly compatible with a good and satisfying life. All the very best.
Thoughts are with you and your family, Mike. This site provides an enormous amount of entertainment and interest, and you mean a lot to all of us here.
Thoughts are with you and your family, Mike. This site provides an enormous amount of entertainment and interest, and you mean a lot to all of us here.
Suffragette Line is a bit of a mouthful, TBH, but I’m glad they have changed the colours. Having just orange for six or seven different lines made no sense.
Next steps:
• create separate colours and names for all the different Northern lines • reduce Waterloo & City and Hammersmith & City to just one word (why do they alone have three words?) • remove the word line on the Liz line branding (why is this the only line that does this?)
Sorry to hear your news and our best wishes. Hope the prognosis and progression is at the mild end and that you have a number of good years left in you yet.
Mike - so sorry to hear this. As others have noted, there may be reasons to be hopeful on emerging treatments. Sending much love to you and all your family.
Suffragette Line is a bit of a mouthful, TBH, but I’m glad they have changed the colours. Having just orange for six or seven different lines made no sense.
Next steps:
• create separate colours and names for all the different Northern lines • reduce Waterloo & City and Hammersmith & City to just one word (why do they alone have three words?) • remove the word line on the Liz line branding (why is this the only line that does this?)
That's a hard blow Mike. It's difficult to stay positive in this situation but I hope you can. Thank you for everything you have done for pb.com and look forward to you continuing participation.
This is an awful thing to have to come to terms with, but rest assured everyone here feels for you and would support you and your family with our thoughts and prayers. In the mean time we'll endeavour to keep this site as stimulating as possible for you as a suitable tribute to your work.
Really sorry to hear that, Mike. I was with my father when he got his diagnosis, so I have some idea of the blow. I wish you and your family all the best.
Suffragette Line is a bit of a mouthful, TBH, but I’m glad they have changed the colours. Having just orange for six or seven different lines made no sense.
Next steps:
• create separate colours and names for all the different Northern lines • reduce Waterloo & City and Hammersmith & City to just one word (why do they alone have three words?) • remove the word line on the Liz line branding (why is this the only line that does this?)
Waterloo & City = The Drain
Not much more I can say about the threader, except to reiterate my best wishes.
But on these LO names:
I lived in London for five years, and I've no idea what 'Mildmay' refers to.
Suffragette is a mouthful and difficult to spell.
Weaver: again, I've no idea what this is supposed to refer to.
Lioness: I assume this is footie. In which case, I assume it goes past Wembley? Or Arsenal perhaps? Tottenham? West Ham?
Liberty: an utterly meaningless name that could match anything, anywhere. If you want something better, perhaps something like ''Runnymede" would be better, if any line passed nearby.
All in all, a terrible selection of names that are anything but geographic. Like, sadly, the 'Elizabeth line'.
Suffragette Line is a bit of a mouthful, TBH, but I’m glad they have changed the colours. Having just orange for six or seven different lines made no sense.
Next steps:
• create separate colours and names for all the different Northern lines • reduce Waterloo & City and Hammersmith & City to just one word (why do they alone have three words?) • remove the word line on the Liz line branding (why is this the only line that does this?)
Waterloo & City = The Drain
Not much more I can say about the threader, except to reiterate my best wishes.
But on these LO names:
I lived in London for five years, and I've no idea what 'Mildmay' refers to.
Suffragette is a mouthful and difficult to spell.
Weaver: again, I've no idea what this is supposed to refer to.
Lioness: I assume this is footie. In which case, I assume it goes past Wembley? Or Arsenal perhaps? Tottenham? West Ham?
Liberty: an utterly meaningless name that could match anything, anywhere. If you want something better, perhaps something like ''Runnymede" would be better, if any line passed nearby.
All in all, a terrible selection of names that are anything but geographic. Like, sadly, the 'Elizabeth line'.
Not that my opinion matters.
They should have named the lines after the six Conservative PMs since 2010. They'd have had to wait a couple of months to confirm the last one, but still a nice tribute.
Suffragette Line is a bit of a mouthful, TBH, but I’m glad they have changed the colours. Having just orange for six or seven different lines made no sense.
Next steps:
• create separate colours and names for all the different Northern lines • reduce Waterloo & City and Hammersmith & City to just one word (why do they alone have three words?) • remove the word line on the Liz line branding (why is this the only line that does this?)
Waterloo & City = The Drain
Not much more I can say about the threader, except to reiterate my best wishes.
But on these LO names:
I lived in London for five years, and I've no idea what 'Mildmay' refers to.
Suffragette is a mouthful and difficult to spell.
Weaver: again, I've no idea what this is supposed to refer to.
Lioness: I assume this is footie. In which case, I assume it goes past Wembley? Or Arsenal perhaps? Tottenham? West Ham?
Liberty: an utterly meaningless name that could match anything, anywhere. If you want something better, perhaps something like ''Runnymede" would be better, if any line passed nearby.
All in all, a terrible selection of names that are anything but geographic. Like, sadly, the 'Elizabeth line'.
Not that my opinion matters.
They should have named the lines after the six Conservative PMs since 2010. They'd have had to wait a couple of months to confirm the last one, but still a nice tribute.
LOL, no. I don't think they'll be able to build new lines quickly enough.
Another thought about the 'Suffragette line'; this will soon become dubbed the 'Suffering line'.
Suffragette Line is a bit of a mouthful, TBH, but I’m glad they have changed the colours. Having just orange for six or seven different lines made no sense.
Next steps:
• create separate colours and names for all the different Northern lines • reduce Waterloo & City and Hammersmith & City to just one word (why do they alone have three words?) • remove the word line on the Liz line branding (why is this the only line that does this?)
Waterloo & City = The Drain
Not much more I can say about the threader, except to reiterate my best wishes.
But on these LO names:
I lived in London for five years, and I've no idea what 'Mildmay' refers to.
Suffragette is a mouthful and difficult to spell.
Weaver: again, I've no idea what this is supposed to refer to.
Lioness: I assume this is footie. In which case, I assume it goes past Wembley? Or Arsenal perhaps? Tottenham? West Ham?
Liberty: an utterly meaningless name that could match anything, anywhere. If you want something better, perhaps something like ''Runnymede" would be better, if any line passed nearby.
All in all, a terrible selection of names that are anything but geographic. Like, sadly, the 'Elizabeth line'.
I'm so sorry to hear that, Mike - something that all of us worry about. My father had it, and in his case it wasn't actually disabling. Essentially his short-term memory was bad, so we made sure someone was with him when he went out, in case he couldn't find his way back. But his mind was fine in terms of just enjoying good times and he remained happy - in fact said it was the happiest time of his life, with caring family and no responsibilities to worry about - and he joked that he could now re-read his favourite books as he couldn't remember the endings. A friend's wife is experiencing the same - she doesn't reliably remember things, but it hasn't stopped her enjoying life, and she and her husband simply accept that remembering isn't her thing.
I do hope that you'll find it similarly compatible with a good and satisfying life. All the very best.
Best wishes Mike. As Nick says, it can be compatible with a good and satisfying life. It happened to my mother. She developed vascular dementia (mini strokes) aged 90 which made her very forgetful. Her table was strewn with yellow post-it notes of important things to remember. Her personality was not affected and she remained a very jolly person until she died aged 94.
Suffragette Line is a bit of a mouthful, TBH, but I’m glad they have changed the colours. Having just orange for six or seven different lines made no sense.
Next steps:
• create separate colours and names for all the different Northern lines • reduce Waterloo & City and Hammersmith & City to just one word (why do they alone have three words?) • remove the word line on the Liz line branding (why is this the only line that does this?)
Waterloo & City = The Drain
Not much more I can say about the threader, except to reiterate my best wishes.
But on these LO names:
I lived in London for five years, and I've no idea what 'Mildmay' refers to.
Suffragette is a mouthful and difficult to spell.
Weaver: again, I've no idea what this is supposed to refer to.
Lioness: I assume this is footie. In which case, I assume it goes past Wembley? Or Arsenal perhaps? Tottenham? West Ham?
Liberty: an utterly meaningless name that could match anything, anywhere. If you want something better, perhaps something like ''Runnymede" would be better, if any line passed nearby.
All in all, a terrible selection of names that are anything but geographic. Like, sadly, the 'Elizabeth line'.
Not that my opinion matters.
They should have named the lines after the six Conservative PMs since 2010. They'd have had to wait a couple of months to confirm the last one, but still a nice tribute.
LOL, no. I don't think they'll be able to build new lines quickly enough.
Another thought about the 'Suffragette line'; this will soon become dubbed the 'Suffering line'.
Suffragette Line is a bit of a mouthful, TBH, but I’m glad they have changed the colours. Having just orange for six or seven different lines made no sense.
Next steps:
• create separate colours and names for all the different Northern lines • reduce Waterloo & City and Hammersmith & City to just one word (why do they alone have three words?) • remove the word line on the Liz line branding (why is this the only line that does this?)
Waterloo & City = The Drain
Not much more I can say about the threader, except to reiterate my best wishes.
But on these LO names:
I lived in London for five years, and I've no idea what 'Mildmay' refers to.
Suffragette is a mouthful and difficult to spell.
Weaver: again, I've no idea what this is supposed to refer to.
Lioness: I assume this is footie. In which case, I assume it goes past Wembley? Or Arsenal perhaps? Tottenham? West Ham?
Liberty: an utterly meaningless name that could match anything, anywhere. If you want something better, perhaps something like ''Runnymede" would be better, if any line passed nearby.
All in all, a terrible selection of names that are anything but geographic. Like, sadly, the 'Elizabeth line'.
Not that my opinion matters.
They should have named the lines after the six Conservative PMs since 2010. They'd have had to wait a couple of months to confirm the last one, but still a nice tribute.
What about the 9 Conservative PMs since 1979 (copyright: J Corbyn)?
Suffragette Line is a bit of a mouthful, TBH, but I’m glad they have changed the colours. Having just orange for six or seven different lines made no sense.
Next steps:
• create separate colours and names for all the different Northern lines • reduce Waterloo & City and Hammersmith & City to just one word (why do they alone have three words?) • remove the word line on the Liz line branding (why is this the only line that does this?)
Waterloo & City = The Drain
Not much more I can say about the threader, except to reiterate my best wishes.
But on these LO names:
I lived in London for five years, and I've no idea what 'Mildmay' refers to.
Suffragette is a mouthful and difficult to spell.
Weaver: again, I've no idea what this is supposed to refer to.
Lioness: I assume this is footie. In which case, I assume it goes past Wembley? Or Arsenal perhaps? Tottenham? West Ham?
Liberty: an utterly meaningless name that could match anything, anywhere. If you want something better, perhaps something like ''Runnymede" would be better, if any line passed nearby.
All in all, a terrible selection of names that are anything but geographic. Like, sadly, the 'Elizabeth line'.
Not that my opinion matters.
AIUI the Liberty line has some local relevance in Havering. I like the new names or am indifferent with the exception of the Lionesses line which I do have to say I find a bit cringe, no disrespect to the England women's football team intended. I'm still hoping for the Bakerloo line extension to Lewisham, at which point that line should be renamed Bakerlew.
Suffragette Line is a bit of a mouthful, TBH, but I’m glad they have changed the colours. Having just orange for six or seven different lines made no sense.
Next steps:
• create separate colours and names for all the different Northern lines • reduce Waterloo & City and Hammersmith & City to just one word (why do they alone have three words?) • remove the word line on the Liz line branding (why is this the only line that does this?)
Waterloo & City = The Drain
Not much more I can say about the threader, except to reiterate my best wishes.
But on these LO names:
I lived in London for five years, and I've no idea what 'Mildmay' refers to.
Suffragette is a mouthful and difficult to spell.
Weaver: again, I've no idea what this is supposed to refer to.
Lioness: I assume this is footie. In which case, I assume it goes past Wembley? Or Arsenal perhaps? Tottenham? West Ham?
Liberty: an utterly meaningless name that could match anything, anywhere. If you want something better, perhaps something like ''Runnymede" would be better, if any line passed nearby.
All in all, a terrible selection of names that are anything but geographic. Like, sadly, the 'Elizabeth line'.
Not that my opinion matters.
They should have named the lines after the six Conservative PMs since 2010. They'd have had to wait a couple of months to confirm the last one, but still a nice tribute.
LOL, no. I don't think they'll be able to build new lines quickly enough.
Another thought about the 'Suffragette line'; this will soon become dubbed the 'Suffering line'.
Besides, we know the current government's attitude to building railway lines.
Liberty makes sense in Havering, which is the only borough the line serves. And coming up with names that are local and generic is blooming hard.
(Without looking up, where are Havering, Redbridge, Merton? And, outside London, Dacorum?)
And on topic, whatever needs to be said has been said, but take it as read again.
I'm so sorry to hear that, Mike - something that all of us worry about. My father had it, and in his case it wasn't actually disabling. Essentially his short-term memory was bad, so we made sure someone was with him when he went out, in case he couldn't find his way back. But his mind was fine in terms of just enjoying good times and he remained happy - in fact said it was the happiest time of his life, with caring family and no responsibilities to worry about - and he joked that he could now re-read his favourite books as he couldn't remember the endings. A friend's wife is experiencing the same - she doesn't reliably remember things, but it hasn't stopped her enjoying life, and she and her husband simply accept that remembering isn't her thing.
I do hope that you'll find it similarly compatible with a good and satisfying life. All the very best.
Best wishes Mike. As Nick says, it can be compatible with a good and satisfying life. It happened to my mother. She developed vascular dementia (mini strokes) aged 90 which made her very forgetful. Her table was strewn with yellow post-it notes of important things to remember. Her personality was not affected and she remained a very jolly person until she died aged 94.
Agreed. It is clearly not good news but it can be a slow, gentle decline or rapid. Let us hope for the former. I know a chap still running his company a decade since his Parkinson's diagnosis.
Suffragette Line is a bit of a mouthful, TBH, but I’m glad they have changed the colours. Having just orange for six or seven different lines made no sense.
Next steps:
• create separate colours and names for all the different Northern lines • reduce Waterloo & City and Hammersmith & City to just one word (why do they alone have three words?) • remove the word line on the Liz line branding (why is this the only line that does this?)
Waterloo & City = The Drain
Not much more I can say about the threader, except to reiterate my best wishes.
But on these LO names:
I lived in London for five years, and I've no idea what 'Mildmay' refers to.
Suffragette is a mouthful and difficult to spell.
Weaver: again, I've no idea what this is supposed to refer to.
Lioness: I assume this is footie. In which case, I assume it goes past Wembley? Or Arsenal perhaps? Tottenham? West Ham?
Liberty: an utterly meaningless name that could match anything, anywhere. If you want something better, perhaps something like ''Runnymede" would be better, if any line passed nearby.
All in all, a terrible selection of names that are anything but geographic. Like, sadly, the 'Elizabeth line'.
Much as expected - my summary would be "Tories are awful, Labour would be a bit better, things look unpromising either way". However, the original £28bn commitment AND the U-turn in the light of events both get a thumbs up from the electorate, suggesting an unusual degree of nuance - essentially that it's the right direction but fair to take account of the current financial situation.
Suffragette Line is a bit of a mouthful, TBH, but I’m glad they have changed the colours. Having just orange for six or seven different lines made no sense.
Next steps:
• create separate colours and names for all the different Northern lines • reduce Waterloo & City and Hammersmith & City to just one word (why do they alone have three words?) • remove the word line on the Liz line branding (why is this the only line that does this?)
Waterloo & City = The Drain
Not much more I can say about the threader, except to reiterate my best wishes.
But on these LO names:
I lived in London for five years, and I've no idea what 'Mildmay' refers to.
Suffragette is a mouthful and difficult to spell.
Weaver: again, I've no idea what this is supposed to refer to.
Lioness: I assume this is footie. In which case, I assume it goes past Wembley? Or Arsenal perhaps? Tottenham? West Ham?
Liberty: an utterly meaningless name that could match anything, anywhere. If you want something better, perhaps something like ''Runnymede" would be better, if any line passed nearby.
All in all, a terrible selection of names that are anything but geographic. Like, sadly, the 'Elizabeth line'.
Not that my opinion matters.
AIUI the Liberty line has some local relevance in Havering. I like the new names or am indifferent with the exception of the Lionesses line which I do have to say I find a bit cringe, no disrespect to the England women's football team intended. I'm still hoping for the Bakerloo line extension to Lewisham, at which point that line should be renamed Bakerlew.
Wait until the economy picks up a bit and then auction them off starting at a £1bn each for 25 years. Coca Cola, Facebook, Google lines etc. About 20 named lines on the new map so if taken up could generate 10% of Tfls budget.
Needs must when we are skint, and can't come up with good names anyway.
Much as expected - my summary would be "Tories are awful, Labour would be a bit better, things look unpromising either way". However, the original £28bn commitment AND the U-turn in the light of events both get a thumbs up from the electorate, suggesting an unusual degree of nuance - essentially that it's the right direction but fair to take account of the current financial situation.
All pre-Rochdalegate, though.
My instinct despite being in favour of the policy was that it would go down well with the electorate.
This is one of those classic "3 minute vs 30 minute vs 3 hour" conversation policies Tony Blair used to talk about. Initially it sounds good but the longer you think about it, the more you think about how we probably can't afford it (even if you can make an argument against that) and so the more time that passes, the more people will be on board with scrapping it.
I think the bigger danger for Labour is the idea they don't have any policies at all but this is something I think will become fairly quickly resolved during an election campaign.
Every police force to get £1 million cash to tackle yobs ‘ruining lives’ with antisocial behaviour ... After trialling extra bobbies on the beat and targeted interventions in ten hotspots across the country, local trials have shown a decline in antisocial behaviour, the Home Office says. https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/every-police-force-to-get-1-million-cash-for-antisocial-behaviour/
Bobbies on the beat. Yobbos to cashpoints. Jumpers for goalposts. Nothing to do with the Home Office that cut 20,000 coppers, or the government.
Not as much of a regular as others on here, but I’d echo @SirNorfolkPassmore - you have created a genuinely valuable and enjoyable site that is hugely informative and retains its distinctive ability to bring together proto-fascists, anarcho-syndicalists and those who would argue these are two sides of the same coin. It’s a hugely impressive achievement that in no way softens the blow of your diagnosis I'm sure.
Suffragette Line is a bit of a mouthful, TBH, but I’m glad they have changed the colours. Having just orange for six or seven different lines made no sense.
Next steps:
• create separate colours and names for all the different Northern lines • reduce Waterloo & City and Hammersmith & City to just one word (why do they alone have three words?) • remove the word line on the Liz line branding (why is this the only line that does this?)
Waterloo & City = The Drain
Not much more I can say about the threader, except to reiterate my best wishes.
But on these LO names:
I lived in London for five years, and I've no idea what 'Mildmay' refers to.
Suffragette is a mouthful and difficult to spell.
Weaver: again, I've no idea what this is supposed to refer to.
Lioness: I assume this is footie. In which case, I assume it goes past Wembley? Or Arsenal perhaps? Tottenham? West Ham?
Liberty: an utterly meaningless name that could match anything, anywhere. If you want something better, perhaps something like ''Runnymede" would be better, if any line passed nearby.
All in all, a terrible selection of names that are anything but geographic. Like, sadly, the 'Elizabeth line'.
Not as much of a regular as others on here, but I’d echo @SirNorfolkPassmore - you have created a genuinely valuable and enjoyable site that is hugely informative and retains its distinctive ability to bring together proto-fascists, anarcho-syndicalists and those who would argue these are two sides of the same coin. It’s a hugely impressive achievement that in no way softens the blow of your diagnosis I'm sure.
Thoughts with you and the family.
Can we please keep arguments about cash out of this thread?
Tom Harwood @tomhfh Stop lauding political violence and rename it the Suffragist line.
You've even illustrated this announcement with a suffragist - Millicent Fawcett. She was most certainly not a suffragette, and will be turning in her grave at the accusation.
Every police force to get £1 million cash to tackle yobs ‘ruining lives’ with antisocial behaviour ... After trialling extra bobbies on the beat and targeted interventions in ten hotspots across the country, local trials have shown a decline in antisocial behaviour, the Home Office says. https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/every-police-force-to-get-1-million-cash-for-antisocial-behaviour/
Bobbies on the beat. Yobbos to cashpoints. Jumpers for goalposts. Nothing to do with the Home Office that cut 20,000 coppers, or the government.
This sort of micromanaging from Whitehall makes me despair. What are PCCs, or all the other local policing boards, or even Chief Constables for, if Whitehall is making allocations of £1m to tackle antisocial behaviour?
Might Whitehall's time be better spent working on the problems that operate on a slightly larger scale?
Suffragette Line is a bit of a mouthful, TBH, but I’m glad they have changed the colours. Having just orange for six or seven different lines made no sense.
Next steps:
• create separate colours and names for all the different Northern lines • reduce Waterloo & City and Hammersmith & City to just one word (why do they alone have three words?) • remove the word line on the Liz line branding (why is this the only line that does this?)
Waterloo & City = The Drain
Not much more I can say about the threader, except to reiterate my best wishes.
But on these LO names:
I lived in London for five years, and I've no idea what 'Mildmay' refers to.
Suffragette is a mouthful and difficult to spell.
Weaver: again, I've no idea what this is supposed to refer to.
Lioness: I assume this is footie. In which case, I assume it goes past Wembley? Or Arsenal perhaps? Tottenham? West Ham?
Liberty: an utterly meaningless name that could match anything, anywhere. If you want something better, perhaps something like ''Runnymede" would be better, if any line passed nearby.
All in all, a terrible selection of names that are anything but geographic. Like, sadly, the 'Elizabeth line'.
It seems clear to me that these names are actually chosen to appeal to the Fascist American Right.
No, the Weaver Line is named after Jackie Weaver, of Handforth Parish Council fame. Apparently, there are also plans for a Julie's i-Pad Line.
Impossible. She had no authority there. None.
I find it highly amusing that the people going nuts at that meeting were actually in the right.
Mike - so sad to hear your news. This site is one of the best things on the internet and I value your insights hugely. Best of luck with whatever the future holds.
Hi Mike. Diagnoses like that are difficult to take at first. My Mum had the same and she lived several good years after it. She even managed to disguise it for a while using little tricks of her own invention. She also discovered audio books which she wished she'd discovered earlier. Anyway wishing you all the best
Sorry to hear your diagnosis, Mike, I hope that you are able to enjoy life to the fullest possible with your family. Although this website is only part of your life and work, it is a great achievement. 'Si monumentum requiris, circumspice.'
Sorry to hear your news Mike OGH, best wishes for the future. You can be very proud of having set up this place, one of the best discussion forums on the internet.
Much as expected - my summary would be "Tories are awful, Labour would be a bit better, things look unpromising either way". However, the original £28bn commitment AND the U-turn in the light of events both get a thumbs up from the electorate, suggesting an unusual degree of nuance - essentially that it's the right direction but fair to take account of the current financial situation.
All pre-Rochdalegate, though.
Still, fairly conclusive evidence @MoonRabbit called it absolutely right, and most of PB absolutely wrong.
Every police force to get £1 million cash to tackle yobs ‘ruining lives’ with antisocial behaviour ... After trialling extra bobbies on the beat and targeted interventions in ten hotspots across the country, local trials have shown a decline in antisocial behaviour, the Home Office says. https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/every-police-force-to-get-1-million-cash-for-antisocial-behaviour/
Bobbies on the beat. Yobbos to cashpoints. Jumpers for goalposts. Nothing to do with the Home Office that cut 20,000 coppers, or the government.
This sort of micromanaging from Whitehall makes me despair. What are PCCs, or all the other local policing boards, or even Chief Constables for, if Whitehall is making allocations of £1m to tackle antisocial behaviour?
Might Whitehall's time be better spent working on the problems that operate on a slightly larger scale?
Remember the immortal words of Senator Dianne Feinstein on the NASA Commercial Cargo program.
She was worried that it wasn't generating enough paperwork to keep her staff busy.
She actually said this. Out loud and everything.
In a way, funniest thing since Bill Clinton attacked flattening the US tax system on the grounds that it would put 100Ks of lawyers out of business.
Suffragette Line is a bit of a mouthful, TBH, but I’m glad they have changed the colours. Having just orange for six or seven different lines made no sense.
Next steps:
• create separate colours and names for all the different Northern lines • reduce Waterloo & City and Hammersmith & City to just one word (why do they alone have three words?) • remove the word line on the Liz line branding (why is this the only line that does this?)
Waterloo & City = The Drain
Not much more I can say about the threader, except to reiterate my best wishes.
But on these LO names:
I lived in London for five years, and I've no idea what 'Mildmay' refers to.
Suffragette is a mouthful and difficult to spell.
Weaver: again, I've no idea what this is supposed to refer to.
Lioness: I assume this is footie. In which case, I assume it goes past Wembley? Or Arsenal perhaps? Tottenham? West Ham?
Liberty: an utterly meaningless name that could match anything, anywhere. If you want something better, perhaps something like ''Runnymede" would be better, if any line passed nearby.
All in all, a terrible selection of names that are anything but geographic. Like, sadly, the 'Elizabeth line'.
Not that my opinion matters.
AIUI the Liberty line has some local relevance in Havering. I like the new names or am indifferent with the exception of the Lionesses line which I do have to say I find a bit cringe, no disrespect to the England women's football team intended. I'm still hoping for the Bakerloo line extension to Lewisham, at which point that line should be renamed Bakerlew.
Wait until the economy picks up a bit and then auction them off starting at a £1bn each for 25 years. Coca Cola, Facebook, Google lines etc. About 20 named lines on the new map so if taken up could generate 10% of Tfls budget.
Needs must when we are skint, and can't come up with good names anyway.
On topic, very bad news and my best wishes for what they are worth.
A couple of days ago a good friend (age 25) was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, and a couple of months ago another friend heard she has MS. Seems like many people are having bad luck at the moment.
So sorry to hear your news Mike. As others have said there are degrees of dementia and many people have happy, fulfilling lives. Best wishes to you and all your family.
Rather late to this, but all my best wishes to you and your family, Mike, and thank you for providing us with such an informative and entertaining site.
Sorry to hear that Mike. Dementia keeps being used a weapon to beat Biden with. It isn't a weapon...
Its not a weapon, but it is surely a concern for people that Biden is not as sharp as he could be. He is a decent man, but surely in the the USA there is at least one other person that the Democrats could pick?
I don’t give a fuck about windrush. Suffragettes is impossible to fucking say. Who the fuck is ‘mildmay’. What the fuck is a ‘weaver’. Liberty is just fucking cringe. And fucking lionesses is fucking cringe times intergalactic fucketty-cringe
Even the Scot Nats are praising the man who defeated them in the referendum,
Told you Dave was awesome.
I can only hope Cameron’s intervention on the US package to Ukraine is successful - god knows we need it to be. Whilst I have many criticisms of him - and will have many more - this is a commendable move that I doubt any other FS would have pulled off.
Comments
Deep Sympathies - to you and yours
I do hope that you'll find it similarly compatible with a good and satisfying life. All the very best.
The polls will be back up to a 20 point lead.
Next steps:
• create separate colours and names for all the different Northern lines
• reduce Waterloo & City and Hammersmith & City to just one word (why do they alone have three words?)
• remove the word line on the Liz line branding (why is this the only line that does this?)
All the best.
I was with my father when he got his diagnosis, so I have some idea of the blow. I wish you and your family all the best.
But on these LO names:
I lived in London for five years, and I've no idea what 'Mildmay' refers to.
Suffragette is a mouthful and difficult to spell.
Weaver: again, I've no idea what this is supposed to refer to.
Lioness: I assume this is footie. In which case, I assume it goes past Wembley? Or Arsenal perhaps? Tottenham? West Ham?
Liberty: an utterly meaningless name that could match anything, anywhere. If you want something better, perhaps something like ''Runnymede" would be better, if any line passed nearby.
All in all, a terrible selection of names that are anything but geographic. Like, sadly, the 'Elizabeth line'.
Not that my opinion matters.
Another thought about the 'Suffragette line'; this will soon become dubbed the 'Suffering line'.
The Weaver Line obviously refers to Randy Weaver (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randy_Weaver)
It seems clear to me that these names are actually chosen to appeal to the Fascist American Right.
I'm still hoping for the Bakerloo line extension to Lewisham, at which point that line should be renamed Bakerlew.
Liberty makes sense in Havering, which is the only borough the line serves. And coming up with names that are local and generic is blooming hard.
(Without looking up, where are Havering, Redbridge, Merton? And, outside London, Dacorum?)
And on topic, whatever needs to be said has been said, but take it as read again.
https://lordashcroftpolls.com/2024/02/the-28-billion-reversal-would-anything-change-under-labour-and-what-ofsted-rating-would-you-give-the-government-my-february-poll/
Much as expected - my summary would be "Tories are awful, Labour would be a bit better, things look unpromising either way". However, the original £28bn commitment AND the U-turn in the light of events both get a thumbs up from the electorate, suggesting an unusual degree of nuance - essentially that it's the right direction but fair to take account of the current financial situation.
All pre-Rochdalegate, though.
Needs must when we are skint, and can't come up with good names anyway.
This is one of those classic "3 minute vs 30 minute vs 3 hour" conversation policies Tony Blair used to talk about. Initially it sounds good but the longer you think about it, the more you think about how we probably can't afford it (even if you can make an argument against that) and so the more time that passes, the more people will be on board with scrapping it.
I think the bigger danger for Labour is the idea they don't have any policies at all but this is something I think will become fairly quickly resolved during an election campaign.
...
After trialling extra bobbies on the beat and targeted interventions in ten hotspots across the country, local trials have shown a decline in antisocial behaviour, the Home Office says.
https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/every-police-force-to-get-1-million-cash-for-antisocial-behaviour/
Bobbies on the beat. Yobbos to cashpoints. Jumpers for goalposts. Nothing to do with the Home Office that cut 20,000 coppers, or the government.
Thoughts with you and the family.
Tom Harwood
@tomhfh
Stop lauding political violence and rename it the Suffragist line.
You've even illustrated this announcement with a suffragist - Millicent Fawcett. She was most certainly not a suffragette, and will be turning in her grave at the accusation.
Might Whitehall's time be better spent working on the problems that operate on a slightly larger scale?
Mike - so sad to hear your news. This site is one of the best things on the internet and I value your insights hugely. Best of luck with whatever the future holds.
Waterloo
Agincourt
Trafalgar
Mers El Kébir
Redcoat
Longshanks
“Keep buggering on” as someone once said.
The Black Prince etc - bone for the Wokists?
Also need a Cumberland line
Although this website is only part of your life and work, it is a great achievement. 'Si monumentum requiris, circumspice.'
Body line
Cheeky line
She was worried that it wasn't generating enough paperwork to keep her staff busy.
She actually said this. Out loud and everything.
In a way, funniest thing since Bill Clinton attacked flattening the US tax system on the grounds that it would put 100Ks of lawyers out of business.
Cumberland and Redcoat lines are a bit of a tautology in my book.
You included neither Crecy nor Poitiers.
A real diffident hero, who invented something that is still ubiquitous worldwide (except presumably Russia) 80 years later.
Can we have the Mandelson Line which has a sign for Heathrow and then takes you to Tilbury?
A couple of days ago a good friend (age 25) was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, and a couple of months ago another friend heard she has MS. Seems like many people are having bad luck at the moment.
Perhaps he now has the relevant attributes to be President of the US?
https://nitter.cz/
I don’t give a fuck about windrush. Suffragettes is impossible to fucking say. Who the fuck is ‘mildmay’. What the fuck is a ‘weaver’. Liberty is just fucking cringe. And fucking lionesses is fucking cringe times intergalactic fucketty-cringe
Very best wishes to Mike, and as others have said many thanks for creating PB!
Told you Dave was awesome.
I can only hope Cameron’s intervention on the US package to Ukraine is successful - god knows we need it to be. Whilst I have many criticisms of him - and will have many more - this is a commendable move that I doubt any other FS would have pulled off.
https://twitter.com/StewartMcDonald/status/1758040739315855655