As a liberal right winger who wants liberal economics and liberal social rights, I always preferred the right wing party in Australia being called Liberals over the Conservatives.
It will be interesting in the extremely unlikely, but not impossible, event that the Liberal Democrats do become the Opposition with plenty of seats in the South.
Do they then oppose Labour from the left, like Charles Kennedy? Or the Orange Book right like Nick Clegg?
If the left, the Conservatives will regain official opposition status the following election. The country doesn't have space for two parties of the left arguing with each other.
If the right, then there's a chance of a future Liberal Democrat government with the Liberals in the UK, like Australia, being the party of the centre right.
Interesting times.
Their instinct, especially from their activists will be to oppose Labour from the left. But like you say, the real opening for the Lib-Dems to once again rise as a potential party of government would be to oppose from the center right as that's where the space will be until the Tories either get their act together or another center right party emerges.
There is a place for a liberal green (teal) political force. That’s the direction I’d like to see the party go in.
There’s also a possibility of a French split: populist right (Reform and Suella-Tories), socialist left (soft left of Labour leftwards), and centrist liberals incorporating the Blairites and Cameronians.
Yellow-and-green give you lime-green or chartreuse. Teal is blue-and-green: Cameron's lot.
But the Lib Dems are already limeys, aren't they? I would pin the Lib Dems as by far the greenest non-Green party in the UK.
The Green chap on Question Time came across as quite green. A refreshing change from the mash-up of Trots, Woke and Hamas apologists that seem to make up their rank and file.
He's got a reasonable chance of getting in in Waveney Valley He got 15% here in Norwich South in 2010
Ah, right. That must be where the chap on the train last week is voting Reform to keep out the Green.
As a liberal right winger who wants liberal economics and liberal social rights, I always preferred the right wing party in Australia being called Liberals over the Conservatives.
It will be interesting in the extremely unlikely, but not impossible, event that the Liberal Democrats do become the Opposition with plenty of seats in the South.
Do they then oppose Labour from the left, like Charles Kennedy? Or the Orange Book right like Nick Clegg?
If the left, the Conservatives will regain official opposition status the following election. The country doesn't have space for two parties of the left arguing with each other.
If the right, then there's a chance of a future Liberal Democrat government with the Liberals in the UK, like Australia, being the party of the centre right.
Interesting times.
Their instinct, especially from their activists will be to oppose Labour from the left. But like you say, the real opening for the Lib-Dems to once again rise as a potential party of government would be to oppose from the center right as that's where the space will be until the Tories either get their act together or another center right party emerges.
There is a place for a liberal green (teal) political force. That’s the direction I’d like to see the party go in.
There’s also a possibility of a French split: populist right (Reform and Suella-Tories), socialist left (soft left of Labour leftwards), and centrist liberals incorporating the Blairites and Cameronians.
Yellow-and-green give you lime-green or chartreuse. Teal is blue-and-green: Cameron's lot.
But the Lib Dems are already limeys, aren't they? I would pin the Lib Dems as by far the greenest non-Green party in the UK.
The Green chap on Question Time came across as quite green. A refreshing change from the mash-up of Trots, Woke and Hamas apologists that seem to make up their rank and file.
I know quite a few Greens in both England and Scotland and they're all in it for the environment. It's just the filter between you and the party that means you think they've gone away from it. Greens talking about green stuff doesn't propagate very far because most people who are into politics are not actually into politics, they're into political-flavoured entertainment. So Greens talking about WOKE MARXIST YOGHURT KNITTING GENDER IDEOLOGY is delicious news, and suddenly everybody else thinks they've forgotten their roots.
That said, one or two of them that I know are hard left too.
I sometimes think the wider Green movement is probably a lot more focused on the environment than the leadership of the party, the same way trade union leaders can be a lot more interested in external, national, or international matters than the rank and file. So since all parties tend to be a bit green now, it is not as interesting or distinctive for the Greens to talk about it, so the leadership finds it more interesting, and more of a way to be politically unique, to bang on about other matters.
Their manifesto was trying a bit too hard to persuade otherwise, but most chapters being headed about X being fairer and greener. Fairer greener farming, fairer greener education, fairer greener social support. Some of it probably was, but it was a bit over the top.
The Greens I know are very motivated by environmental issues, but when appearing in national debates and forums the leadership get asked about other issues.
It's a bit like Reform and immigration. The party might wasn't to talk of only one thing, but it will get asked about other things.
At the hustings I attended I'm not sure the Reform candidate talked about immigration once, and was really quite subdued and indistinguishable from the 'normal' political range (as opposed to the one in Salisbury, who has been speaking about what a good chap Putin is, among other things).
It might have been reading the audience though, as some other candidate started on immigration early on and there was quite a bit of groaning heckling, so he might have just pivoted.
William the Conqueror was a fat sadist who was hated by everyone
A right bastard.
In every sense. When the fucker died, nobody could be bothered to deal with the body. They took his stuff, including his clothes, and his naked body was left to start to rot until some random came and cleaned up the mess. When he was interred, he was so bloated by decay that he burst.
As a liberal right winger who wants liberal economics and liberal social rights, I always preferred the right wing party in Australia being called Liberals over the Conservatives.
It will be interesting in the extremely unlikely, but not impossible, event that the Liberal Democrats do become the Opposition with plenty of seats in the South.
Do they then oppose Labour from the left, like Charles Kennedy? Or the Orange Book right like Nick Clegg?
If the left, the Conservatives will regain official opposition status the following election. The country doesn't have space for two parties of the left arguing with each other.
If the right, then there's a chance of a future Liberal Democrat government with the Liberals in the UK, like Australia, being the party of the centre right.
Interesting times.
Their instinct, especially from their activists will be to oppose Labour from the left. But like you say, the real opening for the Lib-Dems to once again rise as a potential party of government would be to oppose from the center right as that's where the space will be until the Tories either get their act together or another center right party emerges.
There is a place for a liberal green (teal) political force. That’s the direction I’d like to see the party go in.
There’s also a possibility of a French split: populist right (Reform and Suella-Tories), socialist left (soft left of Labour leftwards), and centrist liberals incorporating the Blairites and Cameronians.
Yellow-and-green give you lime-green or chartreuse. Teal is blue-and-green: Cameron's lot.
But the Lib Dems are already limeys, aren't they? I would pin the Lib Dems as by far the greenest non-Green party in the UK.
The Green chap on Question Time came across as quite green. A refreshing change from the mash-up of Trots, Woke and Hamas apologists that seem to make up their rank and file.
He's got a reasonable chance of getting in in Waveney Valley He got 15% here in Norwich South in 2010
Ah, right. That must be where the chap on the train last week is voting Reform to keep out the Green.
William the Conqueror was a fat sadist who was hated by everyone
A right bastard.
In every sense. When the fucker died, nobody could be bothered to deal with the body. They took his stuff, including his clothes, and his naked body was left to start to rot until some random came and cleaned up the mess. When he was interred, he was so bloated by decay that he burst.
I doubt he particularly cared at that point
The point is, when he died, the last person who cared about him died. His kids fucked off as soon as he named their inheritance, even before he expired. They hated the bastard just like everyone else did.
William the Conqueror was a fat sadist who was hated by everyone
Not William himself, but that does put me in mind of a quote I read of a Norman lord from around that time, in the postscript of a novel set in the period, describing one of the historical characters.
The most powerful and the most most dangerous of the Norman baronage, he was also the most repellant in character. In a society of ruffianly, bloodthirsty men, Robert de Belleme stands out as particularly atrocious; an evil, treacherous man with an insatiable ambition and a love of cruelty for cruelty's sake; a medieval sadist, whose ingenious barbarities were proverbal among the people of that time.
Sounds like a real go getter, I think a descendant might be standing for Reform somewhere in East Anglia.
Interesting. But is that really a novel? Doesn't sound like Duggan. And I get a google hit for Austin Poole's From Domesday to Magna Carta.
The quote itself is Poole, the novel's author quoted him in the post script for A Head for Poisoning by Simon Beaufort (who is Susanna Gregory* and her husband) *(who is really Elizabeth Cruwys)
I am a white Anglo-Celtic European Briton, descended from William the Conqueror and Maud Ingelric, the Saxon Princess, and also the grandson of Annie Maud Jory, last of the Cornish bal maidens, a child slave sent to the tin mines of st Agnes to break rocks, up at grass
I am a white Anglo-Celtic European Briton, descended from William the Conqueror and Maud Ingelric, the Saxon Princess, and also the grandson of Annie Maud Jory, last of the Cornish bal maidens, a child slave sent to the tin mines of st Agnes to break rocks, up at grass
If we go back far enough, you and I share a common ancestor from east Africa, say Somalia/Ethiopia way.
Who got to Britain via a small boat with no papers.
William the Conqueror was a fat sadist who was hated by everyone
A right bastard.
In every sense. When the fucker died, nobody could be bothered to deal with the body. They took his stuff, including his clothes, and his naked body was left to start to rot until some random came and cleaned up the mess. When he was interred, he was so bloated by decay that he burst.
I doubt he particularly cared at that point
The point is, when he died, the last person who cared about him died. His kids fucked off as soon as he named their inheritance, even before he expired. They hated the bastard just like everyone else did.
Did any of the Norman or Angevin kings get along with their kids? People give John shit about what he did with Richard, but they were all at it I think, bro against bro, son and against dad.
I am a white Anglo-Celtic European Briton, descended from William the Conqueror and Maud Ingelric, the Saxon Princess, and also the grandson of Annie Maud Jory, last of the Cornish bal maidens, a child slave sent to the tin mines of st Agnes to break rocks, up at grass
So you’re really French.
It explains a lot.
My main identity is WHITE
No, your main identity is TWAT. Being white is a secondary characteristic.
I am a white Anglo-Celtic European Briton, descended from William the Conqueror and Maud Ingelric, the Saxon Princess, and also the grandson of Annie Maud Jory, last of the Cornish bal maidens, a child slave sent to the tin mines of st Agnes to break rocks, up at grass
William the Conqueror was a fat sadist who was hated by everyone
A right bastard.
In every sense. When the fucker died, nobody could be bothered to deal with the body. They took his stuff, including his clothes, and his naked body was left to start to rot until some random came and cleaned up the mess. When he was interred, he was so bloated by decay that he burst.
I doubt he particularly cared at that point
The point is, when he died, the last person who cared about him died. His kids fucked off as soon as he named their inheritance, even before he expired. They hated the bastard just like everyone else did.
You’re talking about my great great great etc grandfather here. Have some respect for royalty. Just coz you’re some smelly peasant, doesn’t give you an excuse
Also, I studied this era of history for my A levels. I think this story of William’s corpse is a bit of an urban myth, told by the many people who he conquered (who did, it is fair to say, have a very good reason to hate my grandpa)
I am a white Anglo-Celtic European Briton, descended from William the Conqueror and Maud Ingelric, the Saxon Princess, and also the grandson of Annie Maud Jory, last of the Cornish bal maidens, a child slave sent to the tin mines of st Agnes to break rocks, up at grass
If we go back far enough, you and I share a common ancestor from east Africa, say Somalia/Ethiopia way.
Who got to Britain via a small boat with no papers.
Britain for the Beaker People!
Bloody Beaker People. Coming over here with their advanced ceramic technology. What was wrong with cupping your hands to drink?
William the Conqueror was a fat sadist who was hated by everyone
A right bastard.
In every sense. When the fucker died, nobody could be bothered to deal with the body. They took his stuff, including his clothes, and his naked body was left to start to rot until some random came and cleaned up the mess. When he was interred, he was so bloated by decay that he burst.
I doubt he particularly cared at that point
Not at that point, to be sure, but given how much preparing their legacy was important to many rulers, it would probably have weighed on him toward the end, if he was capable of such self reflection.
I remember a comedy piece once which was looking at some commentary about personal notes of Stalin and how it revealed he was a distrustful and lonely man, and their response was "Well, that's what happens when you kill everyone you know, dude!"
I am a white Anglo-Celtic European Briton, descended from William the Conqueror and Maud Ingelric, the Saxon Princess, and also the grandson of Annie Maud Jory, last of the Cornish bal maidens, a child slave sent to the tin mines of st Agnes to break rocks, up at grass
So you’re really French.
It explains a lot.
My main identity is WHITE
No, your main identity is TWAT. Being white is a secondary characteristic.
You have to say WHITE like Humza Yousaf. Works better
I am a white Anglo-Celtic European Briton, descended from William the Conqueror and Maud Ingelric, the Saxon Princess, and also the grandson of Annie Maud Jory, last of the Cornish bal maidens, a child slave sent to the tin mines of st Agnes to break rocks, up at grass
If we go back far enough, you and I share a common ancestor from east Africa, say Somalia/Ethiopia way.
Who got to Britain via a small boat with no papers.
Britain for the Beaker People!
Bloody Beaker People. Coming over here with their advanced ceramic technology. What was wrong with cupping your hands to drink?
I believe it was less how and more *what* they had to drink, i.e. beer. But IANAE.
I am a white Anglo-Celtic European Briton, descended from William the Conqueror and Maud Ingelric, the Saxon Princess, and also the grandson of Annie Maud Jory, last of the Cornish bal maidens, a child slave sent to the tin mines of st Agnes to break rocks, up at grass
If we go back far enough, you and I share a common ancestor from east Africa, say Somalia/Ethiopia way.
Who got to Britain via a small boat with no papers.
Britain for the Beaker People!
Jutes will not replace us.
Edit apologies to Selebian who came up with that line.
William the Conqueror was a fat sadist who was hated by everyone
A right bastard.
In every sense. When the fucker died, nobody could be bothered to deal with the body. They took his stuff, including his clothes, and his naked body was left to start to rot until some random came and cleaned up the mess. When he was interred, he was so bloated by decay that he burst.
I doubt he particularly cared at that point
The point is, when he died, the last person who cared about him died. His kids fucked off as soon as he named their inheritance, even before he expired. They hated the bastard just like everyone else did.
Did any of the Norman or Angevin kings get along with their kids? People give John shit about what he did with Richard, but they were all at it I think.
I think William was an unusually fractious and reviled individual. But I'm sure you can find other nasty pieces of work. He literally died from injuries sustained while burning a church on some petty revenge mission. The fire spooked his horse and he ripped his bladder on the pommel. He died as he lived: being an utter shit to everyone.
She is starting to lose me a little. She's done well to reveal that a lot of people going after her have been wildly disproportionate, she doesn't want to fall into the same trap.
She is starting to lose me a little. She's done well to reveal that a lot of people going after her have been wildly disproportionate, she doesn't want to fall into the same trap.
Especially considering that - whatever Kemi Badenoch tried to twist it into in her self-serving way - Tennant's essential message was "Live and let live".
I've never understood why we cannot find enough excellent batsmen to enable selecting the best wicketkeeper, so long as that person is not completely terrible with the bat.
William the Conqueror was a fat sadist who was hated by everyone
A right bastard.
In every sense. When the fucker died, nobody could be bothered to deal with the body. They took his stuff, including his clothes, and his naked body was left to start to rot until some random came and cleaned up the mess. When he was interred, he was so bloated by decay that he burst.
I doubt he particularly cared at that point
Not at that point, to be sure, but given how much preparing their legacy was important to many rulers, it would probably have weighed on him toward the end, if he was capable of such self reflection.
I remember a comedy piece once which was looking at some commentary about personal notes of Stalin and how it revealed he was a distrustful and lonely man, and their response was "Well, that's what happens when you kill everyone you know, dude!"
There are consoling hints that Stalin was somewhat remorseful and agonised. In one of Sebag Montefiore’s brilliant blogs of him there is a scene where Stalin meets some old friends that he put through the Terror, nearly having them shot, putting them in the gulags etc
Apparently he looked at these broken people and said, with a rueful chuckle, “I’m sorry I had you tortured so much, we probably went too far”
William the Conqueror was a fat sadist who was hated by everyone
A right bastard.
In every sense. When the fucker died, nobody could be bothered to deal with the body. They took his stuff, including his clothes, and his naked body was left to start to rot until some random came and cleaned up the mess. When he was interred, he was so bloated by decay that he burst.
I doubt he particularly cared at that point
The point is, when he died, the last person who cared about him died. His kids fucked off as soon as he named their inheritance, even before he expired. They hated the bastard just like everyone else did.
You’re talking about my great great great etc grandfather here. Have some respect for royalty. Just coz you’re some smelly peasant, doesn’t give you an excuse
Also, I studied this era of history for my A levels. I think this story of William’s corpse is a bit of an urban myth, told by the many people who he conquered (who did, it is fair to say, have a very good reason to hate my grandpa)
No, the story is in Orderic, who was Norman aristocracy and whose writing is regarded as reliable.
I've never understood why we cannot find enough excellent batsmen to enable selecting the best wicketkeeper, so long that person is not completely terrible with the bat.
Its just an equation to balance.
If a keeper is 5 runs an innings better as keeper than his rival, he can be about 5 runs worse than that rival with the bat, but if he is 10 runs worse you'd pick the worse keeper.
Judging those numbers, and how much they change in different conditions, isn't easy but the logic is straightforward.
If I've counted right Conservatives are favourites in 96 seats, some at odds against. This is somewhat higher than most predictions I've seen to have them winning, with them in danger of slipping behind the LDs.
Not sure if there is a contradiction here or which if either is more likely to be wrong. is there value in opposing Cons in some of those seats? or is winning 96 more trustworthy?
They'll easily win more than 100. Back them.
I'm presently thinking between 85-115.
That's about where my dial is set, Kle, but it's very sensitive. The slightest nudge would alter it significantly.
I am a white Anglo-Celtic European Briton, descended from William the Conqueror and Maud Ingelric, the Saxon Princess, and also the grandson of Annie Maud Jory, last of the Cornish bal maidens, a child slave sent to the tin mines of st Agnes to break rocks, up at grass
If we go back far enough, you and I share a common ancestor from east Africa, say Somalia/Ethiopia way.
Who got to Britain via a small boat with no papers.
Britain for the Beaker People!
Bloody Beaker People. Coming over here with their advanced ceramic technology. What was wrong with cupping your hands to drink?
I am a white Anglo-Celtic European Briton, descended from William the Conqueror and Maud Ingelric, the Saxon Princess, and also the grandson of Annie Maud Jory, last of the Cornish bal maidens, a child slave sent to the tin mines of st Agnes to break rocks, up at grass
I have multiple identities: I am a Londoner in England From Camden in London I am English in the rest of the UK, Europe and the Commonwealth. British everywhere else. Except in the US, where I am European.
But if I'm asked where I am from I always say England. I guess that makes me English most of all.
I'm surprised by just how few cars and other vehicles these days continue to display the once all too familiar black and white oval "GB" stickers at the rear signifying that it is registered in Great Britain. I was even more surprised very recently to notice a vehicle displaying a "UK" sticker in this style. Unless there has been a recent change, surely this contravenes the regulations. If there has been such a change, what letters are now required to signify that a particular vehicle is registered in Northern Ireland?
Yes, there’s been a change. A GB sticker is now non compliant.
UK rather than GB is a Brexit benefit. It was a Boris wheeze to compensate Northern Ireland for breaking his pledge on the border down the Irish Sea.
I've never understood why we cannot find enough excellent batsmen to enable selecting the best wicketkeeper, so long that person is not completely terrible with the bat.
Its just an equation to balance.
If a keeper is 5 runs an innings better as keeper than his rival, he can be about 5 runs worse than that rival with the bat, but if he is 10 runs worse you'd pick the worse keeper.
Judging those numbers, and how much they change in different conditions, isn't easy but the logic is straightforward.
Whereas a good keeper can be worth a couple of wickets per innings.
Yes it’s good if your keeper and bowlers can also bat, but you should have enough strength at the top of the order to not need to worry too much about trying to pick a keeping all-rounder rather than a specialist.
I've never understood why we cannot find enough excellent batsmen to enable selecting the best wicketkeeper, so long that person is not completely terrible with the bat.
Its just an equation to balance.
If a keeper is 5 runs an innings better as keeper than his rival, he can be about 5 runs worse than that rival with the bat, but if he is 10 runs worse you'd pick the worse keeper.
Judging those numbers, and how much they change in different conditions, isn't easy but the logic is straightforward.
Whereas a good keeper can be worth a couple of wickets per innings.
To me it seems pretty straightforward, a slightly better batting average seems outweighed by the significance of a better chance for wickets, and the prevention of extras, that a wicket keeper can provide.
Wickets greater than runs, if the top order have done their jobs.
So, even though 3 Reform candidates have been disowned by the Party and Farage says he wants nothing to do with them, people should still vote for them to support Reform's platform.
William the Conqueror was a fat sadist who was hated by everyone
A right bastard.
In every sense. When the fucker died, nobody could be bothered to deal with the body. They took his stuff, including his clothes, and his naked body was left to start to rot until some random came and cleaned up the mess. When he was interred, he was so bloated by decay that he burst.
I doubt he particularly cared at that point
The point is, when he died, the last person who cared about him died. His kids fucked off as soon as he named their inheritance, even before he expired. They hated the bastard just like everyone else did.
Did any of the Norman or Angevin kings get along with their kids? People give John shit about what he did with Richard, but they were all at it I think.
I think William was an unusually fractious and reviled individual. But I'm sure you can find other nasty pieces of work. He literally died from injuries sustained while burning a church on some petty revenge mission. The fire spooked his horse and he ripped his bladder on the pommel. He died as he lived: being an utter shit to everyone.
William the Conqueror was a fat sadist who was hated by everyone
Not William himself, but that does put me in mind of a quote I read of a Norman lord from around that time, in the postscript of a novel set in the period, describing one of the historical characters.
The most powerful and the most most dangerous of the Norman baronage, he was also the most repellant in character. In a society of ruffianly, bloodthirsty men, Robert de Belleme stands out as particularly atrocious; an evil, treacherous man with an insatiable ambition and a love of cruelty for cruelty's sake; a medieval sadist, whose ingenious barbarities were proverbal among the people of that time.
Sounds like a real go getter, I think a descendant might be standing for Reform somewhere in East Anglia.
he would probably have grown up to be a decent chap if he hadnt constantly been called Robert Le Bellend at school.
Also, I did wonder if it might be possible to walk or cycle the length of the UK without passing through a Conservative constituency. Not likely at the moment.
She is starting to lose me a little. She's done well to reveal that a lot of people going after her have been wildly disproportionate, she doesn't want to fall into the same trap.
Increasingly the contents of her comments reminds me of the way some parts of society sought to treat the gay community a generation (or maybe even a few generations) ago. She picks individual cases (some real some not) and tries to use them as an excuse for bashing an entire community as if to suggest that everyone in that community is the same. Many would call it pure bigotry and hatred. The irony is that in the end she is not doing her cause any favours. The trans community exists and will not be going away. If she has genuine concerns (and many accept there are issues society needs to address) she would be better raising them coherently and specifically. Instead she begins to sound just like a child going on about picking soap up in the shower. It’s boring and pointless.
William the Conqueror was a fat sadist who was hated by everyone
A right bastard.
In every sense. When the fucker died, nobody could be bothered to deal with the body. They took his stuff, including his clothes, and his naked body was left to start to rot until some random came and cleaned up the mess. When he was interred, he was so bloated by decay that he burst.
I doubt he particularly cared at that point
The point is, when he died, the last person who cared about him died. His kids fucked off as soon as he named their inheritance, even before he expired. They hated the bastard just like everyone else did.
Did any of the Norman or Angevin kings get along with their kids? People give John shit about what he did with Richard, but they were all at it I think.
I think William was an unusually fractious and reviled individual. But I'm sure you can find other nasty pieces of work. He literally died from injuries sustained while burning a church on some petty revenge mission. The fire spooked his horse and he ripped his bladder on the pommel. He died as he lived: being an utter shit to everyone.
I've never understood why we cannot find enough excellent batsmen to enable selecting the best wicketkeeper, so long that person is not completely terrible with the bat.
Its just an equation to balance.
If a keeper is 5 runs an innings better as keeper than his rival, he can be about 5 runs worse than that rival with the bat, but if he is 10 runs worse you'd pick the worse keeper.
Judging those numbers, and how much they change in different conditions, isn't easy but the logic is straightforward.
Whereas a good keeper can be worth a couple of wickets per innings.
To me it seems pretty straightforward, a slightly better batting average seems outweighed by the significance of a better chance for wickets, and the prevention of extras, that a wicket keeper can provide.
Wickets greater than runs, if the top order have done their jobs.
If its peak Foakes vs peak Gilchrist who are you picking?
Foakes is definitely the better keeper but the decsion is not close because Gilchrist averages 18 more runs per innings, than Foakes, and doesnt drop anywhere near half a catch extra or concede many extras per innings.
Also, I did wonder if it might be possible to walk or cycle the length of the UK without passing through a Conservative constituency. Not likely at the moment.
No, for the good reason there are no Labour constituencies on the south coast that don't have Tory seats next door.
Also, the Tories have a lock on seats in the Scottish Borders.
The Breton language does not exist. I have now concluded this. Three weeks travelling all over Brittany - from big cities to tiny far flung islands (like ouessant, or le Sein, where it might be likely to survive) and I have not heard it once. Not a peep
The French government claims 250,000 people speak it. They simply do not. Whereas I’ve heard Scottish Gaelic in Scotland and Irish in Ireland - and the claimed numbers of speakers of these languages are far lower
Despite everything, I think the SNP will do well. Independence will drive voting even with a fairly useless SNP party.
I'm positive on their chances compared to most, I think they will pick up several Con seats and will hold up better than expected in a number of others.
Estimating that based on second hand incomplete data from a vantage in rural southern England means I am almost certain to be best placed to make that prediction too.
I've never understood why we cannot find enough excellent batsmen to enable selecting the best wicketkeeper, so long that person is not completely terrible with the bat.
Its just an equation to balance.
If a keeper is 5 runs an innings better as keeper than his rival, he can be about 5 runs worse than that rival with the bat, but if he is 10 runs worse you'd pick the worse keeper.
Judging those numbers, and how much they change in different conditions, isn't easy but the logic is straightforward.
Whereas a good keeper can be worth a couple of wickets per innings.
To me it seems pretty straightforward, a slightly better batting average seems outweighed by the significance of a better chance for wickets, and the prevention of extras, that a wicket keeper can provide.
Wickets greater than runs, if the top order have done their jobs.
If its peak Foakes vs peak Gilchrist who are you picking?
Foakes is definitely the better keeper but the decsion is not close because Gilchrist averages 18 more runs per innings, than Foakes, and doesnt drop anywhere near half a catch extra or concede many extras per innings.
Yes, but how many of the options are like Gilchrist? Or even comparable to him?
Conservative party members could lose their final say over who becomes Tory leader as senior figures weigh up whether to change the rules if they suffer an election defeat.
Two Cabinet ministers have expressed interest to The Telegraph about diluting the voting power of members given criticism over how the grassroots selected Liz Truss in 2022.
Similar arguments have been made in public and private by influential Tories in the last year amid frustration at how Ms Truss’s premiership backfired, sending the party’s opinion poll rating plummeting.
While Tory candidates are insisting it is still possible to win the general election next Thursday, privately many are braced for defeat, with minds turning to what may come afterwards.
It's had a a tumultuous time with parliamentary seats in the last 15 years, and that looks to be the case once more.
I'm in a seat which may change hands (or at least be competitive) for the first time in a century, so it is exciting to think of the flexibility they must have had in recent times.
William the Conqueror was a fat sadist who was hated by everyone
Not William himself, but that does put me in mind of a quote I read of a Norman lord from around that time, in the postscript of a novel set in the period, describing one of the historical characters.
The most powerful and the most most dangerous of the Norman baronage, he was also the most repellant in character. In a society of ruffianly, bloodthirsty men, Robert de Belleme stands out as particularly atrocious; an evil, treacherous man with an insatiable ambition and a love of cruelty for cruelty's sake; a medieval sadist, whose ingenious barbarities were proverbal among the people of that time.
Sounds like a real go getter, I think a descendant might be standing for Reform somewhere in East Anglia.
he would probably have grown up to be a decent chap if he hadnt constantly been called Robert Le Bellend at school.
Orderic Vitalis, who was generally an admirer of William (although he denounced the Harrying of the North), certainly loathed Robert Le Bellend.
Being a “Batard” at least meant you were highborn. Lowborn children out of wedlock were usually called “whoreson.”
English Nationalism gives 'Nationalism' a bad name. In Monaco there's a small zoo by the harbour that has a cockatoo which sings 'La Marseillaise' every time you walk past and after you've listened laughed and start to walk away he says. 'Bye Bye' with a slight bow of his head.
Conservative party members could lose their final say over who becomes Tory leader as senior figures weigh up whether to change the rules if they suffer an election defeat.
Two Cabinet ministers have expressed interest to The Telegraph about diluting the voting power of members given criticism over how the grassroots selected Liz Truss in 2022.
Similar arguments have been made in public and private by influential Tories in the last year amid frustration at how Ms Truss’s premiership backfired, sending the party’s opinion poll rating plummeting.
While Tory candidates are insisting it is still possible to win the general election next Thursday, privately many are braced for defeat, with minds turning to what may come afterwards.
The Members would riot, we've seen comments before about what's the point if you don't get to choose the leader (never mind it is a very recent innovation)
Notably involving the Members in the voting process has not led to an increase in the Membership as might have been hoped when it was brought in.
Plus, whilst some of the post Truss troubles are due to the damage she caused, at the end of the day the Members were given what transpired to be two duds of candidates, so how big an error did they really make?
I've never understood why we cannot find enough excellent batsmen to enable selecting the best wicketkeeper, so long that person is not completely terrible with the bat.
Its just an equation to balance.
If a keeper is 5 runs an innings better as keeper than his rival, he can be about 5 runs worse than that rival with the bat, but if he is 10 runs worse you'd pick the worse keeper.
Judging those numbers, and how much they change in different conditions, isn't easy but the logic is straightforward.
Whereas a good keeper can be worth a couple of wickets per innings.
To me it seems pretty straightforward, a slightly better batting average seems outweighed by the significance of a better chance for wickets, and the prevention of extras, that a wicket keeper can provide.
Wickets greater than runs, if the top order have done their jobs.
If its peak Foakes vs peak Gilchrist who are you picking?
Foakes is definitely the better keeper but the decsion is not close because Gilchrist averages 18 more runs per innings, than Foakes, and doesnt drop anywhere near half a catch extra or concede many extras per innings.
Yes, but how many of the options are like Gilchrist? Or even comparable to him?
The logic applies though. You compare the benefit to the battings innings vs the cost of the bowling innings. Quantify and make your choice. It should vary quite a bit by pitch and who your bowlers are.
Conservative party members could lose their final say over who becomes Tory leader as senior figures weigh up whether to change the rules if they suffer an election defeat.
Two Cabinet ministers have expressed interest to The Telegraph about diluting the voting power of members given criticism over how the grassroots selected Liz Truss in 2022.
Similar arguments have been made in public and private by influential Tories in the last year amid frustration at how Ms Truss’s premiership backfired, sending the party’s opinion poll rating plummeting.
While Tory candidates are insisting it is still possible to win the general election next Thursday, privately many are braced for defeat, with minds turning to what may come afterwards.
I've never understood why we cannot find enough excellent batsmen to enable selecting the best wicketkeeper, so long that person is not completely terrible with the bat.
Its just an equation to balance.
If a keeper is 5 runs an innings better as keeper than his rival, he can be about 5 runs worse than that rival with the bat, but if he is 10 runs worse you'd pick the worse keeper.
Judging those numbers, and how much they change in different conditions, isn't easy but the logic is straightforward.
Whereas a good keeper can be worth a couple of wickets per innings.
To me it seems pretty straightforward, a slightly better batting average seems outweighed by the significance of a better chance for wickets, and the prevention of extras, that a wicket keeper can provide.
Wickets greater than runs, if the top order have done their jobs.
Good wicketkeepers also set the standard for fielding, and offer important guidance to the bowlers.
It was Bob Taylor who suggested to Brearley that perhaps Bob Willis should switch ends at Headingley '81.
I've never understood why we cannot find enough excellent batsmen to enable selecting the best wicketkeeper, so long that person is not completely terrible with the bat.
Its just an equation to balance.
If a keeper is 5 runs an innings better as keeper than his rival, he can be about 5 runs worse than that rival with the bat, but if he is 10 runs worse you'd pick the worse keeper.
Judging those numbers, and how much they change in different conditions, isn't easy but the logic is straightforward.
Whereas a good keeper can be worth a couple of wickets per innings.
To me it seems pretty straightforward, a slightly better batting average seems outweighed by the significance of a better chance for wickets, and the prevention of extras, that a wicket keeper can provide.
Wickets greater than runs, if the top order have done their jobs.
If its peak Foakes vs peak Gilchrist who are you picking?
Foakes is definitely the better keeper but the decsion is not close because Gilchrist averages 18 more runs per innings, than Foakes, and doesnt drop anywhere near half a catch extra or concede many extras per innings.
Yes, but how many of the options are like Gilchrist? Or even comparable to him?
The logic applies though. You compare the benefit to the battings innings vs the cost of the bowling innings. Quantify and make your choice. It should vary quite a bit by pitch and who your bowlers are.
And not that rare anymore. Gilchrist, Sangakarra, Dhoni, De Villiers at the top level, with McCullum, Stewart, Prior, Haddin a level below but still quality batters.
Also, I did wonder if it might be possible to walk or cycle the length of the UK without passing through a Conservative constituency. Not likely at the moment.
No, for the good reason there are no Labour constituencies on the south coast that don't have Tory seats next door.
Also, the Tories have a lock on seats in the Scottish Borders.
good game.
for my betting i was comparing a constituency to its neighbours and it has 9. this got me wondering which one has the most neighbours and how many.
William the Conqueror was a fat sadist who was hated by everyone
Not William himself, but that does put me in mind of a quote I read of a Norman lord from around that time, in the postscript of a novel set in the period, describing one of the historical characters.
The most powerful and the most most dangerous of the Norman baronage, he was also the most repellant in character. In a society of ruffianly, bloodthirsty men, Robert de Belleme stands out as particularly atrocious; an evil, treacherous man with an insatiable ambition and a love of cruelty for cruelty's sake; a medieval sadist, whose ingenious barbarities were proverbal among the people of that time.
Sounds like a real go getter, I think a descendant might be standing for Reform somewhere in East Anglia.
he would probably have grown up to be a decent chap if he hadnt constantly been called Robert Le Bellend at school.
This could be our last excuse to remember Michael Gove's letter in Viz deploring the standard of English teaching in schools because 90 per cent of emails he received misspelled the word bellend.
Plus, whilst some of the post Truss troubles are due to the damage she caused, at the end of the day the Members were given what transpired to be two duds of candidates, so how big an error did they really make?
Indeed! If Con MP's didn't want Tory members to vote for Loopy Lizzie they shouldn't have put her on the ballot. Con members were given an awful choice (granted they voted for the worst of the two, though)
Also, I did wonder if it might be possible to walk or cycle the length of the UK without passing through a Conservative constituency. Not likely at the moment.
No, for the good reason there are no Labour constituencies on the south coast that don't have Tory seats next door.
Also, the Tories have a lock on seats in the Scottish Borders.
I think you can with some of the MRPs. The Survation MRP appears to have a top to bottom route without Tory seats.
You'd go through a lot of Lib Dem seats in the South.
On the Borders, you've got Labour or SNP possibilities in all three. They're also mostly showing fairly lowish Tory votes, so would go easily with tactical voting, but it looks like they may survive due to the three way split.
Conservative party members could lose their final say over who becomes Tory leader as senior figures weigh up whether to change the rules if they suffer an election defeat.
Two Cabinet ministers have expressed interest to The Telegraph about diluting the voting power of members given criticism over how the grassroots selected Liz Truss in 2022.
Similar arguments have been made in public and private by influential Tories in the last year amid frustration at how Ms Truss’s premiership backfired, sending the party’s opinion poll rating plummeting.
While Tory candidates are insisting it is still possible to win the general election next Thursday, privately many are braced for defeat, with minds turning to what may come afterwards.
The Members would riot, we've seen comments before about what's the point if you don't get to choose the leader (never mind it is a very recent innovation)
Notably involving the Members in the voting process has not led to an increase in the Membership as might have been hoped when it was brought in.
Plus, whilst some of the post Truss troubles are due to the damage she caused, at the end of the day the Members were given what transpired to be two duds of candidates, so how big an error did they really make?
Also, I did wonder if it might be possible to walk or cycle the length of the UK without passing through a Conservative constituency. Not likely at the moment.
No, for the good reason there are no Labour constituencies on the south coast that don't have Tory seats next door.
Also, the Tories have a lock on seats in the Scottish Borders.
I think you can with some of the MRPs. The Survation MRP appears to have a top to bottom route without Tory seats.
You'd go through a lot of Lib Dem seats in the South.
On the Borders, you've got Labour or SNP possibilities in all three. They're also mostly showing fairly lowish Tory votes, so would go easily with tactical voting, but it looks like they may survive due to the three way split.
English Nationalism gives 'Nationalism' a bad name. In Monaco there's a small zoo by the harbour that has a cockatoo which sings 'La Marseillaise' every time you walk past and after you've listened laughed and start to walk away he says. 'Bye Bye' with a slight bow of his head.
There are plenty of other nationalisms giving nationalism a bad name. Including Russian, Turkish, Azeri/Armenian, Hindu, Serbian, Hungarian, and Han-Chinese.
Conservative party members could lose their final say over who becomes Tory leader as senior figures weigh up whether to change the rules if they suffer an election defeat.
Two Cabinet ministers have expressed interest to The Telegraph about diluting the voting power of members given criticism over how the grassroots selected Liz Truss in 2022.
Similar arguments have been made in public and private by influential Tories in the last year amid frustration at how Ms Truss’s premiership backfired, sending the party’s opinion poll rating plummeting.
While Tory candidates are insisting it is still possible to win the general election next Thursday, privately many are braced for defeat, with minds turning to what may come afterwards.
The Members would riot, we've seen comments before about what's the point if you don't get to choose the leader (never mind it is a very recent innovation)
Notably involving the Members in the voting process has not led to an increase in the Membership as might have been hoped when it was brought in.
Plus, whilst some of the post Truss troubles are due to the damage she caused, at the end of the day the Members were given what transpired to be two duds of candidates, so how big an error did they really make?
I wouldn't riot.
The members are not generally of prime rioting age, to be fair.
Also, I did wonder if it might be possible to walk or cycle the length of the UK without passing through a Conservative constituency. Not likely at the moment.
No, for the good reason there are no Labour constituencies on the south coast that don't have Tory seats next door.
Also, the Tories have a lock on seats in the Scottish Borders.
I think you can with some of the MRPs. The Survation MRP appears to have a top to bottom route without Tory seats.
You'd go through a lot of Lib Dem seats in the South.
On the Borders, you've got Labour or SNP possibilities in all three. They're also mostly showing fairly lowish Tory votes, so would go easily with tactical voting, but it looks like they may survive due to the three way split.
English Nationalism gives 'Nationalism' a bad name. In Monaco there's a small zoo by the harbour that has a cockatoo which sings 'La Marseillaise' every time you walk past and after you've listened laughed and start to walk away he says. 'Bye Bye' with a slight bow of his head.
There are plenty of other nationalisms giving nationalism a bad name. Including Russian, Turkish, Azeri/Armenian, Hindu, Serbian, Hungarian, and Han-Chinese.
I've never understood why we cannot find enough excellent batsmen to enable selecting the best wicketkeeper, so long that person is not completely terrible with the bat.
Its just an equation to balance.
If a keeper is 5 runs an innings better as keeper than his rival, he can be about 5 runs worse than that rival with the bat, but if he is 10 runs worse you'd pick the worse keeper.
Judging those numbers, and how much they change in different conditions, isn't easy but the logic is straightforward.
Whereas a good keeper can be worth a couple of wickets per innings.
To me it seems pretty straightforward, a slightly better batting average seems outweighed by the significance of a better chance for wickets, and the prevention of extras, that a wicket keeper can provide.
Wickets greater than runs, if the top order have done their jobs.
If its peak Foakes vs peak Gilchrist who are you picking?
Foakes is definitely the better keeper but the decsion is not close because Gilchrist averages 18 more runs per innings, than Foakes, and doesnt drop anywhere near half a catch extra or concede many extras per innings.
Yes, but how many of the options are like Gilchrist? Or even comparable to him?
The logic applies though. You compare the benefit to the battings innings vs the cost of the bowling innings. Quantify and make your choice. It should vary quite a bit by pitch and who your bowlers are.
And not that rare anymore. Gilchrist, Sangakarra, Dhoni, De Villiers at the top level, with McCullum, Stewart, Prior, Haddin a level below but still quality batters.
It is worth pointing out that both Stewart and Sangakkara averaged significantly more with the bat when they didn't have to keep wicket - 46;34 for Stewart, 70:44 for Sangakkara.
In trying to squeeze and extra batsman in, they compromised their best (in both cases, arguably for much of their careers only world class) batsman.
Michael Atherton got through 14 opening partners - as I remember only Stewart and Trescothick averaged over 40. Some didn't even make it into the teens.
How much stronger would England have been with Stewart hammering the new ball all the way through the 1990s and leaving the keeping to Russell?
English Nationalism gives 'Nationalism' a bad name. In Monaco there's a small zoo by the harbour that has a cockatoo which sings 'La Marseillaise' every time you walk past and after you've listened laughed and start to walk away he says. 'Bye Bye' with a slight bow of his head.
There are plenty of other nationalisms giving nationalism a bad name. Including Russian, Turkish, Azeri/Armenian, Hindu, Serbian, Hungarian, and Han-Chinese.
Nationalism, whether English, Scottish, Russian or anything, gives itself a bad name as it looks to exclude, marginalise, blame or in some cases oppress, others to the benefit of a favoured group.
Patriotism - belief that one's country has much to be proud of and things to like about it - isn't the same as it isn't necessarily exclusionary, and can help draw people together.
So, even though 3 Reform candidates have been disowned by the Party and Farage says he wants nothing to do with them, people should still vote for them to support Reform's platform.
Conservative party members could lose their final say over who becomes Tory leader as senior figures weigh up whether to change the rules if they suffer an election defeat.
Two Cabinet ministers have expressed interest to The Telegraph about diluting the voting power of members given criticism over how the grassroots selected Liz Truss in 2022.
Similar arguments have been made in public and private by influential Tories in the last year amid frustration at how Ms Truss’s premiership backfired, sending the party’s opinion poll rating plummeting.
While Tory candidates are insisting it is still possible to win the general election next Thursday, privately many are braced for defeat, with minds turning to what may come afterwards.
The Members would riot, we've seen comments before about what's the point if you don't get to choose the leader (never mind it is a very recent innovation)
Notably involving the Members in the voting process has not led to an increase in the Membership as might have been hoped when it was brought in.
Plus, whilst some of the post Truss troubles are due to the damage she caused, at the end of the day the Members were given what transpired to be two duds of candidates, so how big an error did they really make?
The members election campaign pushed both Rishi and especially Truss to the right - which resulted in the promises that created Truss's budget..
And if MPs had been left with the final say Rishi wouldn't have had such a mess to fix.
I remain British by birth, but English by the grace of God, as the saying goes.
UK by birth, or at least passport, surely ...
Doesn't the passport say British citizen?
NI.
Edit: it does say 'British citizen' but this is absurd as the main texts say United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. And no way is NI part of Britain.
Conservative party members could lose their final say over who becomes Tory leader as senior figures weigh up whether to change the rules if they suffer an election defeat.
Two Cabinet ministers have expressed interest to The Telegraph about diluting the voting power of members given criticism over how the grassroots selected Liz Truss in 2022.
Similar arguments have been made in public and private by influential Tories in the last year amid frustration at how Ms Truss’s premiership backfired, sending the party’s opinion poll rating plummeting.
While Tory candidates are insisting it is still possible to win the general election next Thursday, privately many are braced for defeat, with minds turning to what may come afterwards.
The Members would riot, we've seen comments before about what's the point if you don't get to choose the leader (never mind it is a very recent innovation)
Notably involving the Members in the voting process has not led to an increase in the Membership as might have been hoped when it was brought in.
Plus, whilst some of the post Truss troubles are due to the damage she caused, at the end of the day the Members were given what transpired to be two duds of candidates, so how big an error did they really make?
The members election campaign pushed both Rishi and especially Truss to the right - which resulted in the promises that created Truss's budget..
And if MPs had been left with the final say Rishi wouldn't have had such a mess to fix.
Perhaps - I don't think any of them realised how cataclysmic taking down and replacing Truss was to the party's reputation and internal cohesion, however necessary - but his own choices since then have hardly inspired confidence.
Coming to Brittany you realise what a feat the Welsh have achieved - keeping Welsh alive. It is easy to find people naturally speaking Welsh - thee are entire towns where it is the main language. You walk into bars and shops - they speak Welsh
When I first arrived in Brittany I asked guides where I could find native speakers. They were all all quite furtive - er, try a market, maybe the islands; dunno
Now I realise that they did not want to disappoint me. But the truth is Breton has vanished
I remain British by birth, but English by the grace of God, as the saying goes.
UK by birth, or at least passport, surely ...
Doesn't the passport say British citizen?
NI.
Edit: it does say 'British citizen' but this is absurd as the main texts say United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. And no way is NI part of Britain.
Sorry, I don't follow. At least my passport says those words.
Looking ahead, as a non expert, so much data has been gathered by so many organisations, and predictions made, and with such huge variance, and this all made available in ways even I can sort of understand such as this
and a million other such, that after the event there will be limitless scope for analysis of who got what right and wrong, who did best, who did worst, and why etc so as to keep both PB and the fortune telling industry going for ages.
I remain British by birth, but English by the grace of God, as the saying goes.
UK by birth, or at least passport, surely ...
Doesn't the passport say British citizen?
NI.
Edit: it does say 'British citizen' but this is absurd as the main texts say United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. And no way is NI part of Britain.
Sorry, I don't follow. At least my passport says those words.
No simple equation of British to the coverage of the UK state, that's all. Especially in recent years when people in NI have a dual status both as Irish/UK and as EU as well in contrast to rUK.
Coming to Brittany you realise what a feat the Welsh have achieved - keeping Welsh alive. It is easy to find people naturally speaking Welsh - thee are entire towns where it is the main language. You walk into bars and shops - they speak Welsh
When I first arrived in Brittany I asked guides where I could find native speakers. They were all all quite furtive - er, try a market, maybe the islands; dunno
Now I realise that they did not want to disappoint me. But the truth is Breton has vanished
Language themed empire building is what the French do. Breton is probably as dead as Cornish and they are lying about it with a long term plan of making it an official language of the EU.
I am having a French themed travel year - Polynésie. Bretagne. Algérie.
I remain British by birth, but English by the grace of God, as the saying goes.
UK by birth, or at least passport, surely ...
Doesn't the passport say British citizen?
NI.
Edit: it does say 'British citizen' but this is absurd as the main texts say United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. And no way is NI part of Britain.
Sorry, I don't follow. At least my passport says those words.
No simple equation of British to the coverage of the UK state, that's all. Especially in recent years when people in NI have a dual status both as Irish/UK and as EU as well in contrast to rUK.
I fail to see how any of that prevents someone from being British from birth.
Sky are joing the three Reform candidates quest. Nige is scared of Laura's invite. Coward. He knows he will come out the looser. Exposed. The wimp he is. Shame on him!
Mr. Leon, on that note, I've no idea how common Occitan is in Langue d'Oc any more.
I’m pretty sure I’ve never heard it and I’ve been there a lot. The French are good at exterminating languages. It is an unpleasant aspect of their chauvinism. Then they moan that French is threatened by English. Pfff!
I love hearing rare languages. I’ve heard Ancient Greek in tiny towns in Calabria - it clings on amazingly
I’ve heard siwi in Siwa in Egypt. A precious survival
My favourite was hearing Cimbrian German in the Italian Dolomites. Just 2200 speakers left! Yet I heard it and it’s really weird - like a sing song version of German
I remain British by birth, but English by the grace of God, as the saying goes.
UK by birth, or at least passport, surely ...
Doesn't the passport say British citizen?
NI.
Edit: it does say 'British citizen' but this is absurd as the main texts say United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. And no way is NI part of Britain.
Sorry, I don't follow. At least my passport says those words.
And in conversation, which is what I was doing, only a complete weirdo would say their nationality was “UK”. It can be an interesting test of what you really think as if asked overseas I will always say “British”. I reserve “English” for “if pressed” or “we’re playing another British nation”.
Never understood Ireland being a “home nation” in conversation while I’m on the subject. I just think of it as another country. (As opposed to NI obviously - but I stick to my proposal that Scotland takes NI with it when it wins independence).
Coming to Brittany you realise what a feat the Welsh have achieved - keeping Welsh alive. It is easy to find people naturally speaking Welsh - thee are entire towns where it is the main language. You walk into bars and shops - they speak Welsh
When I first arrived in Brittany I asked guides where I could find native speakers. They were all all quite furtive - er, try a market, maybe the islands; dunno
Now I realise that they did not want to disappoint me. But the truth is Breton has vanished
Having declined from more than one million speakers around 1950 to about 200,000 in the first decade of the 21st century, Breton is classified as "severely endangered" by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger.[4] However, the number of children attending bilingual classes rose 33% between 2006 and 2012 to 14,709.[3][1]
Comments
It might have been reading the audience though, as some other candidate started on immigration early on and there was quite a bit of groaning heckling, so he might have just pivoted.
Soz but I've polluted the white British line.
Also, I studied this era of history for my A levels. I think this story of William’s corpse is a bit of an urban myth, told by the many people who he conquered (who did, it is fair to say, have a very good reason to hate my grandpa)
The thin-skinned tw@.
Coming over here with their advanced ceramic technology.
What was wrong with cupping your hands to drink?
I remember a comedy piece once which was looking at some commentary about personal notes of Stalin and how it revealed he was a distrustful and lonely man, and their response was "Well, that's what happens when you kill everyone you know, dude!"
https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/jk-rowling-david-tennant-trans-kemi-badenoch-b2570909.html
Another grown-up response from JK Rowling.
Edit apologies to Selebian who came up with that line.
He literally died from injuries sustained while burning a church on some petty revenge mission. The fire spooked his horse and he ripped his bladder on the pommel. He died as he lived: being an utter shit to everyone.
Exclusive: Surrey man to get nod ahead of county team-mate Ben Foakes thanks to superiority with bat, both in red and white-ball formats
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/cricket/2024/06/29/england-jamie-smith-wicketkeeper-west-indies-series/
Apparently he looked at these broken people and said, with a rueful chuckle, “I’m sorry I had you tortured so much, we probably went too far”
If a keeper is 5 runs an innings better as keeper than his rival, he can be about 5 runs worse than that rival with the bat, but if he is 10 runs worse you'd pick the worse keeper.
Judging those numbers, and how much they change in different conditions, isn't easy but the logic is straightforward.
ETA scooped by TimS.
Yes it’s good if your keeper and bowlers can also bat, but you should have enough strength at the top of the order to not need to worry too much about trying to pick a keeping all-rounder rather than a specialist.
Wickets greater than runs, if the top order have done their jobs.
https://x.com/ABLPoli/status/1807025080028807658?t=O7EkRQBmcTBUdOR99PCDVQ&s=19
Looking differently at the probabilities.
Seats where 1 party has >85% chance of winning:
LAB 403
LD 34
CON 16
SNP 2
PC 1
RFM 0
GRN 0
No party >85%: 175
These probability still assume Survation's polling is correct.
https://x.com/ABLPoli/status/1807027204527710695?t=3ElZisztluWQ-VdaUoVDCQ&s=19
So 175 up for grabs.,
O-Kay....
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c727xz2kkgjo
He was a whole lot worse to his enemies.
The irony is that in the end she is not doing her cause any favours. The trans community exists and will not be going away. If she has genuine concerns (and many accept there are issues society needs to address) she would be better raising them coherently and specifically. Instead she begins to sound just like a child going on about picking soap up in the shower. It’s boring and pointless.
Foakes is definitely the better keeper but the decsion is not close because Gilchrist averages 18 more runs per innings, than Foakes, and doesnt drop anywhere near half a catch extra or concede many extras per innings.
Someone is in for a career-ending night on Thursday. Either the Conservative Party, or the opinion polling industry.
Also, the Tories have a lock on seats in the Scottish Borders.
The French government claims 250,000 people speak it. They simply do not. Whereas I’ve heard Scottish Gaelic in Scotland and Irish in Ireland - and the claimed numbers of speakers of these languages are far lower
Estimating that based on second hand incomplete data from a vantage in rural southern England means I am almost certain to be best placed to make that prediction too.
Two Cabinet ministers have expressed interest to The Telegraph about diluting the voting power of members given criticism over how the grassroots selected Liz Truss in 2022.
Similar arguments have been made in public and private by influential Tories in the last year amid frustration at how Ms Truss’s premiership backfired, sending the party’s opinion poll rating plummeting.
While Tory candidates are insisting it is still possible to win the general election next Thursday, privately many are braced for defeat, with minds turning to what may come afterwards.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2024/06/28/tory-members-new-party-leader-general-election/?utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1719605657-1
I'm in a seat which may change hands (or at least be competitive) for the first time in a century, so it is exciting to think of the flexibility they must have had in recent times.
Being a “Batard” at least meant you were highborn. Lowborn children out of wedlock were usually called “whoreson.”
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-06-29/uk-election-pro-russian-facebook-pages-coordinating/104038246
Notably involving the Members in the voting process has not led to an increase in the Membership as might have been hoped when it was brought in.
Plus, whilst some of the post Truss troubles are due to the damage she caused, at the end of the day the Members were given what transpired to be two duds of candidates, so how big an error did they really make?
If you don’t want someone to be leader, then don’t nominate them in the first place.
It was Bob Taylor who suggested to Brearley that perhaps Bob Willis should switch ends at Headingley '81.
for my betting i was comparing a constituency to its neighbours and it has 9. this got me wondering which one has the most neighbours and how many.
You'd go through a lot of Lib Dem seats in the South.
On the Borders, you've got Labour or SNP possibilities in all three. They're also mostly showing fairly lowish Tory votes, so would go easily with tactical voting, but it looks like they may survive due to the three way split.
https://inglesp.github.io/apogee/
Would be a fun novelty bet.
In trying to squeeze and extra batsman in, they compromised their best (in both cases, arguably for much of their careers only world class) batsman.
Michael Atherton got through 14 opening partners - as I remember only Stewart and Trescothick averaged over 40. Some didn't even make it into the teens.
How much stronger would England have been with Stewart hammering the new ball all the way through the 1990s and leaving the keeping to Russell?
Patriotism - belief that one's country has much to be proud of and things to like about it - isn't the same as it isn't necessarily exclusionary, and can help draw people together.
If you don't want only duds, don't select a vindictive clown as leader...
And if MPs had been left with the final say Rishi wouldn't have had such a mess to fix.
Edit: it does say 'British citizen' but this is absurd as the main texts say United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. And no way is NI part of Britain.
When I first arrived in Brittany I asked guides where I could find native speakers. They were all all quite furtive - er, try a market, maybe the islands; dunno
Now I realise that they did not want to disappoint me. But the truth is Breton has vanished
https://inglesp.github.io/apogee/
and a million other such, that after the event there will be limitless scope for analysis of who got what right and wrong, who did best, who did worst, and why etc so as to keep both PB and the fortune telling industry going for ages.
I am having a French themed travel year - Polynésie. Bretagne. Algérie.
Austin Powers : No, actually, I'm English.
Cowboy : Oh... I'm sorry.
I love hearing rare languages. I’ve heard Ancient Greek in tiny towns in Calabria - it clings on amazingly
I’ve heard siwi in Siwa in Egypt. A precious survival
My favourite was hearing Cimbrian German in the Italian Dolomites. Just 2200 speakers left! Yet I heard it and it’s really weird - like a sing song version of German
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cimbrian_language
Never understood Ireland being a “home nation” in conversation while I’m on the subject. I just think of it as another country. (As opposed to NI obviously - but I stick to my proposal that Scotland takes NI with it when it wins independence).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breton_language
In marked contrast to Cymraeg which is booming (although still under pressure)