Why exactly should a Primary School teacher with a degree in English, Maths or Science take priority over someone who is basically literate and numerate, but is great with little kids? Or indeed one with a degree in Chinese? Who may or may not be adept with the little ones?
I think the problem is that a degree is in part a good signal of general intelligence, whereas it's very hard to credibly signal "great with little kids".
Yes. But you don't need general intelligence to work Primary. Nor Ks3 tbh. You need to be good with kids.
Yes, indeed you probably don't need a degree to teach secondary up to GCSE either, being able to connect with kids and keep them in order is probably more important.
You only really need a degree as a teacher to teach A Levels or IB
Actually. You can teach one level below your qualifications. So you can teach degree level if you have a Master's. You can teach A level if you have a degree in that subject. But then it stops. For no apparent reason.
Not true.
For a start, once you have QTS you can technically teach any subject or level.
In practice it’s more nuanced than that. You can teach GCSE if you have an A-level in that subject. Or KS3 if you have a GCSE in it, although that’s rather rarer.
However, you have to actually *have* a degree in practice to train as a teacher to start with.
Not that a degree is any guarantee of ability. Look at Sunak, Cummings, Mogg, Johnson, Braverman, Freedman, Case, Acland-Hood, Spielman and Truss. They all have degrees (indeed, Case has a doctorate) and they’re all thick as pigshit.
In my case it goes further - I teach further maths despite my highest formal maths qualification being normal A-level maths. Admittedly I've been doing it for years, which cycles right back round to dixidean's original point - I know how to get kids to learn from me.
Yes I can see telling 80-year-olds they are past it will not cause any embarrassment when dealing with our major ally.
I think it should be a more nuanced approach. Many of the over 80s in the Lords are better than most of the under 80s.
Someone pointed out above - age is now a specifically protected characteristic.
@PBlawyers - would this work with existing employment/human rights legislation?
Certain jobs force people to retire at a certain age and it was the quickest way to cut the numbers down in the HOL . Banning further hereditary appointments seems a good move . The 80 isn’t set in stone as those turning 80 can stay till the next election.
Yes I can see telling 80-year-olds they are past it will not cause any embarrassment when dealing with our major ally.
I think it should be a more nuanced approach. Many of the over 80s in the Lords are better than most of the under 80s.
Someone pointed out above - age is now a specifically protected characteristic.
@PBlawyers - would this work with existing employment/human rights legislation?
Certain jobs force people to retire at a certain age and it was the quickest way to cut the numbers down in the HOL . Banning further hereditary appointments seems a good move . The 80 isn’t set in stone as those already in the HOL over 80 can stay till the next election.
It'd be interesting if most of the over-80s are Conservative...
It’s suggested that the Tories will offer a further NI cut in their manifesto . Aswell as that they’re going up fees for tourist visas and work visas .
Not sure Visit Britain is going to be happy about the former . Although slashing tourist numbers might help with the lack of hospitality workers !
Good morning
Is anyone listening - the election is lost to them
Yes I can see telling 80-year-olds they are past it will not cause any embarrassment when dealing with our major ally.
I think it should be a more nuanced approach. Many of the over 80s in the Lords are better than most of the under 80s.
Someone pointed out above - age is now a specifically protected characteristic.
@PBlawyers - would this work with existing employment/human rights legislation?
Certain jobs force people to retire at a certain age and it was the quickest way to cut the numbers down in the HOL . Banning further hereditary appointments seems a good move . The 80 isn’t set in stone as those already in the HOL over 80 can stay till the next election.
It'd be interesting if most of the over-80s are Conservative...
And as ever, ask the question why this value? Why 80? Why not 90? 70? 66? Is there a reason for the figure, or has a SPAD pulled it out of his backside?
So hard to defend the Beeb anymore as it constantly fails in its actual remit.
Am I the only person who'd never heard of him? Given the outpourings he must have been a lovely guy, but really?
I've never heard of him either.
Indeed, for a moment I wondered if Farage had been saying something about Oswald Mosley.
Do none of you hooligans listen to Radio 4?
I'd never heard of him either. And not just 'not heard of him but recognise the name' or 'not heard of the name but actually aware of his work' in the manner of most famous people in popular culture I've never heard of - but genuinely ignorant that such a person existed. I was talking to my wife last night about this. According to a quick straw poll (me, wife, two of wife's friends), 75% of humans knew who he was and were aware of his works. Apparently he was well known among a) people who watched daytime television, and b) people who are interested in weight loss. There may therefore be a bit of a gender difference in awareness of who he is.
He had 15 minutes slots on Radio 4 called "Just one thing" suggesting very minor lifestyle changes that could lengthen ones life. I have adopted one or two including eating (specifically) cooked tomatoes to reduce an enlarged prostate.
Somewhat ironic that his life was cut short on one of his suggested stout daily walks. For those of us who followed his advice he is a great loss.
Yes I can see telling 80-year-olds they are past it will not cause any embarrassment when dealing with our major ally.
I think it should be a more nuanced approach. Many of the over 80s in the Lords are better than most of the under 80s.
Someone pointed out above - age is now a specifically protected characteristic.
@PBlawyers - would this work with existing employment/human rights legislation?
That's a can of worms.
It's difficult to argue that they are employees due to the daily allowance reward scheme etc. I'm not sure where their status falls. I think they will come under the term "office holders".
There are similar type of offices with a retirement age, such as Judges (70 or 75 with Ministerial Approval) and Church of England Bishops (70 unless Grandfathered in, and I think those were all promoted some time ago). I am not aware that these have been questioned.
Plus if it is going to some version of democratic, that would undermine such a case.
Yes I can see telling 80-year-olds they are past it will not cause any embarrassment when dealing with our major ally.
I think it should be a more nuanced approach. Many of the over 80s in the Lords are better than most of the under 80s.
Someone pointed out above - age is now a specifically protected characteristic.
@PBlawyers - would this work with existing employment/human rights legislation?
Certain jobs force people to retire at a certain age and it was the quickest way to cut the numbers down in the HOL . Banning further hereditary appointments seems a good move . The 80 isn’t set in stone as those turning 80 can stay till the next election.
I was just curious how that would be compatible with the existing law.
And as ever, ask the question why this value? Why 80? Why not 90? 70? 66? Is there a reason for the figure, or has a SPAD pulled it out of his backside?
Why is the pensionable age set at an arbitrary 67? Why is voting etc set at an arbitrary 18?
Best to just bin the HoL and not worry about age barriers.
Yes I can see telling 80-year-olds they are past it will not cause any embarrassment when dealing with our major ally.
I think it should be a more nuanced approach. Many of the over 80s in the Lords are better than most of the under 80s.
Throw out those who never attend - or those who do not regularly speak, or take part in HoL business.
There should be a retirement route, keeping the title (and potentially the 'club' rights) but relinquishing sitting and voting rights, and those who don't contribute should be encouraged to take it.
With the monolith Starmer constructed already fragmenting, not even a Labour majority as humongous as that posited in a recent YouGov poll will secure stable government. When that becomes clear, voters will abandon Britain’s derelict party system. Only if electoral reform takes place can dealing with a society headed for penury become politically possible. Or the ruins of a once first-world country beggared by its political class will go on rotting away.
Yes I can see telling 80-year-olds they are past it will not cause any embarrassment when dealing with our major ally.
I think it should be a more nuanced approach. Many of the over 80s in the Lords are better than most of the under 80s.
Throw out those who never attend - or those who do not regularly speak, or take part in HoL business.
There should be a retirement route, keeping the title (and potentially the 'club' rights) but relinquishing sitting and voting rights, and those who don't contribute should be encouraged to take it.
Yes I can see telling 80-year-olds they are past it will not cause any embarrassment when dealing with our major ally.
I think it should be a more nuanced approach. Many of the over 80s in the Lords are better than most of the under 80s.
Throw out those who never attend - or those who do not regularly speak, or take part in HoL business.
There should be a retirement route, keeping the title (and potentially the 'club' rights) but relinquishing sitting and voting rights, and those who don't contribute should be encouraged to take it.
With the monolith Starmer constructed already fragmenting, not even a Labour majority as humongous as that posited in a recent YouGov poll will secure stable government. When that becomes clear, voters will abandon Britain’s derelict party system. Only if electoral reform takes place can dealing with a society headed for penury become politically possible. Or the ruins of a once first-world country beggared by its political class will go on rotting away.
Reform: Go back to your constituencies and prepare for government everyone other than Tory twits to ignore you.
Yes I can see telling 80-year-olds they are past it will not cause any embarrassment when dealing with our major ally.
I think it should be a more nuanced approach. Many of the over 80s in the Lords are better than most of the under 80s.
Someone pointed out above - age is now a specifically protected characteristic.
@PBlawyers - would this work with existing employment/human rights legislation?
Age indeed is a specifically protected characteristic but, unlike the others, you can justify direct discrimination on the grounds of it being a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim. The leading case* on compulsory retirement ages said they could be lawful if the aim was generational fairness - in that case 65 was the retirement age in a solicitors partnership and it was held that was fair to let younger lawyers through and thus promote inter generational fairness.
You can also introduce primary legislation to circumvent the Equality Act in this specific case. I think primary legislation would be needed anyway.
* Seldon v Clarkson, Wright, and Jakes in case anyone’s interested.
Yes I can see telling 80-year-olds they are past it will not cause any embarrassment when dealing with our major ally.
I think it should be a more nuanced approach. Many of the over 80s in the Lords are better than most of the under 80s.
Someone pointed out above - age is now a specifically protected characteristic.
@PBlawyers - would this work with existing employment/human rights legislation?
Age indeed is a specifically protected characteristic but, unlike the others, you can justify direct discrimination on the grounds of it being a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim. The leading case* on compulsory retirement ages said they could be lawful if the aim was generational fairness - in that case 65 was the retirement age in a solicitors partnership and it was held that was fair to let younger lawyers through and thus promote inter generational fairness.
You can also introduce primary legislation to circumvent the Equality Act in this specific case. I think primary legislation would be needed anyway.
* Seldon v Clarkson, Wright, and Jakes in case anyone’s interested.
So hard to defend the Beeb anymore as it constantly fails in its actual remit.
Am I the only person who'd never heard of him? Given the outpourings he must have been a lovely guy, but really?
I've never heard of him either.
Indeed, for a moment I wondered if Farage had been saying something about Oswald Mosley.
Do none of you hooligans listen to Radio 4?
I'd never heard of him either. And not just 'not heard of him but recognise the name' or 'not heard of the name but actually aware of his work' in the manner of most famous people in popular culture I've never heard of - but genuinely ignorant that such a person existed. I was talking to my wife last night about this. According to a quick straw poll (me, wife, two of wife's friends), 75% of humans knew who he was and were aware of his works. Apparently he was well known among a) people who watched daytime television, and b) people who are interested in weight loss. There may therefore be a bit of a gender difference in awareness of who he is.
He had 15 minutes slots on Radio 4 called "Just one thing" suggesting very minor lifestyle changes that could lengthen ones life. I have adopted one or two including eating (specifically) cooked tomatoes to reduce an enlarged prostate.
Somewhat ironic that his life was cut short on one of his suggested stout daily walks. For those of us who followed his advice he is a great loss.
The BBC, not unreasonably, cover their own in more detail, but despite the incomprehension of not a few PBers, he was pretty well known, well beyond the circle of Daily Mail readers (and actually the Mail's science coverage can be surprisingly good).
Really liking the Labour plan for converting spare Primary classrooms, due to falling rolls, into nurseries. Seems a howlingly obvious move.
I'd rather they used falling rolls to improve staff/pupil ratios, which in turn should lead to better outcomes (and is also what private schools are paid for).
Yes I can see telling 80-year-olds they are past it will not cause any embarrassment when dealing with our major ally.
I think it should be a more nuanced approach. Many of the over 80s in the Lords are better than most of the under 80s.
Someone pointed out above - age is now a specifically protected characteristic.
@PBlawyers - would this work with existing employment/human rights legislation?
Age indeed is a specifically protected characteristic but, unlike the others, you can justify direct discrimination on the grounds of it being a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim. The leading case* on compulsory retirement ages said they could be lawful if the aim was generational fairness - in that case 65 was the retirement age in a solicitors partnership and it was held that was fair to let younger lawyers through and thus promote inter generational fairness.
You can also introduce primary legislation to circumvent the Equality Act in this specific case. I think primary legislation would be needed anyway.
* Seldon v Clarkson, Wright, and Jakes in case anyone’s interested.
With the monolith Starmer constructed already fragmenting, not even a Labour majority as humongous as that posited in a recent YouGov poll will secure stable government. When that becomes clear, voters will abandon Britain’s derelict party system. Only if electoral reform takes place can dealing with a society headed for penury become politically possible. Or the ruins of a once first-world country beggared by its political class will go on rotting away.
It's all a bit bonkers, almost Dolchstoßlegende.
There's lots wrong with our country, but it really isn't fundamentally broken nor does it need some authoritarian revolution.
Really liking the Labour plan for converting spare Primary classrooms, due to falling rolls, into nurseries. Seems a howlingly obvious move.
I'd rather they used falling rolls to improve staff/pupil ratios, which in turn should lead to better outcomes (and is also what private schools are paid for).
Well. OK. But then where do the kids with no nursery place, or can't afford the sky high fees, go?
Really liking the Labour plan for converting spare Primary classrooms, due to falling rolls, into nurseries. Seems a howlingly obvious move.
I love the creativity that you sometimes get with new policies, especially when the money is tight and you need to write a manifesto. This seems like a good idea.
I hope it has been thought through properly eg is the problem physical nursery space, or staffing? I thought the latter. But I may well be wrong.
So hard to defend the Beeb anymore as it constantly fails in its actual remit.
Am I the only person who'd never heard of him? Given the outpourings he must have been a lovely guy, but really?
I've never heard of him either.
Indeed, for a moment I wondered if Farage had been saying something about Oswald Mosley.
Do none of you hooligans listen to Radio 4?
I'd never heard of him either. And not just 'not heard of him but recognise the name' or 'not heard of the name but actually aware of his work' in the manner of most famous people in popular culture I've never heard of - but genuinely ignorant that such a person existed. I was talking to my wife last night about this. According to a quick straw poll (me, wife, two of wife's friends), 75% of humans knew who he was and were aware of his works. Apparently he was well known among a) people who watched daytime television, and b) people who are interested in weight loss. There may therefore be a bit of a gender difference in awareness of who he is.
He had 15 minutes slots on Radio 4 called "Just one thing" suggesting very minor lifestyle changes that could lengthen ones life. I have adopted one or two including eating (specifically) cooked tomatoes to reduce an enlarged prostate.
Somewhat ironic that his life was cut short on one of his suggested stout daily walks. For those of us who followed his advice he is a great loss.
Indeed. His 'just one thing' programmes are usually great listening, if the original idea of being able to improve your life by making a few small changes has ended up morphing into a massive shopping list of changes that if you did them all would take over your life completely.
I see nothing in the further details released to suggest that yesterday's rash and premature suggestions of suicide have anything to them?
The weather has been unusually hot in Greece recently, even for the time of year, and he seems to have died alarmingly close to a beach resort toward which he was presumably heading.
With the monolith Starmer constructed already fragmenting, not even a Labour majority as humongous as that posited in a recent YouGov poll will secure stable government. When that becomes clear, voters will abandon Britain’s derelict party system. Only if electoral reform takes place can dealing with a society headed for penury become politically possible. Or the ruins of a once first-world country beggared by its political class will go on rotting away.
John Gray's tortured metaphors impress no one.
What's Dura's take on Starmer's "Leninist" party management ?
Really liking the Labour plan for converting spare Primary classrooms, due to falling rolls, into nurseries. Seems a howlingly obvious move.
I love the creativity that you sometimes get with new policies, especially when the money is tight and you need to write a manifesto. This seems like a good idea.
I hope it has been thought through properly eg is the problem physical nursery space, or staffing? I thought the latter. But I may well be wrong.
It's probably both. But this circles back to transferrable skills doesn't it? Fewer staff needed in primary.
So hard to defend the Beeb anymore as it constantly fails in its actual remit.
Am I the only person who'd never heard of him? Given the outpourings he must have been a lovely guy, but really?
I've never heard of him either.
Indeed, for a moment I wondered if Farage had been saying something about Oswald Mosley.
Do none of you hooligans listen to Radio 4?
I'd never heard of him either. And not just 'not heard of him but recognise the name' or 'not heard of the name but actually aware of his work' in the manner of most famous people in popular culture I've never heard of - but genuinely ignorant that such a person existed. I was talking to my wife last night about this. According to a quick straw poll (me, wife, two of wife's friends), 75% of humans knew who he was and were aware of his works. Apparently he was well known among a) people who watched daytime television, and b) people who are interested in weight loss. There may therefore be a bit of a gender difference in awareness of who he is.
He had 15 minutes slots on Radio 4 called "Just one thing" suggesting very minor lifestyle changes that could lengthen ones life. I have adopted one or two including eating (specifically) cooked tomatoes to reduce an enlarged prostate.
Somewhat ironic that his life was cut short on one of his suggested stout daily walks. For those of us who followed his advice he is a great loss.
The BBC, not unreasonably, cover their own in more detail, but despite the incomprehension of not a few PBers, he was pretty well known, well beyond the circle of Daily Mail readers (and actually the Mail's science coverage can be surprisingly good).
He actually began in banking or investment management, I can't remember which, then switched to train as a doctor, then went into general broadcasting, and eventually became prominent as a medical broadcaster. Quite a few career swerves, there.
Watched Mosley docs, not so much as he went further into weight loss, but things like 'Pain, Pus and Poison' on the history of pharmaceuticals.
Wasn't so aware of his earlier career in TV production.
Some of the reaction on here is all a bit Bagpuss: 'I've not heard of him therefore all the mice on the mechanical mouse organ can't have heard of him'
The leader of SF in Ireland actually used the phrase “Lessons will be learned”, about their election performance.
Sums up what happened, I think.
They'll probably conclude they need to go around murdering people and robbing banks again.
You jest.
But democratic accountability in the sense of leadership answering to the people wasn’t a part of Republican ideology until they claimed to bolt it on, post 1989.
Indeed you could argue that this is one of the dividing lines between Nationalism and Republicanism.
In the Republican worldview, the goals are set By History. And are to be achieved, no matter what.
Remember what was said of the rejection of the Treaty? “We deny the Right of the People to do Wrong.”
With the monolith Starmer constructed already fragmenting, not even a Labour majority as humongous as that posited in a recent YouGov poll will secure stable government. When that becomes clear, voters will abandon Britain’s derelict party system. Only if electoral reform takes place can dealing with a society headed for penury become politically possible. Or the ruins of a once first-world country beggared by its political class will go on rotting away.
John Gray's tortured metaphors impress no one.
What's Dura's take on Starmer's "Leninist" party management ?
Stretching back over many previous GEs is the tendency for speculation about existential breaking-the-mould type outcomes, yet every time the result tends back towards Labour beats Tory or Tories beat Labour and the two-party system trundles on leaving so many of us disenfranchised. I'd love this time to be different, but we have been here before.
So hard to defend the Beeb anymore as it constantly fails in its actual remit.
Am I the only person who'd never heard of him? Given the outpourings he must have been a lovely guy, but really?
I've never heard of him either.
Indeed, for a moment I wondered if Farage had been saying something about Oswald Mosley.
Do none of you hooligans listen to Radio 4?
I'd never heard of him either. And not just 'not heard of him but recognise the name' or 'not heard of the name but actually aware of his work' in the manner of most famous people in popular culture I've never heard of - but genuinely ignorant that such a person existed. I was talking to my wife last night about this. According to a quick straw poll (me, wife, two of wife's friends), 75% of humans knew who he was and were aware of his works. Apparently he was well known among a) people who watched daytime television, and b) people who are interested in weight loss. There may therefore be a bit of a gender difference in awareness of who he is.
He had 15 minutes slots on Radio 4 called "Just one thing" suggesting very minor lifestyle changes that could lengthen ones life. I have adopted one or two including eating (specifically) cooked tomatoes to reduce an enlarged prostate.
Somewhat ironic that his life was cut short on one of his suggested stout daily walks. For those of us who followed his advice he is a great loss.
Indeed. His 'just one thing' programmes are usually great listening, if the original idea of being able to improve your life by making a few small changes has ended up morphing into a massive shopping list of changes that if you did them all would take over your life completely.
I see nothing in the further details released to suggest that yesterday's rash and premature suggestions of suicide have anything to them?
The weather has been unusually hot in Greece recently, even for the time of year, and he seems to have died alarmingly close to a beach resort toward which he was presumably heading.
Seems that he most likely took a wrong turn and missed his direct route back to where he was staying. They now have CCTV of him disappearing from sight just before where he was found, as he was making his way down to that beach.
It was over 40 deg, so what would have been a fairly short walk became a fatally difficult one.
With the monolith Starmer constructed already fragmenting, not even a Labour majority as humongous as that posited in a recent YouGov poll will secure stable government. When that becomes clear, voters will abandon Britain’s derelict party system. Only if electoral reform takes place can dealing with a society headed for penury become politically possible. Or the ruins of a once first-world country beggared by its political class will go on rotting away.
John Gray's tortured metaphors impress no one.
What's Dura's take on Starmer's "Leninist" party management ?
Stretching back over many previous GEs is the tendency for speculation about existential breaking-the-mould type outcomes, yet every time the result tends back towards Labour beats Tory or Tories beat Labour and the two-party system trundles on leaving so many of us disenfranchised. I'd love this time to be different, but we have been here before.
I agree. But I suspect Gray would be publishing his jeremiads whatever the electoral system, and whatever the government.
Watched Mosley docs, not so much as he went further into weight loss, but things like 'Pain, Pus and Poison' on the history of pharmaceuticals.
Wasn't so aware of his earlier career in TV production.
Some of the reaction on here is all a bit Bagpuss: 'I've not heard of him therefore all the mice on the mechanical mouse organ can't have heard of him'
I had a heart op last year and in the lead up I had listened to his “Just one thing” programme. I had been really slack about regular exercise and thought I better get my shit together before my op so I heal quicker and his radio programme was the catalyst.
I started small with his recommendations on resistance exercises and it got me out of a slough to the point of now not remotely feeling happy if I haven’t done an hour of weights and resistance exercise five days per week. It’s made me happier and healthier and, if it was remotely possible, looking even better.
I also celebrated 6 months without touching a fag on Saturday and I really think the exercise helped with a better attitude about my own health in general and thus quitting smoking.
My daughter was listening to his audiobook on her walk to work*, coincidentally listening to the chapter on excess exposure to the sun, on the day when news of his disappearance broke. She was genuinely upset about it yesterday having adopted a number of his ideas into her daily life. I am surprised at the number of people who had not come across him.
So hard to defend the Beeb anymore as it constantly fails in its actual remit.
Am I the only person who'd never heard of him? Given the outpourings he must have been a lovely guy, but really?
I've never heard of him either.
Indeed, for a moment I wondered if Farage had been saying something about Oswald Mosley.
Do none of you hooligans listen to Radio 4?
I'd never heard of him either. And not just 'not heard of him but recognise the name' or 'not heard of the name but actually aware of his work' in the manner of most famous people in popular culture I've never heard of - but genuinely ignorant that such a person existed. I was talking to my wife last night about this. According to a quick straw poll (me, wife, two of wife's friends), 75% of humans knew who he was and were aware of his works. Apparently he was well known among a) people who watched daytime television, and b) people who are interested in weight loss. There may therefore be a bit of a gender difference in awareness of who he is.
He had 15 minutes slots on Radio 4 called "Just one thing" suggesting very minor lifestyle changes that could lengthen ones life. I have adopted one or two including eating (specifically) cooked tomatoes to reduce an enlarged prostate.
Somewhat ironic that his life was cut short on one of his suggested stout daily walks. For those of us who followed his advice he is a great loss.
Indeed. His 'just one thing' programmes are usually great listening, if the original idea of being able to improve your life by making a few small changes has ended up morphing into a massive shopping list of changes that if you did them all would take over your life completely.
I see nothing in the further details released to suggest that yesterday's rash and premature suggestions of suicide have anything to them?
The weather has been unusually hot in Greece recently, even for the time of year, and he seems to have died alarmingly close to a beach resort toward which he was presumably heading.
Seems that he most likely took a wrong turn and missed his direct route back to where he was staying. They now have CCTV of him disappearing from sight just before where he was found, as he was making his way down to that beach.
It was over 40 deg, so what would have been a fairly short walk became a fatally difficult one.
I once did a walk on a Greek island in cloudless 36C heat. I soon realised that doing a walk in cloudless 36C heat is absolutely insane, which is why the locals never do it, only mad dogs and Englishmen. I have not done it since
Mosley was a very clever man and a physician, and 67 years old - old enough to know better and also old enough to be wary of overstressing an ageing body. Why go for a walk if it is 40C??? Have a swim, or a siesta. Quite odd
With the monolith Starmer constructed already fragmenting, not even a Labour majority as humongous as that posited in a recent YouGov poll will secure stable government. When that becomes clear, voters will abandon Britain’s derelict party system. Only if electoral reform takes place can dealing with a society headed for penury become politically possible. Or the ruins of a once first-world country beggared by its political class will go on rotting away.
John Gray's tortured metaphors impress no one.
What's Dura's take on Starmer's "Leninist" party management ?
Stretching back over many previous GEs is the tendency for speculation about existential breaking-the-mould type outcomes, yet every time the result tends back towards Labour beats Tory or Tories beat Labour and the two-party system trundles on leaving so many of us disenfranchised. I'd love this time to be different, but we have been here before.
I agree. But I suspect Gray would be publishing his jeremiads whatever the electoral system, and whatever the government.
Not quite. Some governments would clap him in jail for criticising them.
Democracy is imperfect but far better than "authoritarian" governments.
Really liking the Labour plan for converting spare Primary classrooms, due to falling rolls, into nurseries. Seems a howlingly obvious move.
I'd rather they used falling rolls to improve staff/pupil ratios, which in turn should lead to better outcomes (and is also what private schools are paid for).
Well. OK. But then where do the kids with no nursery place, or can't afford the sky high fees, go?
Where do these children go now? Do they stay at home with mummy or daddy, perhaps?
It sounds a bit like SpAds brainstormed killing three birds with one stone. Presumably all the redundant primary school teachers are moved across to run the nurseries because at a 10,000 feet view, children are children so it's all the same really. And the best part is posh families, such as MPs and their SpAds, can have two parents with high-flying careers with free childcare on the state.
With the monolith Starmer constructed already fragmenting, not even a Labour majority as humongous as that posited in a recent YouGov poll will secure stable government. When that becomes clear, voters will abandon Britain’s derelict party system. Only if electoral reform takes place can dealing with a society headed for penury become politically possible. Or the ruins of a once first-world country beggared by its political class will go on rotting away.
It's all a bit bonkers, almost Dolchstoßlegende.
There's lots wrong with our country, but it really isn't fundamentally broken nor does it need some authoritarian revolution.
We haven't solved the digital nomad problem (what used to be called "the brain drain"). This makes tax increasingly difficult to get. But we still have a big government and spending is increasingly difficult to restrain. We've been patching the difference with debt, but then interest rates went up. That's a real problem and meets the definition of "fundamentally broken".
We're selling off the ground beneath our feet to foreigners. That's conceptually wrong and meets the definition of "fundamentally broken".
There are others but I'm sure you can impute them from my previous rants.
We started advertising on Facebook over the weekend.
Cyber Nats are fun, aren’t they 😳😂
You’ve said before, many times, but I’ve forgotten! This is in Aberdeenshire North and Moray East, yes? I hear the SNP weren’t targeting it until Ross pushed out Duguid.
With the monolith Starmer constructed already fragmenting, not even a Labour majority as humongous as that posited in a recent YouGov poll will secure stable government. When that becomes clear, voters will abandon Britain’s derelict party system. Only if electoral reform takes place can dealing with a society headed for penury become politically possible. Or the ruins of a once first-world country beggared by its political class will go on rotting away.
John Gray's tortured metaphors impress no one.
What's Dura's take on Starmer's "Leninist" party management ?
Stretching back over many previous GEs is the tendency for speculation about existential breaking-the-mould type outcomes, yet every time the result tends back towards Labour beats Tory or Tories beat Labour and the two-party system trundles on leaving so many of us disenfranchised. I'd love this time to be different, but we have been here before.
I agree. But I suspect Gray would be publishing his jeremiads whatever the electoral system, and whatever the government.
Not quite. Some governments would clap him in jail for criticising them.
Democracy is imperfect but far better than "authoritarian" governments.
You have chosen a difficult example to make that argument but I suppose that is the point!
Yes I can see telling 80-year-olds they are past it will not cause any embarrassment when dealing with our major ally.
I think it should be a more nuanced approach. Many of the over 80s in the Lords are better than most of the under 80s.
Throw out those who never attend - or those who do not regularly speak, or take part in HoL business.
I still like the proposal made by the Barrister Carl Gardner, who advised the Blair Government on the Human RIghts Act, that the Lords should have a larger body of "speaking Lords", who could be appointed, and a smaller body of "Elected Lords" or "Working Lords", who get to vote.
That way we get the benefit of wider experience and expertise more integrated than say witnesses testifying to a select committee.
There are possibly a couple of other benefits, in that the retirement age could be applied to the Elected group, and people who retire from there can get a period in the Speaking group.
With the monolith Starmer constructed already fragmenting, not even a Labour majority as humongous as that posited in a recent YouGov poll will secure stable government. When that becomes clear, voters will abandon Britain’s derelict party system. Only if electoral reform takes place can dealing with a society headed for penury become politically possible. Or the ruins of a once first-world country beggared by its political class will go on rotting away.
John Gray's tortured metaphors impress no one.
They impress me. Although yes, his writing is terrible and he never uses one word when ten will do. You have to read his books with a pickaxe.
It certainly is a mixed picture, with the populist right gaining seats in France and Germany, but elsewhere not doing well. Looks as if the moderate rightists will be the real winners.
So hard to defend the Beeb anymore as it constantly fails in its actual remit.
Am I the only person who'd never heard of him? Given the outpourings he must have been a lovely guy, but really?
I've never heard of him either.
Indeed, for a moment I wondered if Farage had been saying something about Oswald Mosley.
Do none of you hooligans listen to Radio 4?
I'd never heard of him either. And not just 'not heard of him but recognise the name' or 'not heard of the name but actually aware of his work' in the manner of most famous people in popular culture I've never heard of - but genuinely ignorant that such a person existed. I was talking to my wife last night about this. According to a quick straw poll (me, wife, two of wife's friends), 75% of humans knew who he was and were aware of his works. Apparently he was well known among a) people who watched daytime television, and b) people who are interested in weight loss. There may therefore be a bit of a gender difference in awareness of who he is.
He had 15 minutes slots on Radio 4 called "Just one thing" suggesting very minor lifestyle changes that could lengthen ones life. I have adopted one or two including eating (specifically) cooked tomatoes to reduce an enlarged prostate.
Somewhat ironic that his life was cut short on one of his suggested stout daily walks. For those of us who followed his advice he is a great loss.
Indeed. His 'just one thing' programmes are usually great listening, if the original idea of being able to improve your life by making a few small changes has ended up morphing into a massive shopping list of changes that if you did them all would take over your life completely.
I see nothing in the further details released to suggest that yesterday's rash and premature suggestions of suicide have anything to them?
The weather has been unusually hot in Greece recently, even for the time of year, and he seems to have died alarmingly close to a beach resort toward which he was presumably heading.
Seems that he most likely took a wrong turn and missed his direct route back to where he was staying. They now have CCTV of him disappearing from sight just before where he was found, as he was making his way down to that beach.
It was over 40 deg, so what would have been a fairly short walk became a fatally difficult one.
I once did a walk on a Greek island in cloudless 36C heat. I soon realised that doing a walk in cloudless 36C heat is absolutely insane, which is why the locals never do it, only mad dogs and Englishmen. I have not done it since
Mosley was a very clever man and a physician, and 67 years old - old enough to know better and also old enough to be wary of overstressing an ageing body. Why go for a walk if it is 40C??? Have a swim, or a siesta. Quite odd
Just going back to where they were staying, reportedly. It wasn't very far.
You're a smart guy, too. But by your own account have done the odd daft thing.
It certainly is a mixed picture, with the populist right gaining seats in France and Germany, but elsewhere not doing well. Looks as if the moderate rightists will be the real winners.
Governments do badly, oppositions do well. Not a cast-iron rule, but mostly right.
So hard to defend the Beeb anymore as it constantly fails in its actual remit.
Am I the only person who'd never heard of him? Given the outpourings he must have been a lovely guy, but really?
I've never heard of him either.
Indeed, for a moment I wondered if Farage had been saying something about Oswald Mosley.
Do none of you hooligans listen to Radio 4?
I'd never heard of him either. And not just 'not heard of him but recognise the name' or 'not heard of the name but actually aware of his work' in the manner of most famous people in popular culture I've never heard of - but genuinely ignorant that such a person existed. I was talking to my wife last night about this. According to a quick straw poll (me, wife, two of wife's friends), 75% of humans knew who he was and were aware of his works. Apparently he was well known among a) people who watched daytime television, and b) people who are interested in weight loss. There may therefore be a bit of a gender difference in awareness of who he is.
He had 15 minutes slots on Radio 4 called "Just one thing" suggesting very minor lifestyle changes that could lengthen ones life. I have adopted one or two including eating (specifically) cooked tomatoes to reduce an enlarged prostate.
Somewhat ironic that his life was cut short on one of his suggested stout daily walks. For those of us who followed his advice he is a great loss.
Indeed. His 'just one thing' programmes are usually great listening, if the original idea of being able to improve your life by making a few small changes has ended up morphing into a massive shopping list of changes that if you did them all would take over your life completely.
I see nothing in the further details released to suggest that yesterday's rash and premature suggestions of suicide have anything to them?
The weather has been unusually hot in Greece recently, even for the time of year, and he seems to have died alarmingly close to a beach resort toward which he was presumably heading.
Seems that he most likely took a wrong turn and missed his direct route back to where he was staying. They now have CCTV of him disappearing from sight just before where he was found, as he was making his way down to that beach.
It was over 40 deg, so what would have been a fairly short walk became a fatally difficult one.
I once did a walk on a Greek island in cloudless 36C heat. I soon realised that doing a walk in cloudless 36C heat is absolutely insane, which is why the locals never do it, only mad dogs and Englishmen. I have not done it since
Mosley was a very clever man and a physician, and 67 years old - old enough to know better and also old enough to be wary of overstressing an ageing body. Why go for a walk if it is 40C??? Have a swim, or a siesta. Quite odd
Just going back to where they were staying, reportedly. It wasn't very far.
So what happened then? He fell? Heart attack? There is an air of mystery to it, and his wife’s remark - “he almost made it” - seems positively bizarre if he was simply doing a stroll to the resort
Coincidentally or not, the wife of an acquaintance of mine was murdered on a Greek island in 2019. Quite big news at the time
Watched Mosley docs, not so much as he went further into weight loss, but things like 'Pain, Pus and Poison' on the history of pharmaceuticals.
Wasn't so aware of his earlier career in TV production.
Some of the reaction on here is all a bit Bagpuss: 'I've not heard of him therefore all the mice on the mechanical mouse organ can't have heard of him'
I had a heart op last year and in the lead up I had listened to his “Just one thing” programme. I had been really slack about regular exercise and thought I better get my shit together before my op so I heal quicker and his radio programme was the catalyst.
I started small with his recommendations on resistance exercises and it got me out of a slough to the point of now not remotely feeling happy if I haven’t done an hour of weights and resistance exercise five days per week. It’s made me happier and healthier and, if it was remotely possible, looking even better.
I also celebrated 6 months without touching a fag on Saturday and I really think the exercise helped with a better attitude about my own health in general and thus quitting smoking.
So thanks to Michael Mosley, RIP.
Yes, one thing I liked about Moseley was his approach to health. It wasn't about magic drugs or AI, it was all about empowering people to take small steps to improve their own health. His programs featured him, but were very positive and patient centered.
So hard to defend the Beeb anymore as it constantly fails in its actual remit.
Am I the only person who'd never heard of him? Given the outpourings he must have been a lovely guy, but really?
I've never heard of him either.
Indeed, for a moment I wondered if Farage had been saying something about Oswald Mosley.
Do none of you hooligans listen to Radio 4?
I'd never heard of him either. And not just 'not heard of him but recognise the name' or 'not heard of the name but actually aware of his work' in the manner of most famous people in popular culture I've never heard of - but genuinely ignorant that such a person existed. I was talking to my wife last night about this. According to a quick straw poll (me, wife, two of wife's friends), 75% of humans knew who he was and were aware of his works. Apparently he was well known among a) people who watched daytime television, and b) people who are interested in weight loss. There may therefore be a bit of a gender difference in awareness of who he is.
He had 15 minutes slots on Radio 4 called "Just one thing" suggesting very minor lifestyle changes that could lengthen ones life. I have adopted one or two including eating (specifically) cooked tomatoes to reduce an enlarged prostate.
Somewhat ironic that his life was cut short on one of his suggested stout daily walks. For those of us who followed his advice he is a great loss.
Indeed. His 'just one thing' programmes are usually great listening, if the original idea of being able to improve your life by making a few small changes has ended up morphing into a massive shopping list of changes that if you did them all would take over your life completely.
I see nothing in the further details released to suggest that yesterday's rash and premature suggestions of suicide have anything to them?
The weather has been unusually hot in Greece recently, even for the time of year, and he seems to have died alarmingly close to a beach resort toward which he was presumably heading.
Seems that he most likely took a wrong turn and missed his direct route back to where he was staying. They now have CCTV of him disappearing from sight just before where he was found, as he was making his way down to that beach.
It was over 40 deg, so what would have been a fairly short walk became a fatally difficult one.
I once did a walk on a Greek island in cloudless 36C heat. I soon realised that doing a walk in cloudless 36C heat is absolutely insane, which is why the locals never do it, only mad dogs and Englishmen. I have not done it since
Mosley was a very clever man and a physician, and 67 years old - old enough to know better and also old enough to be wary of overstressing an ageing body. Why go for a walk if it is 40C??? Have a swim, or a siesta. Quite odd
Just going back to where they were staying, reportedly. It wasn't very far.
And we're British, and haven't seen the sun since last September. So we routinely deny the experience of those used to living in hot conditions. Mosley maybe thought he was ahead of most by walking round under an umbrella?
Yes I can see telling 80-year-olds they are past it will not cause any embarrassment when dealing with our major ally.
I think it should be a more nuanced approach. Many of the over 80s in the Lords are better than most of the under 80s.
Throw out those who never attend - or those who do not regularly speak, or take part in HoL business.
I still like the proposal made by the Barrister Carl Gardner, who advised the Blair Government on the Human RIghts Act, that the Lords should have a larger body of "speaking Lords", who could be appointed, and a smaller body of "Elected Lords" or "Working Lords", who get to vote.
That way we get the benefit of wider experience and expertise more integrated than say witnesses testifying to a select committee.
There are possibly a couple of other benefits, in that the retirement age could be applied to the Elected group, and people who retire from there can get a period in the Speaking group.
Speaking of splitting roles, I was listening to a news item this morning about delays in court hearings. I’m not sure how the magistrates court system works in the UK but would there be any merit in separating “guilty courts” and “not guilty courts”.
My back of fag packet thinking was that if you had a dedicated set of courts for guilty only pleas they could churn through a load of cases and have magistrates who are simply concerned with sentencing using the guidelines (which might allow for new magistrates to be fast tracked if purely working by the book on guilty pleas).
Then the not guilty pleas could be dealt with by courts where the case has to be heard properly and a decision arrived at which might be better for more experienced magistrates.
This way, if you’ve done something stupid and are prepared to cop for it then it’s dealt with quickly and not bogged down in the court system, reparations or punishments are made or completed quickly and life goes on.
Maybe it is triaged already but not sure if this would help ease up the system.
Yes I can see telling 80-year-olds they are past it will not cause any embarrassment when dealing with our major ally.
I think it should be a more nuanced approach. Many of the over 80s in the Lords are better than most of the under 80s.
Throw out those who never attend - or those who do not regularly speak, or take part in HoL business.
There should be a retirement route, keeping the title (and potentially the 'club' rights) but relinquishing sitting and voting rights, and those who don't contribute should be encouraged to take it.
As of May 2024, 178 peers have resigned or retired, and a further ten peers were removed under the Act's provisions regarding non-attendance. The first peer to resign was Julian Grenfell, 3rd Baron Grenfell, on 1 October 2014. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Lords_Reform_Act_2014
With the monolith Starmer constructed already fragmenting, not even a Labour majority as humongous as that posited in a recent YouGov poll will secure stable government. When that becomes clear, voters will abandon Britain’s derelict party system. Only if electoral reform takes place can dealing with a society headed for penury become politically possible. Or the ruins of a once first-world country beggared by its political class will go on rotting away.
It's all a bit bonkers, almost Dolchstoßlegende.
There's lots wrong with our country, but it really isn't fundamentally broken nor does it need some authoritarian revolution.
We haven't solved the digital nomad problem (what used to be called "the brain drain"). This makes tax increasingly difficult to get. But we still have a big government and spending is increasingly difficult to restrain. We've been patching the difference with debt, but then interest rates went up. That's a real problem and meets the definition of "fundamentally broken".
We're selling off the ground beneath our feet to foreigners. That's conceptually wrong and meets the definition of "fundamentally broken".
There are others but I'm sure you can impute them from my previous rants.
I don't think the digital nomad phenomenon is fundamental. It's very high profile because of the influencer class (i.e. bikini pics in racist Gulf dictatorships). But for high-paid jobs, the most developed countries like Portugal and the Netherlands are already moving away from these visas - locals seem to really hate the housing market impacts. So you need to settle for the next tier down (Balkans) or even further afield. And then the trade-off with the UK is much more stark.
Watched Mosley docs, not so much as he went further into weight loss, but things like 'Pain, Pus and Poison' on the history of pharmaceuticals.
Wasn't so aware of his earlier career in TV production.
Some of the reaction on here is all a bit Bagpuss: 'I've not heard of him therefore all the mice on the mechanical mouse organ can't have heard of him'
I had a heart op last year and in the lead up I had listened to his “Just one thing” programme. I had been really slack about regular exercise and thought I better get my shit together before my op so I heal quicker and his radio programme was the catalyst.
I started small with his recommendations on resistance exercises and it got me out of a slough to the point of now not remotely feeling happy if I haven’t done an hour of weights and resistance exercise five days per week. It’s made me happier and healthier and, if it was remotely possible, looking even better.
I also celebrated 6 months without touching a fag on Saturday and I really think the exercise helped with a better attitude about my own health in general and thus quitting smoking.
So thanks to Michael Mosley, RIP.
Yes, one thing I liked about Moseley was his approach to health. It wasn't about magic drugs or AI, it was all about empowering people to take small steps to improve their own health. His programs featured him, but were very positive and patient centered.
He also wasn’t remotely judgemental or hectoring which helped a lot - much more “enjoy life but just make this odd tweak and you will be able to enjoy life longer and better”. Which is a sad irony really that he has helped many people live longer and his own life cut short by an unfortunate decision.
Relatedly I had an idea for a TV cooking programme last night
Here’s the pitch. Jamie Oliver leads a Napoleonic style army rampaging around Europe, but when they vanquish a city, leaving it a heap of ashes, he whips up a quick “fifteen minute meal” using the ashes for heat, then feeds this to the raped and starved survivors, who laugh at his chirpy banter
So hard to defend the Beeb anymore as it constantly fails in its actual remit.
Am I the only person who'd never heard of him? Given the outpourings he must have been a lovely guy, but really?
I've never heard of him either.
Indeed, for a moment I wondered if Farage had been saying something about Oswald Mosley.
Do none of you hooligans listen to Radio 4?
I'd never heard of him either. And not just 'not heard of him but recognise the name' or 'not heard of the name but actually aware of his work' in the manner of most famous people in popular culture I've never heard of - but genuinely ignorant that such a person existed. I was talking to my wife last night about this. According to a quick straw poll (me, wife, two of wife's friends), 75% of humans knew who he was and were aware of his works. Apparently he was well known among a) people who watched daytime television, and b) people who are interested in weight loss. There may therefore be a bit of a gender difference in awareness of who he is.
He had 15 minutes slots on Radio 4 called "Just one thing" suggesting very minor lifestyle changes that could lengthen ones life. I have adopted one or two including eating (specifically) cooked tomatoes to reduce an enlarged prostate.
Somewhat ironic that his life was cut short on one of his suggested stout daily walks. For those of us who followed his advice he is a great loss.
Indeed. His 'just one thing' programmes are usually great listening, if the original idea of being able to improve your life by making a few small changes has ended up morphing into a massive shopping list of changes that if you did them all would take over your life completely.
I see nothing in the further details released to suggest that yesterday's rash and premature suggestions of suicide have anything to them?
The weather has been unusually hot in Greece recently, even for the time of year, and he seems to have died alarmingly close to a beach resort toward which he was presumably heading.
Seems that he most likely took a wrong turn and missed his direct route back to where he was staying. They now have CCTV of him disappearing from sight just before where he was found, as he was making his way down to that beach.
It was over 40 deg, so what would have been a fairly short walk became a fatally difficult one.
I once did a walk on a Greek island in cloudless 36C heat. I soon realised that doing a walk in cloudless 36C heat is absolutely insane, which is why the locals never do it, only mad dogs and Englishmen. I have not done it since
Mosley was a very clever man and a physician, and 67 years old - old enough to know better and also old enough to be wary of overstressing an ageing body. Why go for a walk if it is 40C??? Have a swim, or a siesta. Quite odd
Just going back to where they were staying, reportedly. It wasn't very far.
So what happened then? He fell? Heart attack? There is an air of mystery to it, and his wife’s remark - “he almost made it” - seems positively bizarre if he was simply doing a stroll to the resort
Coincidentally or not, the wife of an acquaintance of mine was murdered on a Greek island in 2019. Quite big news at the time
Lo, even in Paradise the serpent lurks
He took a wrong turn, most likely. Have a look at the island; it's rocky with lots of small hills which look very similar. People make mistakes.
A short walk became an arduous one, and the heat did for him, though he seems almost to have made it.
So hard to defend the Beeb anymore as it constantly fails in its actual remit.
Am I the only person who'd never heard of him? Given the outpourings he must have been a lovely guy, but really?
I've never heard of him either.
Indeed, for a moment I wondered if Farage had been saying something about Oswald Mosley.
Do none of you hooligans listen to Radio 4?
I'd never heard of him either. And not just 'not heard of him but recognise the name' or 'not heard of the name but actually aware of his work' in the manner of most famous people in popular culture I've never heard of - but genuinely ignorant that such a person existed. I was talking to my wife last night about this. According to a quick straw poll (me, wife, two of wife's friends), 75% of humans knew who he was and were aware of his works. Apparently he was well known among a) people who watched daytime television, and b) people who are interested in weight loss. There may therefore be a bit of a gender difference in awareness of who he is.
He had 15 minutes slots on Radio 4 called "Just one thing" suggesting very minor lifestyle changes that could lengthen ones life. I have adopted one or two including eating (specifically) cooked tomatoes to reduce an enlarged prostate.
Somewhat ironic that his life was cut short on one of his suggested stout daily walks. For those of us who followed his advice he is a great loss.
Indeed. His 'just one thing' programmes are usually great listening, if the original idea of being able to improve your life by making a few small changes has ended up morphing into a massive shopping list of changes that if you did them all would take over your life completely.
I see nothing in the further details released to suggest that yesterday's rash and premature suggestions of suicide have anything to them?
The weather has been unusually hot in Greece recently, even for the time of year, and he seems to have died alarmingly close to a beach resort toward which he was presumably heading.
Seems that he most likely took a wrong turn and missed his direct route back to where he was staying. They now have CCTV of him disappearing from sight just before where he was found, as he was making his way down to that beach.
It was over 40 deg, so what would have been a fairly short walk became a fatally difficult one.
I once did a walk on a Greek island in cloudless 36C heat. I soon realised that doing a walk in cloudless 36C heat is absolutely insane, which is why the locals never do it, only mad dogs and Englishmen. I have not done it since
Mosley was a very clever man and a physician, and 67 years old - old enough to know better and also old enough to be wary of overstressing an ageing body. Why go for a walk if it is 40C??? Have a swim, or a siesta. Quite odd
Just going back to where they were staying, reportedly. It wasn't very far.
And we're British, and haven't seen the sun since last September. So we routinely deny the experience of those used to living in hot conditions. Mosley maybe thought he was ahead of most by walking round under an umbrella?
Yes but even those used to living in hot conditions do not routinely keel over if they pop out. Yes, there is a higher risk but it is not 100 per cent fatal. We had 40C here a couple of years ago, and much of France for months.
So hard to defend the Beeb anymore as it constantly fails in its actual remit.
Am I the only person who'd never heard of him? Given the outpourings he must have been a lovely guy, but really?
I've never heard of him either.
Indeed, for a moment I wondered if Farage had been saying something about Oswald Mosley.
Do none of you hooligans listen to Radio 4?
I'd never heard of him either. And not just 'not heard of him but recognise the name' or 'not heard of the name but actually aware of his work' in the manner of most famous people in popular culture I've never heard of - but genuinely ignorant that such a person existed. I was talking to my wife last night about this. According to a quick straw poll (me, wife, two of wife's friends), 75% of humans knew who he was and were aware of his works. Apparently he was well known among a) people who watched daytime television, and b) people who are interested in weight loss. There may therefore be a bit of a gender difference in awareness of who he is.
He had 15 minutes slots on Radio 4 called "Just one thing" suggesting very minor lifestyle changes that could lengthen ones life. I have adopted one or two including eating (specifically) cooked tomatoes to reduce an enlarged prostate.
Somewhat ironic that his life was cut short on one of his suggested stout daily walks. For those of us who followed his advice he is a great loss.
Indeed. His 'just one thing' programmes are usually great listening, if the original idea of being able to improve your life by making a few small changes has ended up morphing into a massive shopping list of changes that if you did them all would take over your life completely.
I see nothing in the further details released to suggest that yesterday's rash and premature suggestions of suicide have anything to them?
The weather has been unusually hot in Greece recently, even for the time of year, and he seems to have died alarmingly close to a beach resort toward which he was presumably heading.
Seems that he most likely took a wrong turn and missed his direct route back to where he was staying. They now have CCTV of him disappearing from sight just before where he was found, as he was making his way down to that beach.
It was over 40 deg, so what would have been a fairly short walk became a fatally difficult one.
I once did a walk on a Greek island in cloudless 36C heat. I soon realised that doing a walk in cloudless 36C heat is absolutely insane, which is why the locals never do it, only mad dogs and Englishmen. I have not done it since
Mosley was a very clever man and a physician, and 67 years old - old enough to know better and also old enough to be wary of overstressing an ageing body. Why go for a walk if it is 40C??? Have a swim, or a siesta. Quite odd
It's astonishing.
Still more so he seemed to fall about 100yds short of the next beach resort.
And as ever, ask the question why this value? Why 80? Why not 90? 70? 66? Is there a reason for the figure, or has a SPAD pulled it out of his backside?
While I’m v much a Lords-reform type, in the context of the current set up it seems very arbitrary indeed and suspect SPADial rectal origin.
With the monolith Starmer constructed already fragmenting, not even a Labour majority as humongous as that posited in a recent YouGov poll will secure stable government. When that becomes clear, voters will abandon Britain’s derelict party system. Only if electoral reform takes place can dealing with a society headed for penury become politically possible. Or the ruins of a once first-world country beggared by its political class will go on rotting away.
It's all a bit bonkers, almost Dolchstoßlegende.
There's lots wrong with our country, but it really isn't fundamentally broken nor does it need some authoritarian revolution.
We haven't solved the digital nomad problem (what used to be called "the brain drain"). This makes tax increasingly difficult to get. But we still have a big government and spending is increasingly difficult to restrain. We've been patching the difference with debt, but then interest rates went up. That's a real problem and meets the definition of "fundamentally broken".
We're selling off the ground beneath our feet to foreigners. That's conceptually wrong and meets the definition of "fundamentally broken".
There are others but I'm sure you can impute them from my previous rants.
No-one wants to hear this but a big reason why taxes have gone up so much and there's no money for anything is that HMG is now paying tens of billions a year extra in interest on government debt. Effectively, for nothing.
One reason they haven't mentioned it, I imagine, is that it might create a political storm to cancel or renege on the debt, which would collapse our financial system.
Relatedly I had an idea for a TV cooking programme last night
Here’s the pitch. Jamie Oliver leads a Napoleonic style army rampaging around Europe, but when they vanquish a city, leaving it a heap of ashes, he whips up a quick “fifteen minute meal” using the ashes for heat, then feeds this to the raped and starved survivors, who laugh at his chirpy banter
Only if he can sonehow pointlessly work his wife, kids and Genarro Contaldo into it
So hard to defend the Beeb anymore as it constantly fails in its actual remit.
Am I the only person who'd never heard of him? Given the outpourings he must have been a lovely guy, but really?
I've never heard of him either.
Indeed, for a moment I wondered if Farage had been saying something about Oswald Mosley.
Do none of you hooligans listen to Radio 4?
I'd never heard of him either. And not just 'not heard of him but recognise the name' or 'not heard of the name but actually aware of his work' in the manner of most famous people in popular culture I've never heard of - but genuinely ignorant that such a person existed. I was talking to my wife last night about this. According to a quick straw poll (me, wife, two of wife's friends), 75% of humans knew who he was and were aware of his works. Apparently he was well known among a) people who watched daytime television, and b) people who are interested in weight loss. There may therefore be a bit of a gender difference in awareness of who he is.
He had 15 minutes slots on Radio 4 called "Just one thing" suggesting very minor lifestyle changes that could lengthen ones life. I have adopted one or two including eating (specifically) cooked tomatoes to reduce an enlarged prostate.
Somewhat ironic that his life was cut short on one of his suggested stout daily walks. For those of us who followed his advice he is a great loss.
Indeed. His 'just one thing' programmes are usually great listening, if the original idea of being able to improve your life by making a few small changes has ended up morphing into a massive shopping list of changes that if you did them all would take over your life completely.
I see nothing in the further details released to suggest that yesterday's rash and premature suggestions of suicide have anything to them?
The weather has been unusually hot in Greece recently, even for the time of year, and he seems to have died alarmingly close to a beach resort toward which he was presumably heading.
Seems that he most likely took a wrong turn and missed his direct route back to where he was staying. They now have CCTV of him disappearing from sight just before where he was found, as he was making his way down to that beach.
It was over 40 deg, so what would have been a fairly short walk became a fatally difficult one.
I once did a walk on a Greek island in cloudless 36C heat. I soon realised that doing a walk in cloudless 36C heat is absolutely insane, which is why the locals never do it, only mad dogs and Englishmen. I have not done it since
Mosley was a very clever man and a physician, and 67 years old - old enough to know better and also old enough to be wary of overstressing an ageing body. Why go for a walk if it is 40C??? Have a swim, or a siesta. Quite odd
Just going back to where they were staying, reportedly. It wasn't very far.
So what happened then? He fell? Heart attack? There is an air of mystery to it, and his wife’s remark - “he almost made it” - seems positively bizarre if he was simply doing a stroll to the resort
Coincidentally or not, the wife of an acquaintance of mine was murdered on a Greek island in 2019. Quite big news at the time
Lo, even in Paradise the serpent lurks
Oh yeah, snake bites were mentioned too.
So who do you think did it? Big Pharma, the organised health club lobby, Chinese labs, the Russians, aliens or the woke blob?
We started advertising on Facebook over the weekend.
Cyber Nats are fun, aren’t they 😳😂
You’ve said before, many times, but I’ve forgotten! This is in Aberdeenshire North and Moray East, yes? I hear the SNP weren’t targeting it until Ross pushed out Duguid.
Correct on both counts. Now they think they will walk it - at least that’s the public face. In private? They must be picking up on how many SNP voters are happy with them.
I expect they will win the seat, but I’m going to have fun pointing out their flaws
Interesting that this forum splits between those who think highly of Michael Mosley and those who had never heard of him. I think it reflects the fact that the broadcast media no longer provides a common reference point and that so many of us stay within our own little bubbles
Mr. EPG, I forget if it was Portugal or Italy but there was some kickback against a digital nomad approach that saw them pay less tax, on average, than locals. However, one of the reasons such visas and schemes come into being is the need for skilled workers in sectors such as tech. This can be persistent, or it can be used (as per Portugal or Italy) to get a sector going from a very low base.
So hard to defend the Beeb anymore as it constantly fails in its actual remit.
Am I the only person who'd never heard of him? Given the outpourings he must have been a lovely guy, but really?
I've never heard of him either.
Indeed, for a moment I wondered if Farage had been saying something about Oswald Mosley.
Do none of you hooligans listen to Radio 4?
I'd never heard of him either. And not just 'not heard of him but recognise the name' or 'not heard of the name but actually aware of his work' in the manner of most famous people in popular culture I've never heard of - but genuinely ignorant that such a person existed. I was talking to my wife last night about this. According to a quick straw poll (me, wife, two of wife's friends), 75% of humans knew who he was and were aware of his works. Apparently he was well known among a) people who watched daytime television, and b) people who are interested in weight loss. There may therefore be a bit of a gender difference in awareness of who he is.
He had 15 minutes slots on Radio 4 called "Just one thing" suggesting very minor lifestyle changes that could lengthen ones life. I have adopted one or two including eating (specifically) cooked tomatoes to reduce an enlarged prostate.
Somewhat ironic that his life was cut short on one of his suggested stout daily walks. For those of us who followed his advice he is a great loss.
Indeed. His 'just one thing' programmes are usually great listening, if the original idea of being able to improve your life by making a few small changes has ended up morphing into a massive shopping list of changes that if you did them all would take over your life completely.
I see nothing in the further details released to suggest that yesterday's rash and premature suggestions of suicide have anything to them?
The weather has been unusually hot in Greece recently, even for the time of year, and he seems to have died alarmingly close to a beach resort toward which he was presumably heading.
Seems that he most likely took a wrong turn and missed his direct route back to where he was staying. They now have CCTV of him disappearing from sight just before where he was found, as he was making his way down to that beach.
It was over 40 deg, so what would have been a fairly short walk became a fatally difficult one.
I once did a walk on a Greek island in cloudless 36C heat. I soon realised that doing a walk in cloudless 36C heat is absolutely insane, which is why the locals never do it, only mad dogs and Englishmen. I have not done it since
Mosley was a very clever man and a physician, and 67 years old - old enough to know better and also old enough to be wary of overstressing an ageing body. Why go for a walk if it is 40C??? Have a swim, or a siesta. Quite odd
Just going back to where they were staying, reportedly. It wasn't very far.
And we're British, and haven't seen the sun since last September. So we routinely deny the experience of those used to living in hot conditions. Mosley maybe thought he was ahead of most by walking round under an umbrella?
Probably. I’ve experienced 40+ in Peru. It’s a whole different world to 35.
Standing still, in shade, is unpleasant. In direct sunlight you start wondering how long you could manage to walk on the flat. Any kind of exertion…
Mind you, the Peruvian Army Special Forces was doing full kit runs along the roads. They lost some soldiers to that.
Watched Mosley docs, not so much as he went further into weight loss, but things like 'Pain, Pus and Poison' on the history of pharmaceuticals.
Wasn't so aware of his earlier career in TV production.
Some of the reaction on here is all a bit Bagpuss: 'I've not heard of him therefore all the mice on the mechanical mouse organ can't have heard of him'
I had a heart op last year and in the lead up I had listened to his “Just one thing” programme. I had been really slack about regular exercise and thought I better get my shit together before my op so I heal quicker and his radio programme was the catalyst.
I started small with his recommendations on resistance exercises and it got me out of a slough to the point of now not remotely feeling happy if I haven’t done an hour of weights and resistance exercise five days per week. It’s made me happier and healthier and, if it was remotely possible, looking even better.
I also celebrated 6 months without touching a fag on Saturday and I really think the exercise helped with a better attitude about my own health in general and thus quitting smoking.
So thanks to Michael Mosley, RIP.
Yes, one thing I liked about Moseley was his approach to health. It wasn't about magic drugs or AI, it was all about empowering people to take small steps to improve their own health. His programs featured him, but were very positive and patient centered.
Centrist prejudice showing, but I suspect we would benefit from a similar approach to national governance.
So hard to defend the Beeb anymore as it constantly fails in its actual remit.
Am I the only person who'd never heard of him? Given the outpourings he must have been a lovely guy, but really?
I've never heard of him either.
Indeed, for a moment I wondered if Farage had been saying something about Oswald Mosley.
Do none of you hooligans listen to Radio 4?
I'd never heard of him either. And not just 'not heard of him but recognise the name' or 'not heard of the name but actually aware of his work' in the manner of most famous people in popular culture I've never heard of - but genuinely ignorant that such a person existed. I was talking to my wife last night about this. According to a quick straw poll (me, wife, two of wife's friends), 75% of humans knew who he was and were aware of his works. Apparently he was well known among a) people who watched daytime television, and b) people who are interested in weight loss. There may therefore be a bit of a gender difference in awareness of who he is.
He had 15 minutes slots on Radio 4 called "Just one thing" suggesting very minor lifestyle changes that could lengthen ones life. I have adopted one or two including eating (specifically) cooked tomatoes to reduce an enlarged prostate.
Somewhat ironic that his life was cut short on one of his suggested stout daily walks. For those of us who followed his advice he is a great loss.
Indeed. His 'just one thing' programmes are usually great listening, if the original idea of being able to improve your life by making a few small changes has ended up morphing into a massive shopping list of changes that if you did them all would take over your life completely.
I see nothing in the further details released to suggest that yesterday's rash and premature suggestions of suicide have anything to them?
The weather has been unusually hot in Greece recently, even for the time of year, and he seems to have died alarmingly close to a beach resort toward which he was presumably heading.
Seems that he most likely took a wrong turn and missed his direct route back to where he was staying. They now have CCTV of him disappearing from sight just before where he was found, as he was making his way down to that beach.
It was over 40 deg, so what would have been a fairly short walk became a fatally difficult one.
I once did a walk on a Greek island in cloudless 36C heat. I soon realised that doing a walk in cloudless 36C heat is absolutely insane, which is why the locals never do it, only mad dogs and Englishmen. I have not done it since
Mosley was a very clever man and a physician, and 67 years old - old enough to know better and also old enough to be wary of overstressing an ageing body. Why go for a walk if it is 40C??? Have a swim, or a siesta. Quite odd
Just going back to where they were staying, reportedly. It wasn't very far.
So what happened then? He fell? Heart attack? There is an air of mystery to it, and his wife’s remark - “he almost made it” - seems positively bizarre if he was simply doing a stroll to the resort
Coincidentally or not, the wife of an acquaintance of mine was murdered on a Greek island in 2019. Quite big news at the time
Lo, even in Paradise the serpent lurks
He took a wrong turn, most likely. Have a look at the island; it's rocky with lots of small hills which look very similar. People make mistakes.
A short walk became an arduous one, and the heat did for him, though he seems almost to have made it.
Fair enough. It is easy to come a cropper on walks
I once nearly died on a spontaneous hike around the canyonlands of Utah. I parked my car and plunged into the red stone maze - wildly stupid, in retrospect - but it looked so inviting and safe and pretty. Within half an hour I realised I was completely lost, and in serious danger, one little Utah canyon looks very much like another, and they are known death traps. Then I nearly stepped on a rattlesnake and in my shock reeled back - and miraculously recognised a distant rocky outcrop from my walk in, and thus I escaped
Could have got very nasty
Also got seriously lost in thick Tobago rainforest once, but fortunately realised all I had to do was descend to the coast and start walking - and eventually I would hit a beach and/or a village, and so it was
That’s generally good advice when lost, go downhill and follow water
With the monolith Starmer constructed already fragmenting, not even a Labour majority as humongous as that posited in a recent YouGov poll will secure stable government. When that becomes clear, voters will abandon Britain’s derelict party system. Only if electoral reform takes place can dealing with a society headed for penury become politically possible. Or the ruins of a once first-world country beggared by its political class will go on rotting away.
It's all a bit bonkers, almost Dolchstoßlegende.
There's lots wrong with our country, but it really isn't fundamentally broken nor does it need some authoritarian revolution.
We haven't solved the digital nomad problem (what used to be called "the brain drain"). This makes tax increasingly difficult to get. But we still have a big government and spending is increasingly difficult to restrain. We've been patching the difference with debt, but then interest rates went up. That's a real problem and meets the definition of "fundamentally broken".
We're selling off the ground beneath our feet to foreigners. That's conceptually wrong and meets the definition of "fundamentally broken".
There are others but I'm sure you can impute them from my previous rants.
I don't think the digital nomad phenomenon is fundamental. It's very high profile because of the influencer class (i.e. bikini pics in racist Gulf dictatorships). But for high-paid jobs, the most developed countries like Portugal and the Netherlands are already moving away from these visas - locals seem to really hate the housing market impacts. So you need to settle for the next tier down (Balkans) or even further afield. And then the trade-off with the UK is much more stark.
We still see it in places. Doctors down under. Techies to America (although that market has tightened in the last year or two). Flintknappers to recovering holiday resorts.
The big impact is not from individuals emigrating but companies and even whole sectors being sold off to foreign investors. The IP goes abroad; profits go abroad; heck, even the subsidy cheques go abroad.
Interesting that this forum splits between those who think highly of Michael Mosley and those who had never heard of him. I think it reflects the fact that the broadcast media no longer provides a common reference point and that so many of us stay within our own little bubbles
In a slight twist on that, it turns out I know people who actually knew him IRL (via their work). I did not know of him myself.
With the monolith Starmer constructed already fragmenting, not even a Labour majority as humongous as that posited in a recent YouGov poll will secure stable government. When that becomes clear, voters will abandon Britain’s derelict party system. Only if electoral reform takes place can dealing with a society headed for penury become politically possible. Or the ruins of a once first-world country beggared by its political class will go on rotting away.
It's all a bit bonkers, almost Dolchstoßlegende.
There's lots wrong with our country, but it really isn't fundamentally broken nor does it need some authoritarian revolution.
We haven't solved the digital nomad problem (what used to be called "the brain drain"). This makes tax increasingly difficult to get. But we still have a big government and spending is increasingly difficult to restrain. We've been patching the difference with debt, but then interest rates went up. That's a real problem and meets the definition of "fundamentally broken".
We're selling off the ground beneath our feet to foreigners. That's conceptually wrong and meets the definition of "fundamentally broken".
There are others but I'm sure you can impute them from my previous rants.
I don't think the digital nomad phenomenon is fundamental. It's very high profile because of the influencer class (i.e. bikini pics in racist Gulf dictatorships). But for high-paid jobs, the most developed countries like Portugal and the Netherlands are already moving away from these visas - locals seem to really hate the housing market impacts. So you need to settle for the next tier down (Balkans) or even further afield. And then the trade-off with the UK is much more stark.
When I was in Budapest last year I was struck by how ‘digital nomad’ was part of the urban lexicon, usually with a disparaging undertone of ‘freeloader spending hours using the cafe’s power and wifi with a single flat white’.
I don’t know how genuinely widespread a phenomenon it is; my gut tells me that by and large if people can stay at or near home, they generally will - there needs to be major push and/or pull factors otherwise.
Relatedly I had an idea for a TV cooking programme last night
Here’s the pitch. Jamie Oliver leads a Napoleonic style army rampaging around Europe, but when they vanquish a city, leaving it a heap of ashes, he whips up a quick “fifteen minute meal” using the ashes for heat, then feeds this to the raped and starved survivors, who laugh at his chirpy banter
Only if he can sonehow pointlessly work his wife, kids and Genarro Contaldo into it
So hard to defend the Beeb anymore as it constantly fails in its actual remit.
Am I the only person who'd never heard of him? Given the outpourings he must have been a lovely guy, but really?
I've never heard of him either.
Indeed, for a moment I wondered if Farage had been saying something about Oswald Mosley.
Do none of you hooligans listen to Radio 4?
I'd never heard of him either. And not just 'not heard of him but recognise the name' or 'not heard of the name but actually aware of his work' in the manner of most famous people in popular culture I've never heard of - but genuinely ignorant that such a person existed. I was talking to my wife last night about this. According to a quick straw poll (me, wife, two of wife's friends), 75% of humans knew who he was and were aware of his works. Apparently he was well known among a) people who watched daytime television, and b) people who are interested in weight loss. There may therefore be a bit of a gender difference in awareness of who he is.
He had 15 minutes slots on Radio 4 called "Just one thing" suggesting very minor lifestyle changes that could lengthen ones life. I have adopted one or two including eating (specifically) cooked tomatoes to reduce an enlarged prostate.
Somewhat ironic that his life was cut short on one of his suggested stout daily walks. For those of us who followed his advice he is a great loss.
Indeed. His 'just one thing' programmes are usually great listening, if the original idea of being able to improve your life by making a few small changes has ended up morphing into a massive shopping list of changes that if you did them all would take over your life completely.
I see nothing in the further details released to suggest that yesterday's rash and premature suggestions of suicide have anything to them?
The weather has been unusually hot in Greece recently, even for the time of year, and he seems to have died alarmingly close to a beach resort toward which he was presumably heading.
Seems that he most likely took a wrong turn and missed his direct route back to where he was staying. They now have CCTV of him disappearing from sight just before where he was found, as he was making his way down to that beach.
It was over 40 deg, so what would have been a fairly short walk became a fatally difficult one.
I once did a walk on a Greek island in cloudless 36C heat. I soon realised that doing a walk in cloudless 36C heat is absolutely insane, which is why the locals never do it, only mad dogs and Englishmen. I have not done it since
Mosley was a very clever man and a physician, and 67 years old - old enough to know better and also old enough to be wary of overstressing an ageing body. Why go for a walk if it is 40C??? Have a swim, or a siesta. Quite odd
Just going back to where they were staying, reportedly. It wasn't very far.
And we're British, and haven't seen the sun since last September. So we routinely deny the experience of those used to living in hot conditions. Mosley maybe thought he was ahead of most by walking round under an umbrella?
Yes but even those used to living in hot conditions do not routinely keel over if they pop out. Yes, there is a higher risk but it is not 100 per cent fatal. We had 40C here a couple of years ago, and much of France for months.
Heat plus exertion plus a touch of dehydration quickly leads to situations where people can die even in much lower temperatures, like that squaddie who died in the Brecon Beacons a few years ago.
So hard to defend the Beeb anymore as it constantly fails in its actual remit.
Am I the only person who'd never heard of him? Given the outpourings he must have been a lovely guy, but really?
I've never heard of him either.
Indeed, for a moment I wondered if Farage had been saying something about Oswald Mosley.
Do none of you hooligans listen to Radio 4?
I'd never heard of him either. And not just 'not heard of him but recognise the name' or 'not heard of the name but actually aware of his work' in the manner of most famous people in popular culture I've never heard of - but genuinely ignorant that such a person existed. I was talking to my wife last night about this. According to a quick straw poll (me, wife, two of wife's friends), 75% of humans knew who he was and were aware of his works. Apparently he was well known among a) people who watched daytime television, and b) people who are interested in weight loss. There may therefore be a bit of a gender difference in awareness of who he is.
He had 15 minutes slots on Radio 4 called "Just one thing" suggesting very minor lifestyle changes that could lengthen ones life. I have adopted one or two including eating (specifically) cooked tomatoes to reduce an enlarged prostate.
Somewhat ironic that his life was cut short on one of his suggested stout daily walks. For those of us who followed his advice he is a great loss.
Indeed. His 'just one thing' programmes are usually great listening, if the original idea of being able to improve your life by making a few small changes has ended up morphing into a massive shopping list of changes that if you did them all would take over your life completely.
I see nothing in the further details released to suggest that yesterday's rash and premature suggestions of suicide have anything to them?
The weather has been unusually hot in Greece recently, even for the time of year, and he seems to have died alarmingly close to a beach resort toward which he was presumably heading.
Seems that he most likely took a wrong turn and missed his direct route back to where he was staying. They now have CCTV of him disappearing from sight just before where he was found, as he was making his way down to that beach.
It was over 40 deg, so what would have been a fairly short walk became a fatally difficult one.
I once did a walk on a Greek island in cloudless 36C heat. I soon realised that doing a walk in cloudless 36C heat is absolutely insane, which is why the locals never do it, only mad dogs and Englishmen. I have not done it since
Mosley was a very clever man and a physician, and 67 years old - old enough to know better and also old enough to be wary of overstressing an ageing body. Why go for a walk if it is 40C??? Have a swim, or a siesta. Quite odd
Just going back to where they were staying, reportedly. It wasn't very far.
And we're British, and haven't seen the sun since last September. So we routinely deny the experience of those used to living in hot conditions. Mosley maybe thought he was ahead of most by walking round under an umbrella?
Yes but even those used to living in hot conditions do not routinely keel over if they pop out. Yes, there is a higher risk but it is not 100 per cent fatal. We had 40C here a couple of years ago, and much of France for months.
Heat plus exertion plus a touch of dehydration quickly leads to situations where people can die even in much lower temperatures, like that squaddie who died in the Brecon Beacons a few years ago.
I haven't followed the accounts in detail.
Did he advise on hydration whilst walking? That would be in his 101 surely? Isn't stuff like 2+ litres of water a day, more when in the sun, you can still sunburn when swimming and you field cool, and all the rest of it, just basic.
(For the PB poll, I think I was *aware* of him, but I get my advice from various other places - such as NHS peeps, knowledgeable diabetic friends / acqaintances, gym coaches, cycling and walking friends and so on.)
I confess to being rather amazed so many PBers had not heard of Michael Mosley; what an odd insular bunch you are.
I reckon a poll of the country before his disappearance would have seen him easily more recognised than any politico bar PMs and LOTOs.
I’m quite surprised too - as well as a lot of TV he was an ever-present on the BBC homepage, had a lot of popular books published and was a fixture in the papers, most notably the Mail - and this is speaking as someone who never particularly engaged with his work.
emily m @maitlis · 1h Close ( French ) friend in Paris tonight tells me she’s not surprised … 🇫🇷 “Someone told me in paris 3 weeks ago macron will dissolve parliament to put bardella in power so bardella can really mess up in the next 2 years and they ll loose the presidential. That s a tactic…”
I suspect Macron is hoping a non le Pen coalition government will emerge after his party's minority government has failed. ie the opposite of this. French politics is driven more by who you don't like than who you like and Macron is betting Le Pen's party will be more disliked than a specific alternative that isn't centered around him.
With the monolith Starmer constructed already fragmenting, not even a Labour majority as humongous as that posited in a recent YouGov poll will secure stable government. When that becomes clear, voters will abandon Britain’s derelict party system. Only if electoral reform takes place can dealing with a society headed for penury become politically possible. Or the ruins of a once first-world country beggared by its political class will go on rotting away.
It's all a bit bonkers, almost Dolchstoßlegende.
There's lots wrong with our country, but it really isn't fundamentally broken nor does it need some authoritarian revolution.
We haven't solved the digital nomad problem (what used to be called "the brain drain"). This makes tax increasingly difficult to get. But we still have a big government and spending is increasingly difficult to restrain. We've been patching the difference with debt, but then interest rates went up. That's a real problem and meets the definition of "fundamentally broken".
We're selling off the ground beneath our feet to foreigners. That's conceptually wrong and meets the definition of "fundamentally broken".
There are others but I'm sure you can impute them from my previous rants.
No-one wants to hear this but a big reason why taxes have gone up so much and there's no money for anything is that HMG is now paying tens of billions a year extra in interest on government debt. Effectively, for nothing.
One reason they haven't mentioned it, I imagine, is that it might create a political storm to cancel or renege on the debt, which would collapse our financial system.
Defaulting on our debt would be a *very* bad option of course.
I'd vote for a one-off raid on wealth to pay it off though: Say 5% for on assets above £100k, excluding main residence and pension pots. That would cost me a fair bit but nothing like as much as I'd lose off my portfolio if the UK defaulted. Would save us £100bn p.a. in debt interest.
Suella Braverman urges Conservatives to embrace Nigel Farage
‘We need to, in the future, to find some way to work together because there shouldn’t be big differences between us
‘I would welcome Nigel into the Conservative party. There’s not much difference really between him and many of the policies that we stand for
‘We are a broad church, we should be a welcoming party and an inclusive party and if someone is supportive of the party, that’s a precondition and they want Conservatives to get elected then they should be welcomed’
Keep holding those Reform bets for crossover…I think we hopefully get D-Day gate and Farage Debate taking full effect in fieldwork from today/tomorrow
Comments
@PBlawyers - would this work with existing employment/human rights legislation?
Is anyone listening - the election is lost to them
Somewhat ironic that his life was cut short on one of his suggested stout daily walks. For those of us who followed his advice he is a great loss.
It's difficult to argue that they are employees due to the daily allowance reward scheme etc. I'm not sure where their status falls. I think they will come under the term "office holders".
There are similar type of offices with a retirement age, such as Judges (70 or 75 with Ministerial Approval) and Church of England Bishops (70 unless Grandfathered in, and I think those were all promoted some time ago). I am not aware that these have been questioned.
Plus if it is going to some version of democratic, that would undermine such a case.
Catching up on the latest posts, I'm enjoying @Big_G_NorthWales turning into Tony Benn
Seems a howlingly obvious move.
Best to just bin the HoL and not worry about age barriers.
https://lordslibrary.parliament.uk/retirement-from-the-house-of-lords/
governmenteveryone other than Tory twits to ignore you.You can also introduce primary legislation to circumvent the Equality Act in this specific case. I think primary legislation would be needed anyway.
* Seldon v Clarkson, Wright, and Jakes in case anyone’s interested.
https://www.lefigaro.fr/politique/en-direct-europeennes-2024-apres-le-seisme-de-la-dissolution-une-campagne-legislative-eclair-demarre-20240610
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c9776r3nqv1o
The BBC, not unreasonably, cover their own in more detail, but despite the incomprehension of not a few PBers, he was pretty well known, well beyond the circle of Daily Mail readers (and actually the Mail's science coverage can be surprisingly good).
Sums up what happened, I think.
There's lots wrong with our country, but it really isn't fundamentally broken nor does it need some authoritarian revolution.
But then where do the kids with no nursery place, or can't afford the sky high fees, go?
I hope it has been thought through properly eg is the problem physical nursery space, or staffing? I thought the latter. But I may well be wrong.
I see nothing in the further details released to suggest that yesterday's rash and premature suggestions of suicide have anything to them?
The weather has been unusually hot in Greece recently, even for the time of year, and he seems to have died alarmingly close to a beach resort toward which he was presumably heading.
What's Dura's take on Starmer's "Leninist" party management ?
Fewer staff needed in primary.
Wasn't so aware of his earlier career in TV production.
Some of the reaction on here is all a bit Bagpuss: 'I've not heard of him therefore all the mice on the mechanical mouse organ can't have heard of him'
But democratic accountability in the sense of leadership answering to the people wasn’t a part of Republican ideology until they claimed to bolt it on, post 1989.
Indeed you could argue that this is one of the dividing lines between Nationalism and Republicanism.
In the Republican worldview, the goals are set By History. And are to be achieved, no matter what.
Remember what was said of the rejection of the Treaty? “We deny the Right of the People to do Wrong.”
They now have CCTV of him disappearing from sight just before where he was found, as he was making his way down to that beach.
It was over 40 deg, so what would have been a fairly short walk became a fatally difficult one.
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/article/2024/jun/10/wooden-bowling-arm-john-venn-machine-rebuilt-cambridge-australia-1909-cricket-team
But I suspect Gray would be publishing his jeremiads whatever the electoral system, and whatever the government.
Cyber Nats are fun, aren’t they 😳😂
I started small with his recommendations on resistance exercises and it got me out of a slough to the point of now not remotely feeling happy if I haven’t done an hour of weights and resistance exercise five days per week. It’s made me happier and healthier and, if it was remotely possible, looking even better.
I also celebrated 6 months without touching a fag on Saturday and I really think the exercise helped with a better attitude about my own health in general and thus quitting smoking.
So thanks to Michael Mosley, RIP.
*One of the things inspired by his book.
A crack in Orban's one party state.
https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-european-election-results-2024-hungary-viktor-orban-fidesz-party-peter-magyar-tisza-party/
Scholz quite rightly humiliated.
https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-european-election-results-2024-german-coalition-olaf-scholz-social-democrats/
Mosley was a very clever man and a physician, and 67 years old - old enough to know better and also old enough to be wary of overstressing an ageing body. Why go for a walk if it is 40C??? Have a swim, or a siesta. Quite odd
Democracy is imperfect but far better than "authoritarian" governments.
It sounds a bit like SpAds brainstormed killing three birds with one stone. Presumably all the redundant primary school teachers are moved across to run the nurseries because at a 10,000 feet view, children are children so it's all the same really. And the best part is posh families, such as MPs and their SpAds, can have two parents with high-flying careers with free childcare on the state.
We're selling off the ground beneath our feet to foreigners. That's conceptually wrong and meets the definition of "fundamentally broken".
There are others but I'm sure you can impute them from my previous rants.
That way we get the benefit of wider experience and expertise more integrated than say witnesses testifying to a select committee.
There are possibly a couple of other benefits, in that the retirement age could be applied to the Elected group, and people who retire from there can get a period in the Speaking group.
It wasn't very far.
You're a smart guy, too. But by your own account have done the odd daft thing.
"End of the Peer Show".
(Badoom-Tish)
Coincidentally or not, the wife of an acquaintance of mine was murdered on a Greek island in 2019. Quite big news at the time
Lo, even in Paradise the serpent lurks
My back of fag packet thinking was that if you had a dedicated set of courts for guilty only pleas they could churn through a load of cases and have magistrates who are simply concerned with sentencing using the guidelines (which might allow for new magistrates to be fast tracked if purely working by the book on guilty pleas).
Then the not guilty pleas could be dealt with by courts where the case has to be heard properly and a decision arrived at which might be better for more experienced magistrates.
This way, if you’ve done something stupid and are prepared to cop for it then it’s dealt with quickly and not bogged down in the court system, reparations or punishments are made or completed quickly and life goes on.
Maybe it is triaged already but not sure if this would help ease up the system.
As of May 2024, 178 peers have resigned or retired, and a further ten peers were removed under the Act's provisions regarding non-attendance. The first peer to resign was Julian Grenfell, 3rd Baron Grenfell, on 1 October 2014.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Lords_Reform_Act_2014
Here’s the pitch. Jamie Oliver leads a Napoleonic style army rampaging around Europe, but when they vanquish a city, leaving it a heap of ashes, he whips up a quick “fifteen minute meal” using the ashes for heat, then feeds this to the raped and starved survivors, who laugh at his chirpy banter
Have a look at the island; it's rocky with lots of small hills which look very similar.
People make mistakes.
A short walk became an arduous one, and the heat did for him, though he seems almost to have made it.
Still more so he seemed to fall about 100yds short of the next beach resort.
Another minute's walk and he'd have been there.
https://x.com/AlexThomp/status/1799905569903444202?ref_src=twsrc^tfw|twcamp^tweetembed|twterm^1799905569903444202|twgr^fd5e847478e004c8502c345bc75bdffe21fb6d5b|twcon^s1_&ref_url=https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/6/9/2245748/-Donald-in-heat-I-don-t-care-about-you-I-just-want-your-vote-I-don-t-care
One reason they haven't mentioned it, I imagine, is that it might create a political storm to cancel or renege on the debt, which would collapse our financial system.
So who do you think did it? Big Pharma, the organised health club lobby, Chinese labs, the Russians, aliens or the woke blob?
I expect they will win the seat, but I’m going to have fun pointing out their flaws
Standing still, in shade, is unpleasant. In direct sunlight you start wondering how long you could manage to walk on the flat. Any kind of exertion…
Mind you, the Peruvian Army Special Forces was doing full kit runs along the roads. They lost some soldiers to that.
I once nearly died on a spontaneous hike around the canyonlands of Utah. I parked my car and plunged into the red stone maze - wildly stupid, in retrospect - but it looked so inviting and safe and pretty. Within half an hour I realised I was completely lost, and in serious danger, one little Utah canyon looks very much like another, and they are known death traps. Then I nearly stepped on a rattlesnake and in my shock reeled back - and miraculously recognised a distant rocky outcrop from my walk in, and thus I escaped
Could have got very nasty
Also got seriously lost in thick Tobago rainforest once, but fortunately realised all I had to do was descend to the coast and start walking - and eventually I would hit a beach and/or a village, and so it was
That’s generally good advice when lost, go downhill and follow water
I reckon a poll of the country before his disappearance would have seen him easily more recognised than any politico bar PMs and LOTOs.
The big impact is not from individuals emigrating but companies and even whole sectors being sold off to foreign investors. The IP goes abroad; profits go abroad; heck, even the subsidy cheques go abroad.
RIP
I don’t know how genuinely widespread a phenomenon it is; my gut tells me that by and large if people can stay at or near home, they generally will - there needs to be major push and/or pull factors otherwise.
Did he advise on hydration whilst walking? That would be in his 101 surely? Isn't stuff like 2+ litres of water a day, more when in the sun, you can still sunburn when swimming and you field cool, and all the rest of it, just basic.
(For the PB poll, I think I was *aware* of him, but I get my advice from various other places - such as NHS peeps, knowledgeable diabetic friends / acqaintances, gym coaches, cycling and walking friends and so on.)
It's a high risk strategy.
I'd vote for a one-off raid on wealth to pay it off though: Say 5% for on assets above £100k, excluding main residence and pension pots. That would cost me a fair bit but nothing like as much as I'd lose off my portfolio if the UK defaulted. Would save us £100bn p.a. in debt interest.
It's our debt after all.
The summary of what happened to the poor doc - or what we know so far - reads like the blurb for a good Agatha Christie
From The Times
Suella Braverman urges Conservatives to embrace Nigel Farage
‘We need to, in the future, to find some way to work together because there shouldn’t be big differences between us
‘I would welcome Nigel into the Conservative party. There’s not much difference really between him and many of the policies that we stand for
‘We are a broad church, we should be a welcoming party and an inclusive party and if someone is supportive of the party, that’s a precondition and they want Conservatives to get elected then they should be welcomed’
Keep holding those Reform bets for crossover…I think we hopefully get D-Day gate and Farage Debate taking full effect in fieldwork from today/tomorrow