That's a strange one, and there's a lot of ill-informed knee-jerking on that thread.
I'm not exactly clear where they would find swathes of empty properties.
Bid 10% above the market and price familes out.
The story I heard was that the hotels policy was because it was found that by block booking a hotel for a year, it was cheaper than trying to find lots of separate properties.
This was because hotels operate seasonally and are rarely 100% full. So a steady price for the whole thing, considerably below *the normal price* is very profitable for the owners. Especially when they can bin a lot of the staff.
I wonder if a move to spread out the properties like that is to get rid of focal points for the scum to attack?
Hotels work on an expectation of around 60-70% occupancy rate, I think. So the play for hotel companies is simple. Take hotels that are nearing the end of their serviceable life without major refurbs (i.e. they'd lose their star rating or see their occupancy rate tank if they didn't strip them out and rebuild every 15 years or so) and rent them out to the government, achieving a 100% occupancy rate for at least another couple of years (if not more) without incurring the refurb costs, thus amortising them over a longer time period. Looks great on a balance sheet, as you're only doing a full refurb every 20 years instead of every 15.
According to Michael Moore (a Michigander), Josh Shapiro has chosen badly on Gaza. He also points out in this interview that Michigan is vulnerable given the number of pro-Palestinian voters
As you know I am lairy of battleground state theory: you have to consider the effect on all the states, not just one. Everybody is focussing on Shapiro to get Pennsylvania and missing that he may lose Michigan
1.2% of Michigan is Jewish like Shapiro, not much less than the 2% that is Muslim. 15% of the state is African American and their turnout for Harris easily outweights any Muslims staying home or voting Stein or West
What is the function of a VP pick? I argue that it is to be anodyne and not endanger the ticket: a minimise-harm approach. I could see the advantage of a maximise-enthusiasm candidate: but if that was the case I'd choose Buttigieg, not Shapiro. Should the next 100 days to be a discussion about whether VP-candidate Shapiro is a drag or benefit on the ticket? If you are explaining, you are losing.
In an ultra close presidential election (and on current polls this will be the closest presidential election since 2000) a VP pick can make all the difference in a key state. PA is the key state in this election as Florida was in 2000.
More Jews than Muslims in Arizona and Nevada too and 5 times as many Jews as Muslims in Florida and of course in 2000 the Jewish vote went heavily for Gore Lieberman in Florida
BF thinks it is Shapiro or Walz.
It would be bloody hilarious if Harris picked Joe Biden.
Isn't Gore still alive?...
He invented the Al-Gore-Rhythm used in most AI these days.
According to Michael Moore (a Michigander), Josh Shapiro has chosen badly on Gaza. He also points out in this interview that Michigan is vulnerable given the number of pro-Palestinian voters
As you know I am lairy of battleground state theory: you have to consider the effect on all the states, not just one. Everybody is focussing on Shapiro to get Pennsylvania and missing that he may lose Michigan
Yes, that is a very good point re Shapiro and it is not only Michigan where that may cause problems - for example, in Wisconsin, his viewpoints are unlikely to go down well in a university town like Madison and that could also prove fatal to the Democrat chances in that state.
At this stage, and given the reaction to her candidacy, Harris is likely to be thinking "what pick does not risk significant blowback?" On that measure, Kelly may be the 'safest' of the three.
Alternatively, she therefore may decide that it is best to go with the one who can amplify her message. If that is the case, Walz may be the pick if she decides that firing up the base is the way to go.
However, in either of the two above scenarios, Shapiro would seem the riskiest option
I agree that Shapiro carries significant risk, and I suspect that the campaign's motto will be: First, Do No Harm.
The lowest risk candidate has to be Mark Kelly: popular, moderate, and a great backstory.
But I must admit, I would roll the dice if I were Kamala, and would pick Buttigieg, because he would absolutely wipe the floor with Vance.
But is wiping the floor with Vance such a big deal? Vance looks like he will wipe the floor with himself unaided tbh.
In retrospect, and probably prospect, JDV was a terrible VP pick. He amplifies DJT's negatives of weird shithousery and provides zero positives. I suspect he was selected because he's a reformed Trump critic and DJT's monstrous vanity could not resist parading that supplication.
JDV was meant to preserve the MAGA succession in 2028 as Trump cannot run for a 3rd term even if he wins.
On the other hand if Trump and Vance lose then that is a total defeat of MAGA and so a more traditional conservative like DeSantis or a moderate like Haley looks favourite for the GOP nomination next time
Surely despite her abject surrender to Trump it's Haley's if she wants it? DeSantis just seems crap AND weird.
That's a strange one, and there's a lot of ill-informed knee-jerking on that thread.
I'm not exactly clear where they would find swathes of empty properties.
Bid 10% above the market and price familes out.
The story I heard was that the hotels policy was because it was found that by block booking a hotel for a year, it was cheaper than trying to find lots of separate properties.
This was because hotels operate seasonally and are rarely 100% full. So a steady price for the whole thing, considerably below *the normal price* is very profitable for the owners. Especially when they can bin a lot of the staff.
I wonder if a move to spread out the properties like that is to get rid of focal points for the scum to attack?
Or you could just manage numbers of people crossing by boat.
Or you could just process those arriving efficiently - as we used to when we had even higher illegal arrivals.
According to Michael Moore (a Michigander), Josh Shapiro has chosen badly on Gaza. He also points out in this interview that Michigan is vulnerable given the number of pro-Palestinian voters
As you know I am lairy of battleground state theory: you have to consider the effect on all the states, not just one. Everybody is focussing on Shapiro to get Pennsylvania and missing that he may lose Michigan
Yes, that is a very good point re Shapiro and it is not only Michigan where that may cause problems - for example, in Wisconsin, his viewpoints are unlikely to go down well in a university town like Madison and that could also prove fatal to the Democrat chances in that state.
At this stage, and given the reaction to her candidacy, Harris is likely to be thinking "what pick does not risk significant blowback?" On that measure, Kelly may be the 'safest' of the three.
Alternatively, she therefore may decide that it is best to go with the one who can amplify her message. If that is the case, Walz may be the pick if she decides that firing up the base is the way to go.
However, in either of the two above scenarios, Shapiro would seem the riskiest option
I agree that Shapiro carries significant risk, and I suspect that the campaign's motto will be: First, Do No Harm.
The lowest risk candidate has to be Mark Kelly: popular, moderate, and a great backstory.
But I must admit, I would roll the dice if I were Kamala, and would pick Buttigieg, because he would absolutely wipe the floor with Vance.
But is wiping the floor with Vance such a big deal? Vance looks like he will wipe the floor with himself unaided tbh.
In retrospect, and probably prospect, JDV was a terrible VP pick. He amplifies DJT's negatives of weird shithousery and provides zero positives. I suspect he was selected because he's a reformed Trump critic and DJT's monstrous vanity could not resist parading that supplication.
JDV was meant to preserve the MAGA succession in 2028 as Trump cannot run for a 3rd term even if he wins.
On the other hand if Trump and Vance lose then that is a total defeat of MAGA and so a more traditional conservative like DeSantis or a moderate like Haley looks favourite for the GOP nomination next time
Surely despite her abject surrender to Trump it's Haley's if she wants it? DeSantis just seems crap AND weird.
DeSantis would be favourite if Trump and Vance lose, he got more cheers at the GOP convention than she did and she got some boos. Though she would be competitive certainly
@GoodwinMJ I just spent 4 days in Hungary, a conservative country criticised by elites across the West. I saw no crime. No homeless people. No riots. No unrest. No drugs. No mass immigration. No broken borders. No self-loathing. No chaos. And now I've just landed back in the UK. https://x.com/GoodwinMJ/status/1820225513836925380
If Hungary is so wonderful why doesn’t he stay there?
It reminds me of the hagiographic comments about Hitler's new Germany by right wing journalists in the 1930s. Why do some right wingers hate freedom so much?
Or the similar hagiographic commentaries by socialists visting Communist Russia in the 1930s
"I have seen all the 'terrors' and I was terribly pleased by them"
One might equally ask why some left wingers hate freedom so much. It would be an equally stupid question.
We know why communists hate freedom. Because they think poor people are stupid, have false consciousness and need educating on their class needs. A dictatorship of the proletariat is needed. The question is why some Western conservatives do. They are supposed to want to conserve Western traditions, and yet they celebrate Putin and Orban who have dismantled democracy, the greatest of Western achievements.
Cleverly missing the point that I wasn't talking about Communists but Socialists. Your equating of the two is like equating Conservatives with Nazis.
The appropriate reaction is to encourage all communities to support the police, not use his position to justify aggression by a pile of angry young men, dressed up as defence.
As member of our parliament, he should understand this.
@GoodwinMJ I just spent 4 days in Hungary, a conservative country criticised by elites across the West. I saw no crime. No homeless people. No riots. No unrest. No drugs. No mass immigration. No broken borders. No self-loathing. No chaos. And now I've just landed back in the UK. https://x.com/GoodwinMJ/status/1820225513836925380
If Hungary is so wonderful why doesn’t he stay there?
It reminds me of the hagiographic comments about Hitler's new Germany by right wing journalists in the 1930s. Why do some right wingers hate freedom so much?
PJ O’Rourke did a rather good essay on Paraguay. He visited in the aftermath of the overthrow of the dictatorship. He described the history of the place and why the regime lasted so long.
Also coined this marvellous line - “It is the beauty of a well designed Fascism that it gives every piss-ant an anthill to piss from.”
@GoodwinMJ I just spent 4 days in Hungary, a conservative country criticised by elites across the West. I saw no crime. No homeless people. No riots. No unrest. No drugs. No mass immigration. No broken borders. No self-loathing. No chaos. And now I've just landed back in the UK. https://x.com/GoodwinMJ/status/1820225513836925380
If Hungary is so wonderful why doesn’t he stay there?
It reminds me of the hagiographic comments about Hitler's new Germany by right wing journalists in the 1930s. Why do some right wingers hate freedom so much?
It wasn't just right wing journalists, David Lloyd George was fooled too.
Was he? I would note the shift in re-armament at the same time. The deal with Hitler bought time, the fiction was that it was 'peace in our time'. What else could Lloyd George have said? This isn't worth the paper its written on?
I fear it may not be mentioned on the mainstream media but there are some unpleasant videos online of gangs of Asian looking men attacking single white men. Nick Lowdes of Hope Not Hate spread potentially inflammatory disinformation about events in Middlesbrough.
Keir Starmer cannot stick to the explicitly 'far right' narrative and will have to condemn all violence and thuggery if he hasn't done so already.
Starmer commented on the lines you suggest [source: Guardian yesterday]: 'Asked whether he thought everyone taking part in the riots were “far-right thugs”, he said: “If you target people because of the colour of their skin or their face then that is far right and I’m prepared to say so. But it doesn’t matter what apparent motivation there is. This is violence, not protest. It doesn’t matter what the motivation is.”'
Sorry but it still isn't clear he is including people who are attacking those with white skin. Have non-whites attacking whites ever been referred to as far right in the past? I don't think many believe believe that is what he meant.
No violence is acceptable and he made that very clear in his last 3 sentences, but to pretend this was not caused by and is predominantly far right racist thugs is whataboutery of the first order. Asians attacking white people is almost certainly not far right racists (obviously). It is still wrong and the full force of the law should come down on them, although you might reflect on whether it would be happening at all in the first place if the right wing thugs hadn't started rioting.
isn't the idea that Asians can't be far right racists a bit racialist?
Of course they can be far right racists, but be sensible, I said 'almost certainly not far right racists' and clearly I meant in the current circumstances. Do you really think they are far right racists or do you think they are people reacting violently to the circumstances created by far right racists.
Anyone who thinks the Asian thugs in these circumstances are far right racists needs their head examining.
Why not? There are people from every culture I’ve ever heard of who go for
1) Death to the different 2) Hail to The Leader 3) Violence to achieve the above is awesome.
I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the “Asian thugs” don’t turn out to have social and political views that are very reminiscent of Yarxley-Lennon.
Head hits desk. I am getting fed up with having to clarify every minute nuance of a post I made to expose whataboutery umpteen posts ago.
OK yes some of these people may be racists because racists exist everywhere and no doubt some will have views similar to Tommy Robinson. I will have yet another go so that people don't (what seems deliberately to) misunderstand my posts, but it seems futile:
The Asian thugs did not attack the white people in these instances because the Asian thugs are racists. They attacked them for several possible reasons: they fancied a fight, they were angry at the rioting, etc. Their primary motive was not racism even if some of them might be.
And just to put a nail in the coffin of the other spurious reading of what I posted, I was not, and never would justify the beating up of one race because the other race beat up your race. It is all as bad as one another.
And in practically every reply the word 'Racist' was used when I consistently used the term 'Right Wing Racist' because that was the term used in the original post I was replying to.
The whole point of my post has now been completely lost now because of the nit picking of people.
Sorry @Malmesbury that wasn't aimed at you. Your post was correct, but I am at the end of my tether doting the 'i's and crossing the 't's having to explain and then re-explain and then explain again what I meant such that the original point has now been completely lost.
According to Michael Moore (a Michigander), Josh Shapiro has chosen badly on Gaza. He also points out in this interview that Michigan is vulnerable given the number of pro-Palestinian voters
As you know I am lairy of battleground state theory: you have to consider the effect on all the states, not just one. Everybody is focussing on Shapiro to get Pennsylvania and missing that he may lose Michigan
1.2% of Michigan is Jewish like Shapiro, not much less than the 2% that is Muslim. 15% of the state is African American and their turnout for Harris easily outweights any Muslims staying home or voting Stein or West
What is the function of a VP pick? I argue that it is to be anodyne and not endanger the ticket: a minimise-harm approach. I could see the advantage of a maximise-enthusiasm candidate: but if that was the case I'd choose Buttigieg, not Shapiro. Should the next 100 days to be a discussion about whether VP-candidate Shapiro is a drag or benefit on the ticket? If you are explaining, you are losing.
In an ultra close presidential election (and on current polls this will be the closest presidential election since 2000) a VP pick can make all the difference in a key state. PA is the key state in this election as Florida was in 2000.
More Jews than Muslims in Arizona and Nevada too and 5 times as many Jews as Muslims in Florida and of course in 2000 the Jewish vote went heavily for Gore Lieberman in Florida
Shapiro is seen as being pro-Israel over Gaza, by the Left of the Democrat Party.
Kelly has some issues over Labour/unions, but much less.
Hence the favourable/unfavourable rankings in that poll the over day.
That's a strange one, and there's a lot of ill-informed knee-jerking on that thread.
I'm not exactly clear where they would find swathes of empty properties.
Bid 10% above the market and price familes out.
The story I heard was that the hotels policy was because it was found that by block booking a hotel for a year, it was cheaper than trying to find lots of separate properties.
This was because hotels operate seasonally and are rarely 100% full. So a steady price for the whole thing, considerably below *the normal price* is very profitable for the owners. Especially when they can bin a lot of the staff.
I wonder if a move to spread out the properties like that is to get rid of focal points for the scum to attack?
Hotels work on an expectation of around 60-70% occupancy rate, I think. So the play for hotel companies is simple. Take hotels that are nearing the end of their serviceable life without major refurbs (i.e. they'd lose their star rating or see their occupancy rate tank if they didn't strip them out and rebuild every 15 years or so) and rent them out to the government, achieving a 100% occupancy rate for at least another couple of years (if not more) without incurring the refurb costs, thus amortising them over a longer time period. Looks great on a balance sheet, as you're only doing a full refurb every 20 years instead of every 15.
I think you are exactly right on that. Add in the reduced staff costs - who does maintenance, though? - and you could get a real bargain if you know how to negotiate.
Edwin Hayward @edwinhayward · 22m We know some of the rioters like to visit the EU, because mentions of interrupted holiday plans (the result of being remanded in custody) have already appeared in some news reports.
Once ETIAS comes in, the EU will be closed to them for good.
When ETIAs come out, it would be a good time to start putting Europeans in the general foreigners line at British airports. No idea why Brits don't get their own line these days.
I think it would be to be for all members of the Common Travel Area, or we would need to revisit a number of treaties.
According to Michael Moore (a Michigander), Josh Shapiro has chosen badly on Gaza. He also points out in this interview that Michigan is vulnerable given the number of pro-Palestinian voters
As you know I am lairy of battleground state theory: you have to consider the effect on all the states, not just one. Everybody is focussing on Shapiro to get Pennsylvania and missing that he may lose Michigan
1.2% of Michigan is Jewish like Shapiro, not much less than the 2% that is Muslim. 15% of the state is African American and their turnout for Harris easily outweights any Muslims staying home or voting Stein or West
What is the function of a VP pick? I argue that it is to be anodyne and not endanger the ticket: a minimise-harm approach. I could see the advantage of a maximise-enthusiasm candidate: but if that was the case I'd choose Buttigieg, not Shapiro. Should the next 100 days to be a discussion about whether VP-candidate Shapiro is a drag or benefit on the ticket? If you are explaining, you are losing.
In an ultra close presidential election (and on current polls this will be the closest presidential election since 2000) a VP pick can make all the difference in a key state. PA is the key state in this election as Florida was in 2000.
More Jews than Muslims in Arizona and Nevada too and 5 times as many Jews as Muslims in Florida and of course in 2000 the Jewish vote went heavily for Gore Lieberman in Florida
Shapiro is seen as being pro-Israel over Gaza, by the Left of the Democrat Party.
Kelly has some issues over Labour/unions, but much less.
Hence the favourable/unfavourable rankings in that poll the over day.
So what? The left of the Labour party felt the same about Starmer over Gaza and it didn't do him much harm in key swing seats even if it lost him a few votes in safe Labour areas. PA also has nearly double the EC votes AZ does
(Top Brompton upgrade: I bought some removable dual platform pedals so I can "clip in" when riding. It dramatically improves the experience.)
I have Shimano XTR M9120 on mine because I ride it a lot in the rain and they are one of the few pedals that have properly sealed bearings and don't need rebuilding after every third wet ride.
I like to fold my Brompton into a very small space, so I need removable pedals. But on my road bike, I have the Shimano Deore SPD pedals and absolutely love them. They have been rock solid for years without the slightest issue.
I have double sided pedals on my main 700C cycle, which are fine, but tbh I haven't used the SPD side for several years.
I think you mean single-sided? And I'm the same - thought I'd use my MTB shoes all the time but usually end up using some walking shoes (or even sandals).
No - I mean double-sided. SPD (mountain bike) clips one side, flats the other. This may be semantics.
Checked, and I'm using Shimano PD-A 530s, which have been on it for years.
Lesson 1 was when adjusting clips start loose and tighten, not the other way round.
(I hope you don't insist on calling pedals with clips, "clipless". )
I fear it may not be mentioned on the mainstream media but there are some unpleasant videos online of gangs of Asian looking men attacking single white men. Nick Lowdes of Hope Not Hate spread potentially inflammatory disinformation about events in Middlesbrough.
Keir Starmer cannot stick to the explicitly 'far right' narrative and will have to condemn all violence and thuggery if he hasn't done so already.
Starmer commented on the lines you suggest [source: Guardian yesterday]: 'Asked whether he thought everyone taking part in the riots were “far-right thugs”, he said: “If you target people because of the colour of their skin or their face then that is far right and I’m prepared to say so. But it doesn’t matter what apparent motivation there is. This is violence, not protest. It doesn’t matter what the motivation is.”'
Sorry but it still isn't clear he is including people who are attacking those with white skin. Have non-whites attacking whites ever been referred to as far right in the past? I don't think many believe believe that is what he meant.
No violence is acceptable and he made that very clear in his last 3 sentences, but to pretend this was not caused by and is predominantly far right racist thugs is whataboutery of the first order. Asians attacking white people is almost certainly not far right racists (obviously). It is still wrong and the full force of the law should come down on them, although you might reflect on whether it would be happening at all in the first place if the right wing thugs hadn't started rioting.
isn't the idea that Asians can't be far right racists a bit racialist?
Of course they can be far right racists, but be sensible, I said 'almost certainly not far right racists' and clearly I meant in the current circumstances. Do you really think they are far right racists or do you think they are people reacting violently to the circumstances created by far right racists.
Anyone who thinks the Asian thugs in these circumstances are far right racists needs their head examining.
Why not? There are people from every culture I’ve ever heard of who go for
1) Death to the different 2) Hail to The Leader 3) Violence to achieve the above is awesome.
I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the “Asian thugs” don’t turn out to have social and political views that are very reminiscent of Yarxley-Lennon.
Head hits desk. I am getting fed up with having to clarify every minute nuance of a post I made to expose whataboutery umpteen posts ago.
OK yes some of these people may be racists because racists exist everywhere and no doubt some will have views similar to Tommy Robinson. I will have yet another go so that people don't (what seems deliberately to) misunderstand my posts, but it seems futile:
The Asian thugs did not attack the white people in these instances because the Asian thugs are racists. They attacked them for several possible reasons: they fancied a fight, they were angry at the rioting, etc. Their primary motive was not racism even if some of them might be.
And just to put a nail in the coffin of the other spurious reading of what I posted, I was not, and never would justify the beating up of one race because the other race beat up your race. It is all as bad as one another.
And in practically every reply the word 'Racist' was used when I consistently used the term 'Right Wing Racist' because that was the term used in the original post I was replying to.
The whole point of my post has now been completely lost now because of the nit picking of people.
Sorry @Malmesbury that wasn't aimed at you. Your post was correct, but I am at the end of my tether doting the 'i's and crossing the 't's having to explain and then re-explain and then explain again what I meant such that the original point has now been completely lost.
What I meant was that people who think like this
1) Our people are being attacked by “White People” 2) Therefore we will go and attack us some “White People”
Are probably already that kind of dickhead.
As opposed to
1) Our people are being attacked by “White People” 2) Therefore we will go and defend the mosque from the scum
That's a strange one, and there's a lot of ill-informed knee-jerking on that thread.
I'm not exactly clear where they would find swathes of empty properties.
Bid 10% above the market and price familes out.
The story I heard was that the hotels policy was because it was found that by block booking a hotel for a year, it was cheaper than trying to find lots of separate properties.
This was because hotels operate seasonally and are rarely 100% full. So a steady price for the whole thing, considerably below *the normal price* is very profitable for the owners. Especially when they can bin a lot of the staff.
I wonder if a move to spread out the properties like that is to get rid of focal points for the scum to attack?
Hotels work on an expectation of around 60-70% occupancy rate, I think. So the play for hotel companies is simple. Take hotels that are nearing the end of their serviceable life without major refurbs (i.e. they'd lose their star rating or see their occupancy rate tank if they didn't strip them out and rebuild every 15 years or so) and rent them out to the government, achieving a 100% occupancy rate for at least another couple of years (if not more) without incurring the refurb costs, thus amortising them over a longer time period. Looks great on a balance sheet, as you're only doing a full refurb every 20 years instead of every 15.
Yup, you can also bet that the new occupants aren’t expecting three restaurants and a gym, and won’t complain about noise, so the owner can also get a head start on the renovations of the common areas.
I fear it may not be mentioned on the mainstream media but there are some unpleasant videos online of gangs of Asian looking men attacking single white men. Nick Lowdes of Hope Not Hate spread potentially inflammatory disinformation about events in Middlesbrough.
Keir Starmer cannot stick to the explicitly 'far right' narrative and will have to condemn all violence and thuggery if he hasn't done so already.
Starmer commented on the lines you suggest [source: Guardian yesterday]: 'Asked whether he thought everyone taking part in the riots were “far-right thugs”, he said: “If you target people because of the colour of their skin or their face then that is far right and I’m prepared to say so. But it doesn’t matter what apparent motivation there is. This is violence, not protest. It doesn’t matter what the motivation is.”'
Sorry but it still isn't clear he is including people who are attacking those with white skin. Have non-whites attacking whites ever been referred to as far right in the past? I don't think many believe believe that is what he meant.
No violence is acceptable and he made that very clear in his last 3 sentences, but to pretend this was not caused by and is predominantly far right racist thugs is whataboutery of the first order. Asians attacking white people is almost certainly not far right racists (obviously). It is still wrong and the full force of the law should come down on them, although you might reflect on whether it would be happening at all in the first place if the right wing thugs hadn't started rioting.
isn't the idea that Asians can't be far right racists a bit racialist?
Of course they can be far right racists, but be sensible, I said 'almost certainly not far right racists' and clearly I meant in the current circumstances. Do you really think they are far right racists or do you think they are people reacting violently to the circumstances created by far right racists.
Anyone who thinks the Asian thugs in these circumstances are far right racists needs their head examining.
Why not? There are people from every culture I’ve ever heard of who go for
1) Death to the different 2) Hail to The Leader 3) Violence to achieve the above is awesome.
I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the “Asian thugs” don’t turn out to have social and political views that are very reminiscent of Yarxley-Lennon.
Head hits desk. I am getting fed up with having to clarify every minute nuance of a post I made to expose whataboutery umpteen posts ago.
OK yes some of these people may be racists because racists exist everywhere and no doubt some will have views similar to Tommy Robinson. I will have yet another go so that people don't (what seems deliberately to) misunderstand my posts, but it seems futile:
The Asian thugs did not attack the white people in these instances because the Asian thugs are racists. They attacked them for several possible reasons: they fancied a fight, they were angry at the rioting, etc. Their primary motive was not racism even if some of them might be.
And just to put a nail in the coffin of the other spurious reading of what I posted, I was not, and never would justify the beating up of one race because the other race beat up your race. It is all as bad as one another.
And in practically every reply the word 'Racist' was used when I consistently used the term 'Right Wing Racist' because that was the term used in the original post I was replying to.
The whole point of my post has now been completely lost now because of the nit picking of people.
Sorry @Malmesbury that wasn't aimed at you. Your post was correct, but I am at the end of my tether doting the 'i's and crossing the 't's having to explain and then re-explain and then explain again what I meant such that the original point has now been completely lost.
@Malmesbury The irony of this is two of us pointed out the whataboutery of the original post at the same time and independently because it was implied racism. The other was @Clutch_Brompton who wrote something which was much pithier, got more likes and no replies. By the time you responded to my post I was on my umpteenth clarification of a reply to reply, to a reply to part of my original post, which was not relevant to the point I was making. Hence my exasperation.
(Top Brompton upgrade: I bought some removable dual platform pedals so I can "clip in" when riding. It dramatically improves the experience.)
I have Shimano XTR M9120 on mine because I ride it a lot in the rain and they are one of the few pedals that have properly sealed bearings and don't need rebuilding after every third wet ride.
I like to fold my Brompton into a very small space, so I need removable pedals. But on my road bike, I have the Shimano Deore SPD pedals and absolutely love them. They have been rock solid for years without the slightest issue.
I have double sided pedals on my main 700C cycle, which are fine, but tbh I haven't used the SPD side for several years.
I think you mean single-sided? And I'm the same - thought I'd use my MTB shoes all the time but usually end up using some walking shoes (or even sandals).
I use old fashioned leather straps on my touring bike. Does that make me a bad person?
Though Mrs Flatlander insists on using downtube shifters as well, so she's even more retro than I am. They are DuraAce at least.
I fear it may not be mentioned on the mainstream media but there are some unpleasant videos online of gangs of Asian looking men attacking single white men. Nick Lowdes of Hope Not Hate spread potentially inflammatory disinformation about events in Middlesbrough.
Keir Starmer cannot stick to the explicitly 'far right' narrative and will have to condemn all violence and thuggery if he hasn't done so already.
Starmer commented on the lines you suggest [source: Guardian yesterday]: 'Asked whether he thought everyone taking part in the riots were “far-right thugs”, he said: “If you target people because of the colour of their skin or their face then that is far right and I’m prepared to say so. But it doesn’t matter what apparent motivation there is. This is violence, not protest. It doesn’t matter what the motivation is.”'
Sorry but it still isn't clear he is including people who are attacking those with white skin. Have non-whites attacking whites ever been referred to as far right in the past? I don't think many believe believe that is what he meant.
No violence is acceptable and he made that very clear in his last 3 sentences, but to pretend this was not caused by and is predominantly far right racist thugs is whataboutery of the first order. Asians attacking white people is almost certainly not far right racists (obviously). It is still wrong and the full force of the law should come down on them, although you might reflect on whether it would be happening at all in the first place if the right wing thugs hadn't started rioting.
isn't the idea that Asians can't be far right racists a bit racialist?
Of course they can be far right racists, but be sensible, I said 'almost certainly not far right racists' and clearly I meant in the current circumstances. Do you really think they are far right racists or do you think they are people reacting violently to the circumstances created by far right racists.
Anyone who thinks the Asian thugs in these circumstances are far right racists needs their head examining.
Why not? There are people from every culture I’ve ever heard of who go for
1) Death to the different 2) Hail to The Leader 3) Violence to achieve the above is awesome.
I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the “Asian thugs” don’t turn out to have social and political views that are very reminiscent of Yarxley-Lennon.
Head hits desk. I am getting fed up with having to clarify every minute nuance of a post I made to expose whataboutery umpteen posts ago.
OK yes some of these people may be racists because racists exist everywhere and no doubt some will have views similar to Tommy Robinson. I will have yet another go so that people don't (what seems deliberately to) misunderstand my posts, but it seems futile:
The Asian thugs did not attack the white people in these instances because the Asian thugs are racists. They attacked them for several possible reasons: they fancied a fight, they were angry at the rioting, etc. Their primary motive was not racism even if some of them might be.
And just to put a nail in the coffin of the other spurious reading of what I posted, I was not, and never would justify the beating up of one race because the other race beat up your race. It is all as bad as one another.
And in practically every reply the word 'Racist' was used when I consistently used the term 'Right Wing Racist' because that was the term used in the original post I was replying to.
The whole point of my post has now been completely lost now because of the nit picking of people.
Sorry @Malmesbury that wasn't aimed at you. Your post was correct, but I am at the end of my tether doting the 'i's and crossing the 't's having to explain and then re-explain and then explain again what I meant such that the original point has now been completely lost.
"The Asian thugs did not attack the white people in these instances because the Asian thugs are racists. They attacked them for several possible reasons: they fancied a fight, they were angry at the rioting, etc. Their primary motive was not racism even if some of them might be."
If someone attacks somebody else because of the colour of their skin, then - by definition - they are a racist because the attack is motivated by the colour of their skin.
What you seem to be saying - and why you are having to explain yourself multiple times - is that if a white crowd attacks an Asian because of the colour of their skin, then the automatic - and only - explanation is that they are racist. Yet, if an Asian crowd attacks somebody white, then they are not racist because there are other explanations possible.
Three questions:
1. How is that not double standards? 2. How do you know that racism / religiosity is not the primary motivating factors behind Asian attacks on white people? 3. Have you been to a town like Oldham over the past 15-20 years? Plenty of instances there to knock your theory out of the park.
The same legacy media dingbats who lied repeatedly, claiming “X/Twitter is dying”, are now saying it’s the “largest & most influential platform” 🤣🤣🤣
The real crime here is that my sides hurt from laughing at the irony!
Listen Ed, if you want to refute something, it is easy to do on this platform, unlike the tripe you publish in your legacy paper.
I run a pro-Tesla YouTube channel. I follow SpaceX adventures. Starlink revolutionised my internet connection. And I see Musk mostly positively.
A pity that all is being drowned out by his "free speech" BS which is entirely hard right / conspiratorial. That guy linked to earlier where the ban hammer was threatened to TSE (popcorn on standby) - I had a glance at him. He is a screaming homophobe and anti-semite. But he's pro-Trump. So of course Twix will defend him.
Seriously, can someone push a software update out to Elon the way we get them for the cars?
Totally off topic, but one for Sunil - did the full Colombo-Badulla line (there and back) a couple of days ago - 10-12 hours each way. It has to be one of the world's greatest rail journeys, rising to a peak of almost 2km above sea level amid lush jungle, pristine tea estates and dramatic waterfalls, including crossing the famous 9 arches bridge, and traversing the incredible Demoda loop. My favourite moment comes when the line crosses the top of a mountain ridge, with the ground dropping away steeply on each side and the station at the summit drifting in and out of the clouds. One for all rail fans or anyone who enjoys jaw dropping scenery.
According to Michael Moore (a Michigander), Josh Shapiro has chosen badly on Gaza. He also points out in this interview that Michigan is vulnerable given the number of pro-Palestinian voters
As you know I am lairy of battleground state theory: you have to consider the effect on all the states, not just one. Everybody is focussing on Shapiro to get Pennsylvania and missing that he may lose Michigan
1.2% of Michigan is Jewish like Shapiro, not much less than the 2% that is Muslim. 15% of the state is African American and their turnout for Harris easily outweights any Muslims staying home or voting Stein or West
What is the function of a VP pick? I argue that it is to be anodyne and not endanger the ticket: a minimise-harm approach. I could see the advantage of a maximise-enthusiasm candidate: but if that was the case I'd choose Buttigieg, not Shapiro. Should the next 100 days to be a discussion about whether VP-candidate Shapiro is a drag or benefit on the ticket? If you are explaining, you are losing.
In an ultra close presidential election (and on current polls this will be the closest presidential election since 2000) a VP pick can make all the difference in a key state. PA is the key state in this election as Florida was in 2000.
More Jews than Muslims in Arizona and Nevada too and 5 times as many Jews as Muslims in Florida and of course in 2000 the Jewish vote went heavily for Gore Lieberman in Florida
Shapiro is seen as being pro-Israel over Gaza, by the Left of the Democrat Party.
Kelly has some issues over Labour/unions, but much less.
Hence the favourable/unfavourable rankings in that poll the over day.
So what? The left of the Labour party felt the same about Starmer over Gaza and it didn't do him much harm in key swing seats even if it lost him a few votes in safe Labour areas. PA also has nearly double the EC votes AZ does
It comes back to the point about VP picks being about avoiding negatives.
The Democrat Party is a coalition. A lot of the base and voluntary party are on the left. Why piss them off when there are available candidates that don’t?
The appropriate reaction is to encourage all communities to support the police, not use his position to justify aggression by a pile of angry young men, dressed up as defence.
As member of our parliament, he should understand this.
He's the yin to Farage's yang.
I actually listened to what he was saying. A lot of putting word into his mouth by the person writing the times twitter account.
(Top Brompton upgrade: I bought some removable dual platform pedals so I can "clip in" when riding. It dramatically improves the experience.)
I have Shimano XTR M9120 on mine because I ride it a lot in the rain and they are one of the few pedals that have properly sealed bearings and don't need rebuilding after every third wet ride.
I like to fold my Brompton into a very small space, so I need removable pedals. But on my road bike, I have the Shimano Deore SPD pedals and absolutely love them. They have been rock solid for years without the slightest issue.
I have double sided pedals on my main 700C cycle, which are fine, but tbh I haven't used the SPD side for several years.
I think you mean single-sided? And I'm the same - thought I'd use my MTB shoes all the time but usually end up using some walking shoes (or even sandals).
I use old fashioned leather straps on my touring bike. Does that make me a bad person?
Though Mrs Flatlander insists on using downtube shifters as well, so she's even more retro than I am. They are DuraAce tho'.
When you say leather straps, do you men "over your foot" leather straps - like sandals.
Or do you mean the really traditional ones attached to your ankle that have to be unbuckled whilst still going since your foot is hard-tied to the pedal?
According to Michael Moore (a Michigander), Josh Shapiro has chosen badly on Gaza. He also points out in this interview that Michigan is vulnerable given the number of pro-Palestinian voters
As you know I am lairy of battleground state theory: you have to consider the effect on all the states, not just one. Everybody is focussing on Shapiro to get Pennsylvania and missing that he may lose Michigan
1.2% of Michigan is Jewish like Shapiro, not much less than the 2% that is Muslim. 15% of the state is African American and their turnout for Harris easily outweights any Muslims staying home or voting Stein or West
What is the function of a VP pick? I argue that it is to be anodyne and not endanger the ticket: a minimise-harm approach. I could see the advantage of a maximise-enthusiasm candidate: but if that was the case I'd choose Buttigieg, not Shapiro. Should the next 100 days to be a discussion about whether VP-candidate Shapiro is a drag or benefit on the ticket? If you are explaining, you are losing.
In an ultra close presidential election (and on current polls this will be the closest presidential election since 2000) a VP pick can make all the difference in a key state. PA is the key state in this election as Florida was in 2000.
More Jews than Muslims in Arizona and Nevada too and 5 times as many Jews as Muslims in Florida and of course in 2000 the Jewish vote went heavily for Gore Lieberman in Florida
Shapiro is seen as being pro-Israel over Gaza, by the Left of the Democrat Party.
Kelly has some issues over Labour/unions, but much less.
Hence the favourable/unfavourable rankings in that poll the over day.
So what? The left of the Labour party felt the same about Starmer over Gaza and it didn't do him much harm in key swing seats even if it lost him a few votes in safe Labour areas. PA also has nearly double the EC votes AZ does
It comes back to the point about VP picks being about avoiding negatives.
The Democrat Party is a coalition. A lot of the base and voluntary party are on the left. Why piss them off when there are available candidates that don’t?
According to Michael Moore (a Michigander), Josh Shapiro has chosen badly on Gaza. He also points out in this interview that Michigan is vulnerable given the number of pro-Palestinian voters
As you know I am lairy of battleground state theory: you have to consider the effect on all the states, not just one. Everybody is focussing on Shapiro to get Pennsylvania and missing that he may lose Michigan
1.2% of Michigan is Jewish like Shapiro, not much less than the 2% that is Muslim. 15% of the state is African American and their turnout for Harris easily outweights any Muslims staying home or voting Stein or West
What is the function of a VP pick? I argue that it is to be anodyne and not endanger the ticket: a minimise-harm approach. I could see the advantage of a maximise-enthusiasm candidate: but if that was the case I'd choose Buttigieg, not Shapiro. Should the next 100 days to be a discussion about whether VP-candidate Shapiro is a drag or benefit on the ticket? If you are explaining, you are losing.
In an ultra close presidential election (and on current polls this will be the closest presidential election since 2000) a VP pick can make all the difference in a key state. PA is the key state in this election as Florida was in 2000.
More Jews than Muslims in Arizona and Nevada too and 5 times as many Jews as Muslims in Florida and of course in 2000 the Jewish vote went heavily for Gore Lieberman in Florida
Shapiro is seen as being pro-Israel over Gaza, by the Left of the Democrat Party.
Kelly has some issues over Labour/unions, but much less.
Hence the favourable/unfavourable rankings in that poll the over day.
So what? The left of the Labour party felt the same about Starmer over Gaza and it didn't do him much harm in key swing seats even if it lost him a few votes in safe Labour areas. PA also has nearly double the EC votes AZ does
It comes back to the point about VP picks being about avoiding negatives.
The Democrat Party is a coalition. A lot of the base and voluntary party are on the left. Why piss them off when there are available candidates that don’t?
In an election where you are comfortably ahead, then maybe avoiding negatives is key. However Harris is not comfortably ahead and in the EC average still narrowly trails Trump or at best is tied in the battleground states.
She can't risk a safe choice therefore, she needs a candidate who can bring her a big swing state like PA.
Under FPTP the hard left are largely irrelevant anyway, it is centrist suburban swing voters in battleground states Shapiro appeals to who will decide the election.
That's a strange one, and there's a lot of ill-informed knee-jerking on that thread.
I'm not exactly clear where they would find swathes of empty properties.
Bid 10% above the market and price familes out.
The story I heard was that the hotels policy was because it was found that by block booking a hotel for a year, it was cheaper than trying to find lots of separate properties.
This was because hotels operate seasonally and are rarely 100% full. So a steady price for the whole thing, considerably below *the normal price* is very profitable for the owners. Especially when they can bin a lot of the staff.
I wonder if a move to spread out the properties like that is to get rid of focal points for the scum to attack?
Hotels work on an expectation of around 60-70% occupancy rate, I think. So the play for hotel companies is simple. Take hotels that are nearing the end of their serviceable life without major refurbs (i.e. they'd lose their star rating or see their occupancy rate tank if they didn't strip them out and rebuild every 15 years or so) and rent them out to the government, achieving a 100% occupancy rate for at least another couple of years (if not more) without incurring the refurb costs, thus amortising them over a longer time period. Looks great on a balance sheet, as you're only doing a full refurb every 20 years instead of every 15.
I think you are exactly right on that. Add in the reduced staff costs - who does maintenance, though? - and you could get a real bargain if you know how to negotiate.
Yup. So what the government gets get is mega reduced costs on accommodation by enabling a supplier to sweat an asset for much longer, with reduced overheads (no bar, swimming pool, fewer cleaners etc).
*Maybe* the same is true in terms of allowing HMO landlords to sweat an asset a bit longer, but I suspect their fixed costs are pretty much the same whether they rent to asylum seekers or the general population. New boiler every x years, new paint on the walls etc. But I wouldn't bet on it. HMO landlords are already able to sweat assets to a ridiculous degree due to the housing crisis. People will rent anything with a roof on it. Hence the complaints we see on social media about immigrants living in "four star hotels" while "good, honest British patriots (sic)" live in damp, black mould ridden houses etc.
The block booking of hotels nearing the end of their serviceable life opened up a new avenue for hotel companies to make money. On that basis, I reckon switching to HMOs suggests fewer cost savings for the government, plus further distortion of an overheated rental market. I can't see how it's an improvement.
(Top Brompton upgrade: I bought some removable dual platform pedals so I can "clip in" when riding. It dramatically improves the experience.)
I have Shimano XTR M9120 on mine because I ride it a lot in the rain and they are one of the few pedals that have properly sealed bearings and don't need rebuilding after every third wet ride.
I like to fold my Brompton into a very small space, so I need removable pedals. But on my road bike, I have the Shimano Deore SPD pedals and absolutely love them. They have been rock solid for years without the slightest issue.
I have double sided pedals on my main 700C cycle, which are fine, but tbh I haven't used the SPD side for several years.
I think you mean single-sided? And I'm the same - thought I'd use my MTB shoes all the time but usually end up using some walking shoes (or even sandals).
No - I mean double-sided. SPD (mountain bike) clips one side, flats the other. This may be semantics.
Checked, and I'm using Shimano PD-A 530s, which have been on it for years.
Lesson 1 was when adjusting clips start loose and tighten, not the other way round.
(I hope you don't insist on calling pedals with clips, "clipless". )
That, for me, is single sided.
I am willing to have a vicious argument about this irrelevant topic, in the finest PB tradition.
(Top Brompton upgrade: I bought some removable dual platform pedals so I can "clip in" when riding. It dramatically improves the experience.)
I have Shimano XTR M9120 on mine because I ride it a lot in the rain and they are one of the few pedals that have properly sealed bearings and don't need rebuilding after every third wet ride.
I like to fold my Brompton into a very small space, so I need removable pedals. But on my road bike, I have the Shimano Deore SPD pedals and absolutely love them. They have been rock solid for years without the slightest issue.
I have double sided pedals on my main 700C cycle, which are fine, but tbh I haven't used the SPD side for several years.
I think you mean single-sided? And I'm the same - thought I'd use my MTB shoes all the time but usually end up using some walking shoes (or even sandals).
I use old fashioned leather straps on my touring bike. Does that make me a bad person?
Though Mrs Flatlander insists on using downtube shifters as well, so she's even more retro than I am. They are DuraAce tho'.
When you say leather straps, do you men "over your foot" leather staps - like toe clips but leather straps.
Or do you mean the really traditional ones attached to your ankle that have to be unbuckled whilst still going since your foot is hard-tied to the pedal?
Or is there something in between?
Toe straps, yes, nothing too dangerous.
I figure that if you look like you aren't trying to go fast there is no embarrassment in trundling around at 20kmh.
If someone on a racing machine passes you just shrug and look at the flowers.
According to Michael Moore (a Michigander), Josh Shapiro has chosen badly on Gaza. He also points out in this interview that Michigan is vulnerable given the number of pro-Palestinian voters
As you know I am lairy of battleground state theory: you have to consider the effect on all the states, not just one. Everybody is focussing on Shapiro to get Pennsylvania and missing that he may lose Michigan
1.2% of Michigan is Jewish like Shapiro, not much less than the 2% that is Muslim. 15% of the state is African American and their turnout for Harris easily outweights any Muslims staying home or voting Stein or West
What is the function of a VP pick? I argue that it is to be anodyne and not endanger the ticket: a minimise-harm approach. I could see the advantage of a maximise-enthusiasm candidate: but if that was the case I'd choose Buttigieg, not Shapiro. Should the next 100 days to be a discussion about whether VP-candidate Shapiro is a drag or benefit on the ticket? If you are explaining, you are losing.
In an ultra close presidential election (and on current polls this will be the closest presidential election since 2000) a VP pick can make all the difference in a key state. PA is the key state in this election as Florida was in 2000.
More Jews than Muslims in Arizona and Nevada too and 5 times as many Jews as Muslims in Florida and of course in 2000 the Jewish vote went heavily for Gore Lieberman in Florida
Shapiro is seen as being pro-Israel over Gaza, by the Left of the Democrat Party.
Kelly has some issues over Labour/unions, but much less.
Hence the favourable/unfavourable rankings in that poll the over day.
So what? The left of the Labour party felt the same about Starmer over Gaza and it didn't do him much harm in key swing seats even if it lost him a few votes in safe Labour areas. PA also has nearly double the EC votes AZ does
It comes back to the point about VP picks being about avoiding negatives.
The Democrat Party is a coalition. A lot of the base and voluntary party are on the left. Why piss them off when there are available candidates that don’t?
"I think Josh is very qualified to be Harris's VP pick," Chuck Schumer told the press over the weekend. "I do worry he might discourage those wishing to obliterate the U.S. and wipe Israel off the face of the Earth. We really need those votes."
"We really need those 15,000 votes from Dearborn, Michigan who want America to be eternally consumed by the fires of holy jihad," Schumer said. "We'd hate to lose out on their support just because we have a guy on the ticket who probably thinks Jews should exist. It's a real conundrum."
(Top Brompton upgrade: I bought some removable dual platform pedals so I can "clip in" when riding. It dramatically improves the experience.)
I have Shimano XTR M9120 on mine because I ride it a lot in the rain and they are one of the few pedals that have properly sealed bearings and don't need rebuilding after every third wet ride.
I like to fold my Brompton into a very small space, so I need removable pedals. But on my road bike, I have the Shimano Deore SPD pedals and absolutely love them. They have been rock solid for years without the slightest issue.
I have double sided pedals on my main 700C cycle, which are fine, but tbh I haven't used the SPD side for several years.
I think you mean single-sided? And I'm the same - thought I'd use my MTB shoes all the time but usually end up using some walking shoes (or even sandals).
No - I mean double-sided. SPD (mountain bike) clips one side, flats the other. This may be semantics.
Checked, and I'm using Shimano PD-A 530s, which have been on it for years.
Lesson 1 was when adjusting clips start loose and tighten, not the other way round.
(I hope you don't insist on calling pedals with clips, "clipless". )
That, for me, is single sided.
I am willing to have a vicious argument about this irrelevant topic, in the finest PB tradition.
I'm not.
You're wrong, and I am unanimous on that.
But you have carefully avoided answered the more important irrelevant question about clipless pedals which have clips on them.
The appropriate reaction is to encourage all communities to support the police, not use his position to justify aggression by a pile of angry young men, dressed up as defence.
As member of our parliament, he should understand this.
He's the yin to Farage's yang.
I actually listened to what he was saying. A lot of putting word into his mouth by the person writing the times twitter account.
He actually said those things. Used those words.
This ain't Gaza. We ain't having no intifada, here.
Minority groups/viewpoints have full civil rights and access to the political system to address/resolve their grievances.
Shabana Mahmood MP @ShabanaMahmood · 1h It doesn’t matter who you are or what you’re protesting – if you turn up in a mask, with a weapon, intent on causing disorder, you will face the full force of the law.
To those working with police and community organisations with pride and civic duty - you are the best of us.
One of teenager Gordon Gault's killers is set to be freed early because the country's prison's are too full.
Lawson Natty was jailed for two years and eight months after being convicted of manslaughter in connection with 14-year-old Gordon's death. The schoolboy died in hospital six days after he was stabbed with a machete during a violent clash in Newcastle's West End in 2022.
But now Gordon's heartbroken mum has been dealt a new blow after being told that 18-year-old Natty is to be freed from jail early, just five months after he was sentenced.
Dionne said: "It's disgusting I can't get my head round it. It's just because the prisons are full. Our country is a shambles. No wonder knife crime is so high. It's not sending any message out. Gordon is just getting no justice whatsoever. If they have to release some people release shoplifters or petty criminals, but not someone who is convicted of manslaughter. It just feels like it's all been for nothing. We have all been robbed, Gordon is lying six feet under and no one is paying for it."
It is, however, clearly the fault of the previous government.
"Kris Maharaj, who spent 38 years in Florida prison despite judge finding him innocent, dies
Kris Maharaj was convicted of the murder of a father and son back in 1986, but he always maintained his innocence. In 2019 a judge ruled he had proved so."
According to Michael Moore (a Michigander), Josh Shapiro has chosen badly on Gaza. He also points out in this interview that Michigan is vulnerable given the number of pro-Palestinian voters
As you know I am lairy of battleground state theory: you have to consider the effect on all the states, not just one. Everybody is focussing on Shapiro to get Pennsylvania and missing that he may lose Michigan
Yes, that is a very good point re Shapiro and it is not only Michigan where that may cause problems - for example, in Wisconsin, his viewpoints are unlikely to go down well in a university town like Madison and that could also prove fatal to the Democrat chances in that state.
At this stage, and given the reaction to her candidacy, Harris is likely to be thinking "what pick does not risk significant blowback?" On that measure, Kelly may be the 'safest' of the three.
Alternatively, she therefore may decide that it is best to go with the one who can amplify her message. If that is the case, Walz may be the pick if she decides that firing up the base is the way to go.
However, in either of the two above scenarios, Shapiro would seem the riskiest option
I agree that Shapiro carries significant risk, and I suspect that the campaign's motto will be: First, Do No Harm.
The lowest risk candidate has to be Mark Kelly: popular, moderate, and a great backstory.
But I must admit, I would roll the dice if I were Kamala, and would pick Buttigieg, because he would absolutely wipe the floor with Vance.
But is wiping the floor with Vance such a big deal? Vance looks like he will wipe the floor with himself unaided tbh.
In retrospect, and probably prospect, JDV was a terrible VP pick. He amplifies DJT's negatives of weird shithousery and provides zero positives. I suspect he was selected because he's a reformed Trump critic and DJT's monstrous vanity could not resist parading that supplication.
JDV was meant to preserve the MAGA succession in 2028 as Trump cannot run for a 3rd term even if he wins.
On the other hand if Trump and Vance lose then that is a total defeat of MAGA and so a more traditional conservative like DeSantis or a moderate like Haley looks favourite for the GOP nomination next time
DeSantis is often depicted as a mini-Trump; he's not that much of a traditional conservative. Even Haley only really counts as a "moderate" relative to the current GOP.
According to Michael Moore (a Michigander), Josh Shapiro has chosen badly on Gaza. He also points out in this interview that Michigan is vulnerable given the number of pro-Palestinian voters
As you know I am lairy of battleground state theory: you have to consider the effect on all the states, not just one. Everybody is focussing on Shapiro to get Pennsylvania and missing that he may lose Michigan
Yes, that is a very good point re Shapiro and it is not only Michigan where that may cause problems - for example, in Wisconsin, his viewpoints are unlikely to go down well in a university town like Madison and that could also prove fatal to the Democrat chances in that state.
At this stage, and given the reaction to her candidacy, Harris is likely to be thinking "what pick does not risk significant blowback?" On that measure, Kelly may be the 'safest' of the three.
Alternatively, she therefore may decide that it is best to go with the one who can amplify her message. If that is the case, Walz may be the pick if she decides that firing up the base is the way to go.
However, in either of the two above scenarios, Shapiro would seem the riskiest option
I agree that Shapiro carries significant risk, and I suspect that the campaign's motto will be: First, Do No Harm.
The lowest risk candidate has to be Mark Kelly: popular, moderate, and a great backstory.
But I must admit, I would roll the dice if I were Kamala, and would pick Buttigieg, because he would absolutely wipe the floor with Vance.
But is wiping the floor with Vance such a big deal? Vance looks like he will wipe the floor with himself unaided tbh.
In retrospect, and probably prospect, JDV was a terrible VP pick. He amplifies DJT's negatives of weird shithousery and provides zero positives. I suspect he was selected because he's a reformed Trump critic and DJT's monstrous vanity could not resist parading that supplication.
JDV was meant to preserve the MAGA succession in 2028 as Trump cannot run for a 3rd term even if he wins.
On the other hand if Trump and Vance lose then that is a total defeat of MAGA and so a more traditional conservative like DeSantis or a moderate like Haley looks favourite for the GOP nomination next time
DeSantis is often depicted as a mini-Trump; he's not that much of a traditional conservative. Even Haley only really counts as a "moderate" relative to the current GOP.
DeSantis is not MAGA though. Haley is the most centrist candidate who ran in the primaries this year in US terms, GOP or Democrat, she is more moderate than Biden and Harris as well
Totally off topic, but one for Sunil - did the full Colombo-Badulla line (there and back) a couple of days ago - 10-12 hours each way. It has to be one of the world's greatest rail journeys, rising to a peak of almost 2km above sea level amid lush jungle, pristine tea estates and dramatic waterfalls, including crossing the famous 9 arches bridge, and traversing the incredible Demoda loop. My favourite moment comes when the line crosses the top of a mountain ridge, with the ground dropping away steeply on each side and the station at the summit drifting in and out of the clouds. One for all rail fans or anyone who enjoys jaw dropping scenery.
The same legacy media dingbats who lied repeatedly, claiming “X/Twitter is dying”, are now saying it’s the “largest & most influential platform” 🤣🤣🤣
The real crime here is that my sides hurt from laughing at the irony!
Listen Ed, if you want to refute something, it is easy to do on this platform, unlike the tripe you publish in your legacy paper.
I run a pro-Tesla YouTube channel. I follow SpaceX adventures. Starlink revolutionised my internet connection. And I see Musk mostly positively.
A pity that all is being drowned out by his "free speech" BS which is entirely hard right / conspiratorial. That guy linked to earlier where the ban hammer was threatened to TSE (popcorn on standby) - I had a glance at him. He is a screaming homophobe and anti-semite. But he's pro-Trump. So of course Twix will defend him.
Seriously, can someone push a software update out to Elon the way we get them for the cars?
According to Michael Moore (a Michigander), Josh Shapiro has chosen badly on Gaza. He also points out in this interview that Michigan is vulnerable given the number of pro-Palestinian voters
As you know I am lairy of battleground state theory: you have to consider the effect on all the states, not just one. Everybody is focussing on Shapiro to get Pennsylvania and missing that he may lose Michigan
1.2% of Michigan is Jewish like Shapiro, not much less than the 2% that is Muslim. 15% of the state is African American and their turnout for Harris easily outweights any Muslims staying home or voting Stein or West
What is the function of a VP pick? I argue that it is to be anodyne and not endanger the ticket: a minimise-harm approach. I could see the advantage of a maximise-enthusiasm candidate: but if that was the case I'd choose Buttigieg, not Shapiro. Should the next 100 days to be a discussion about whether VP-candidate Shapiro is a drag or benefit on the ticket? If you are explaining, you are losing.
In an ultra close presidential election (and on current polls this will be the closest presidential election since 2000) a VP pick can make all the difference in a key state. PA is the key state in this election as Florida was in 2000.
More Jews than Muslims in Arizona and Nevada too and 5 times as many Jews as Muslims in Florida and of course in 2000 the Jewish vote went heavily for Gore Lieberman in Florida
Shapiro is seen as being pro-Israel over Gaza, by the Left of the Democrat Party.
Kelly has some issues over Labour/unions, but much less.
Hence the favourable/unfavourable rankings in that poll the over day.
So what? The left of the Labour party felt the same about Starmer over Gaza and it didn't do him much harm in key swing seats even if it lost him a few votes in safe Labour areas. PA also has nearly double the EC votes AZ does
It comes back to the point about VP picks being about avoiding negatives.
The Democrat Party is a coalition. A lot of the base and voluntary party are on the left. Why piss them off when there are available candidates that don’t?
According to Michael Moore (a Michigander), Josh Shapiro has chosen badly on Gaza. He also points out in this interview that Michigan is vulnerable given the number of pro-Palestinian voters
As you know I am lairy of battleground state theory: you have to consider the effect on all the states, not just one. Everybody is focussing on Shapiro to get Pennsylvania and missing that he may lose Michigan
Yes, that is a very good point re Shapiro and it is not only Michigan where that may cause problems - for example, in Wisconsin, his viewpoints are unlikely to go down well in a university town like Madison and that could also prove fatal to the Democrat chances in that state.
At this stage, and given the reaction to her candidacy, Harris is likely to be thinking "what pick does not risk significant blowback?" On that measure, Kelly may be the 'safest' of the three.
Alternatively, she therefore may decide that it is best to go with the one who can amplify her message. If that is the case, Walz may be the pick if she decides that firing up the base is the way to go.
However, in either of the two above scenarios, Shapiro would seem the riskiest option
I agree that Shapiro carries significant risk, and I suspect that the campaign's motto will be: First, Do No Harm.
The lowest risk candidate has to be Mark Kelly: popular, moderate, and a great backstory.
But I must admit, I would roll the dice if I were Kamala, and would pick Buttigieg, because he would absolutely wipe the floor with Vance.
But is wiping the floor with Vance such a big deal? Vance looks like he will wipe the floor with himself unaided tbh.
In retrospect, and probably prospect, JDV was a terrible VP pick. He amplifies DJT's negatives of weird shithousery and provides zero positives. I suspect he was selected because he's a reformed Trump critic and DJT's monstrous vanity could not resist parading that supplication.
JDV was meant to preserve the MAGA succession in 2028 as Trump cannot run for a 3rd term even if he wins.
On the other hand if Trump and Vance lose then that is a total defeat of MAGA and so a more traditional conservative like DeSantis or a moderate like Haley looks favourite for the GOP nomination next time
DeSantis is often depicted as a mini-Trump; he's not that much of a traditional conservative. Even Haley only really counts as a "moderate" relative to the current GOP.
DeSantis is not MAGA though. Haley is the most centrist candidate who ran in the primaries this year in US terms, GOP or Democrat, she is more moderate than Biden and Harris as well
One of teenager Gordon Gault's killers is set to be freed early because the country's prison's are too full.
Lawson Natty was jailed for two years and eight months after being convicted of manslaughter in connection with 14-year-old Gordon's death. The schoolboy died in hospital six days after he was stabbed with a machete during a violent clash in Newcastle's West End in 2022.
But now Gordon's heartbroken mum has been dealt a new blow after being told that 18-year-old Natty is to be freed from jail early, just five months after he was sentenced.
Dionne said: "It's disgusting I can't get my head round it. It's just because the prisons are full. Our country is a shambles. No wonder knife crime is so high. It's not sending any message out. Gordon is just getting no justice whatsoever. If they have to release some people release shoplifters or petty criminals, but not someone who is convicted of manslaughter. It just feels like it's all been for nothing. We have all been robbed, Gordon is lying six feet under and no one is paying for it."
It is, however, clearly the fault of the previous government.
Note that he got two years and eight months as the original sentence.
Hey, at least he didn't get less than a year, like the assistants in the Bond Street stabbing/murder, way back.
@GoodwinMJ I just spent 4 days in Hungary, a conservative country criticised by elites across the West. I saw no crime. No homeless people. No riots. No unrest. No drugs. No mass immigration. No broken borders. No self-loathing. No chaos. And now I've just landed back in the UK. https://x.com/GoodwinMJ/status/1820225513836925380
If Hungary is so wonderful why doesn’t he stay there?
It reminds me of the hagiographic comments about Hitler's new Germany by right wing journalists in the 1930s. Why do some right wingers hate freedom so much?
It wasn't just right wing journalists, David Lloyd George was fooled too.
Was he? I would note the shift in re-armament at the same time. The deal with Hitler bought time, the fiction was that it was 'peace in our time'. What else could Lloyd George have said? This isn't worth the paper its written on?
A few years earlier than that, Lloyd George wrote n an article for the Daily Express, "The German youth is...full of hope and confidence. It is a happier Germany." He wrote that Hitler was "a great man". Lloyd George praised the social order in Nazi Germany. He observed a disciplined and organized society with a strong sense of national unity. He commented positively on the enthusiasm and vitality of German youth, which he attributed to the Nazi regime's influence.
(Top Brompton upgrade: I bought some removable dual platform pedals so I can "clip in" when riding. It dramatically improves the experience.)
I have Shimano XTR M9120 on mine because I ride it a lot in the rain and they are one of the few pedals that have properly sealed bearings and don't need rebuilding after every third wet ride.
I like to fold my Brompton into a very small space, so I need removable pedals. But on my road bike, I have the Shimano Deore SPD pedals and absolutely love them. They have been rock solid for years without the slightest issue.
I have double sided pedals on my main 700C cycle, which are fine, but tbh I haven't used the SPD side for several years.
I think you mean single-sided? And I'm the same - thought I'd use my MTB shoes all the time but usually end up using some walking shoes (or even sandals).
I use old fashioned leather straps on my touring bike. Does that make me a bad person?
Though Mrs Flatlander insists on using downtube shifters as well, so she's even more retro than I am. They are DuraAce tho'.
When you say leather straps, do you men "over your foot" leather staps - like toe clips but leather straps.
Or do you mean the really traditional ones attached to your ankle that have to be unbuckled whilst still going since your foot is hard-tied to the pedal?
Or is there something in between?
Toe straps, yes, nothing too dangerous.
I figure that if you look like you aren't trying to go fast there is no embarrassment in trundling around at 20kmh.
If someone on a racing machine passes you just shrug and look at the flowers.
When I'm on my racing machine and someone passes me with toe clips and downtube shifters, I realise that I am outclassed...
Kwasi Kwarteng saying this with a straight face. I quite like Kwarteng and a couple of his interviews have been good but Labour have been in power 4 weeks and inherited a shitshow.
I don't blame him for the politics. I think it will be a while before people believe it.
@GoodwinMJ I just spent 4 days in Hungary, a conservative country criticised by elites across the West. I saw no crime. No homeless people. No riots. No unrest. No drugs. No mass immigration. No broken borders. No self-loathing. No chaos. And now I've just landed back in the UK. https://x.com/GoodwinMJ/status/1820225513836925380
If Hungary is so wonderful why doesn’t he stay there?
It reminds me of the hagiographic comments about Hitler's new Germany by right wing journalists in the 1930s. Why do some right wingers hate freedom so much?
It wasn't just right wing journalists, David Lloyd George was fooled too.
Was he? I would note the shift in re-armament at the same time. The deal with Hitler bought time, the fiction was that it was 'peace in our time'. What else could Lloyd George have said? This isn't worth the paper its written on?
A few years earlier than that, Lloyd George wrote n an article for the Daily Express, "The German youth is...full of hope and confidence. It is a happier Germany." He wrote that Hitler was "a great man". Lloyd George praised the social order in Nazi Germany. He observed a disciplined and organized society with a strong sense of national unity. He commented positively on the enthusiasm and vitality of German youth, which he attributed to the Nazi regime's influence.
I think most historians, whether more pro or anti Lloyd George, would agree that Lloyd George in the 1930s was not the man he'd once been.
@GoodwinMJ I just spent 4 days in Hungary, a conservative country criticised by elites across the West. I saw no crime. No homeless people. No riots. No unrest. No drugs. No mass immigration. No broken borders. No self-loathing. No chaos. And now I've just landed back in the UK. https://x.com/GoodwinMJ/status/1820225513836925380
What a surprise he would write approvingly of a country run by a right wing autocrat.
(Top Brompton upgrade: I bought some removable dual platform pedals so I can "clip in" when riding. It dramatically improves the experience.)
I have Shimano XTR M9120 on mine because I ride it a lot in the rain and they are one of the few pedals that have properly sealed bearings and don't need rebuilding after every third wet ride.
I like to fold my Brompton into a very small space, so I need removable pedals. But on my road bike, I have the Shimano Deore SPD pedals and absolutely love them. They have been rock solid for years without the slightest issue.
I have double sided pedals on my main 700C cycle, which are fine, but tbh I haven't used the SPD side for several years.
I think you mean single-sided? And I'm the same - thought I'd use my MTB shoes all the time but usually end up using some walking shoes (or even sandals).
I use old fashioned leather straps on my touring bike. Does that make me a bad person?
Though Mrs Flatlander insists on using downtube shifters as well, so she's even more retro than I am. They are DuraAce at least.
I used to love downtube shifters. I liked being able to "throw" the derailleur across multiple gears, and I loved being able to micro adjust if I wasn't quite in the right gear. Modern indexed shifters, by contrast, are a total f*cking pain the arse, because they inevitably become deindexed over time.
Does it matter who Harris picks? Shapiro might or might not help in Pennsylvania, on the other hand he might dampen some of the Harris youth enthusiasm because of his strong support for Israel. Walz would at least put a white Christian male on the ticket, if that's worth anything.
I would choose whoever is going to be best at defending Harris from attacks on her being out of touch Californian liberal elite. Probably Walz.
As someone who could potentially be swayed by the choice, I say pick the astronaut, Mark Kelly.
Every American kid wanted to be an astronaut at some point, the US space programme holds a special place in the psyche of the country.
Kelly is relatively small, as one must be to fit in a space ship. Swing voters have a predilection for very large Democrats, such as Tester or Fettermann. Even the current choices may not be large enough, but she definitely won't want to pick one of the smaller ones.
I think you’ll have misunderstood the data
It’s not “large democrats” but “democrats with large names”. Thus Gore needed Libermann to balance his short arse name.
Harris is a mediocre length - Walz or Kelly wouldn’t help but Shapiro might do a little
I have a bad ankle, and one that can react badly (*) to sideways twisting motions. I'd love to get clipless pedals, but am quite concerned about : 1) getting clipless shoes that don't aggravate my ankle. 2) whether the twisting movement to disconnect would cause pain, especially if done hurriedly and unexpectedly.
The former I can probably check by going into a shop and trying loads on, and then getting compatible pedals for the show.
But my real concern is the latter. How much of a twisting motion, and how much force, is required to clip and unclip?
(The main reason I want to get some is for power measurement purposes.)
(*) The agonising-pain definition of 'react badly'.
(Yes, I know this isn't obscurecyclingquestions.com...)
According to Michael Moore (a Michigander), Josh Shapiro has chosen badly on Gaza. He also points out in this interview that Michigan is vulnerable given the number of pro-Palestinian voters
As you know I am lairy of battleground state theory: you have to consider the effect on all the states, not just one. Everybody is focussing on Shapiro to get Pennsylvania and missing that he may lose Michigan
1.2% of Michigan is Jewish like Shapiro, not much less than the 2% that is Muslim. 15% of the state is African American and their turnout for Harris easily outweights any Muslims staying home or voting Stein or West
What is the function of a VP pick? I argue that it is to be anodyne and not endanger the ticket: a minimise-harm approach. I could see the advantage of a maximise-enthusiasm candidate: but if that was the case I'd choose Buttigieg, not Shapiro. Should the next 100 days to be a discussion about whether VP-candidate Shapiro is a drag or benefit on the ticket? If you are explaining, you are losing.
In an ultra close presidential election (and on current polls this will be the closest presidential election since 2000) a VP pick can make all the difference in a key state. PA is the key state in this election as Florida was in 2000.
More Jews than Muslims in Arizona and Nevada too and 5 times as many Jews as Muslims in Florida and of course in 2000 the Jewish vote went heavily for Gore Lieberman in Florida
Shapiro is seen as being pro-Israel over Gaza, by the Left of the Democrat Party.
Kelly has some issues over Labour/unions, but much less.
Hence the favourable/unfavourable rankings in that poll the over day.
So what? The left of the Labour party felt the same about Starmer over Gaza and it didn't do him much harm in key swing seats even if it lost him a few votes in safe Labour areas. PA also has nearly double the EC votes AZ does
It comes back to the point about VP picks being about avoiding negatives.
The Democrat Party is a coalition. A lot of the base and voluntary party are on the left. Why piss them off when there are available candidates that don’t?
"I think Josh is very qualified to be Harris's VP pick," Chuck Schumer told the press over the weekend. "I do worry he might discourage those wishing to obliterate the U.S. and wipe Israel off the face of the Earth. We really need those votes."
"We really need those 15,000 votes from Dearborn, Michigan who want America to be eternally consumed by the fires of holy jihad," Schumer said. "We'd hate to lose out on their support just because we have a guy on the ticket who probably thinks Jews should exist. It's a real conundrum."
Great!!!
The Babylon Bee is a satirical news site. But I think you know that, right?
I fear it may not be mentioned on the mainstream media but there are some unpleasant videos online of gangs of Asian looking men attacking single white men. Nick Lowdes of Hope Not Hate spread potentially inflammatory disinformation about events in Middlesbrough.
Keir Starmer cannot stick to the explicitly 'far right' narrative and will have to condemn all violence and thuggery if he hasn't done so already.
Starmer commented on the lines you suggest [source: Guardian yesterday]: 'Asked whether he thought everyone taking part in the riots were “far-right thugs”, he said: “If you target people because of the colour of their skin or their face then that is far right and I’m prepared to say so. But it doesn’t matter what apparent motivation there is. This is violence, not protest. It doesn’t matter what the motivation is.”'
Sorry but it still isn't clear he is including people who are attacking those with white skin. Have non-whites attacking whites ever been referred to as far right in the past? I don't think many believe believe that is what he meant.
No violence is acceptable and he made that very clear in his last 3 sentences, but to pretend this was not caused by and is predominantly far right racist thugs is whataboutery of the first order. Asians attacking white people is almost certainly not far right racists (obviously). It is still wrong and the full force of the law should come down on them, although you might reflect on whether it would be happening at all in the first place if the right wing thugs hadn't started rioting.
isn't the idea that Asians can't be far right racists a bit racialist?
Of course they can be far right racists, but be sensible, I said 'almost certainly not far right racists' and clearly I meant in the current circumstances. Do you really think they are far right racists or do you think they are people reacting violently to the circumstances created by far right racists.
Anyone who thinks the Asian thugs in these circumstances are far right racists needs their head examining.
Why not? There are people from every culture I’ve ever heard of who go for
1) Death to the different 2) Hail to The Leader 3) Violence to achieve the above is awesome.
I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the “Asian thugs” don’t turn out to have social and political views that are very reminiscent of Yarxley-Lennon.
Head hits desk. I am getting fed up with having to clarify every minute nuance of a post I made to expose whataboutery umpteen posts ago.
OK yes some of these people may be racists because racists exist everywhere and no doubt some will have views similar to Tommy Robinson. I will have yet another go so that people don't (what seems deliberately to) misunderstand my posts, but it seems futile:
The Asian thugs did not attack the white people in these instances because the Asian thugs are racists. They attacked them for several possible reasons: they fancied a fight, they were angry at the rioting, etc. Their primary motive was not racism even if some of them might be.
And just to put a nail in the coffin of the other spurious reading of what I posted, I was not, and never would justify the beating up of one race because the other race beat up your race. It is all as bad as one another.
And in practically every reply the word 'Racist' was used when I consistently used the term 'Right Wing Racist' because that was the term used in the original post I was replying to.
The whole point of my post has now been completely lost now because of the nit picking of people.
Sorry @Malmesbury that wasn't aimed at you. Your post was correct, but I am at the end of my tether doting the 'i's and crossing the 't's having to explain and then re-explain and then explain again what I meant such that the original point has now been completely lost.
"The Asian thugs did not attack the white people in these instances because the Asian thugs are racists. They attacked them for several possible reasons: they fancied a fight, they were angry at the rioting, etc. Their primary motive was not racism even if some of them might be."
If someone attacks somebody else because of the colour of their skin, then - by definition - they are a racist because the attack is motivated by the colour of their skin.
What you seem to be saying - and why you are having to explain yourself multiple times - is that if a white crowd attacks an Asian because of the colour of their skin, then the automatic - and only - explanation is that they are racist. Yet, if an Asian crowd attacks somebody white, then they are not racist because there are other explanations possible.
Three questions:
1. How is that not double standards? 2. How do you know that racism / religiosity is not the primary motivating factors behind Asian attacks on white people? 3. Have you been to a town like Oldham over the past 15-20 years? Plenty of instances there to knock your theory out of the park.
Oh for gods sake read the first bloody post will you and you will know how ridiculous you are being. I am fed up with this nit picking because you read something in my post that wasn't there. Try reading what the original issue was about.
Now moving onto what you said: You have again said something I didn't say. You say I 'seem to be saying'. Well guess what I wasn't (or not specifically. It is more complicated than that. See below)
Try to respond to what I actually say and not what you think I say. You have generalised a specific incident. You can't do that.
So let's be clear:
I assume you believe that the white rioters were generally racists or at least motivated by racists. Not sure anyone would disagree with that.
Now also let's be clear so we don't raise this red herring again - Non white people can also be racist.
However when someone reacts to a racist attack in a violent way it does not automatically make them racist. That is illogical and is not a double standard. If for instance I see a black and a white man fighting over a racial issue and I step in that doesn't make me a racist does it?
You even made the point (unintentionally I assume yourself) when you paraphrased me: You said if a white man attacks an Asian because of the colour of their skin that is racism (It is). Yet if an Asian crowd attacks someone white, then that is not racism because other explanations are possible (and that is also possibly correct).
Do you want to know why it is correct? Because in the first part you put the words 'colour of skin' and in the second part you didn't. Now if you had put 'colour of skin' in the 2nd part that would also have been racism, but you didn't.
As soon as you remove the colour of skin being a reason then it may or may not be racism. It could be a 101 reasons. You might be stopping a burglar for instance. In the case of the riots it is clear that the original perpetrators are racists. It is not clear that those responding are.
In answer to questions 2) Common sense says it is unlikely and is a reaction to the riots and I might ask how do you know it isn't. In answer to question 3) Yes.
(Top Brompton upgrade: I bought some removable dual platform pedals so I can "clip in" when riding. It dramatically improves the experience.)
I have Shimano XTR M9120 on mine because I ride it a lot in the rain and they are one of the few pedals that have properly sealed bearings and don't need rebuilding after every third wet ride.
I like to fold my Brompton into a very small space, so I need removable pedals. But on my road bike, I have the Shimano Deore SPD pedals and absolutely love them. They have been rock solid for years without the slightest issue.
I have double sided pedals on my main 700C cycle, which are fine, but tbh I haven't used the SPD side for several years.
I think you mean single-sided? And I'm the same - thought I'd use my MTB shoes all the time but usually end up using some walking shoes (or even sandals).
I use old fashioned leather straps on my touring bike. Does that make me a bad person?
Though Mrs Flatlander insists on using downtube shifters as well, so she's even more retro than I am. They are DuraAce at least.
I used to love downtube shifters. I liked being able to "throw" the derailleur across multiple gears, and I loved being able to micro adjust if I wasn't quite in the right gear. Modern indexed shifters, by contrast, are a total f*cking pain the arse, because they inevitably become deindexed over time.
Unless you are fly-by-wire(less) - complete with gear changing sensors to do a perfect job for you....
According to Michael Moore (a Michigander), Josh Shapiro has chosen badly on Gaza. He also points out in this interview that Michigan is vulnerable given the number of pro-Palestinian voters
As you know I am lairy of battleground state theory: you have to consider the effect on all the states, not just one. Everybody is focussing on Shapiro to get Pennsylvania and missing that he may lose Michigan
1.2% of Michigan is Jewish like Shapiro, not much less than the 2% that is Muslim. 15% of the state is African American and their turnout for Harris easily outweights any Muslims staying home or voting Stein or West
What is the function of a VP pick? I argue that it is to be anodyne and not endanger the ticket: a minimise-harm approach. I could see the advantage of a maximise-enthusiasm candidate: but if that was the case I'd choose Buttigieg, not Shapiro. Should the next 100 days to be a discussion about whether VP-candidate Shapiro is a drag or benefit on the ticket? If you are explaining, you are losing.
In an ultra close presidential election (and on current polls this will be the closest presidential election since 2000) a VP pick can make all the difference in a key state. PA is the key state in this election as Florida was in 2000.
More Jews than Muslims in Arizona and Nevada too and 5 times as many Jews as Muslims in Florida and of course in 2000 the Jewish vote went heavily for Gore Lieberman in Florida
BF thinks it is Shapiro or Walz.
It would be bloody hilarious if Harris picked Joe Biden.
Isn't Gore still alive?...
He invented the Al-Gore-Rhythm used in most AI these days.
(Top Brompton upgrade: I bought some removable dual platform pedals so I can "clip in" when riding. It dramatically improves the experience.)
I have Shimano XTR M9120 on mine because I ride it a lot in the rain and they are one of the few pedals that have properly sealed bearings and don't need rebuilding after every third wet ride.
I like to fold my Brompton into a very small space, so I need removable pedals. But on my road bike, I have the Shimano Deore SPD pedals and absolutely love them. They have been rock solid for years without the slightest issue.
I have double sided pedals on my main 700C cycle, which are fine, but tbh I haven't used the SPD side for several years.
I think you mean single-sided? And I'm the same - thought I'd use my MTB shoes all the time but usually end up using some walking shoes (or even sandals).
No - I mean double-sided. SPD (mountain bike) clips one side, flats the other. This may be semantics.
Checked, and I'm using Shimano PD-A 530s, which have been on it for years.
Lesson 1 was when adjusting clips start loose and tighten, not the other way round.
(I hope you don't insist on calling pedals with clips, "clipless". )
That, for me, is single sided.
I am willing to have a vicious argument about this irrelevant topic, in the finest PB tradition.
Single sided pedals are ones where there is one platform for pedalling (into which you clip), while the other side is not used at all.
Most "road" pedals - Look, SPD-SL, etc - are single sided like that.
(But for normal people regular SPD pedals are fine. And much easier to walk in.)
(Top Brompton upgrade: I bought some removable dual platform pedals so I can "clip in" when riding. It dramatically improves the experience.)
I have Shimano XTR M9120 on mine because I ride it a lot in the rain and they are one of the few pedals that have properly sealed bearings and don't need rebuilding after every third wet ride.
I like to fold my Brompton into a very small space, so I need removable pedals. But on my road bike, I have the Shimano Deore SPD pedals and absolutely love them. They have been rock solid for years without the slightest issue.
I have double sided pedals on my main 700C cycle, which are fine, but tbh I haven't used the SPD side for several years.
I think you mean single-sided? And I'm the same - thought I'd use my MTB shoes all the time but usually end up using some walking shoes (or even sandals).
I use old fashioned leather straps on my touring bike. Does that make me a bad person?
Though Mrs Flatlander insists on using downtube shifters as well, so she's even more retro than I am. They are DuraAce at least.
I used to love downtube shifters. I liked being able to "throw" the derailleur across multiple gears, and I loved being able to micro adjust if I wasn't quite in the right gear. Modern indexed shifters, by contrast, are a total f*cking pain the arse, because they inevitably become deindexed over time.
Unless you are fly-by-wire(less) - complete with gear changing sensors to do a perfect job for you....
On my road bike, I have SRAM AXS, and it's absolutely fabulous. There's the tiniest whirr... and you are instantly in the next gear.
I realize some people (*cough* Dura Ace *cough*) prefer Shimano groupsets.
According to Michael Moore (a Michigander), Josh Shapiro has chosen badly on Gaza. He also points out in this interview that Michigan is vulnerable given the number of pro-Palestinian voters
As you know I am lairy of battleground state theory: you have to consider the effect on all the states, not just one. Everybody is focussing on Shapiro to get Pennsylvania and missing that he may lose Michigan
1.2% of Michigan is Jewish like Shapiro, not much less than the 2% that is Muslim. 15% of the state is African American and their turnout for Harris easily outweights any Muslims staying home or voting Stein or West
What is the function of a VP pick? I argue that it is to be anodyne and not endanger the ticket: a minimise-harm approach. I could see the advantage of a maximise-enthusiasm candidate: but if that was the case I'd choose Buttigieg, not Shapiro. Should the next 100 days to be a discussion about whether VP-candidate Shapiro is a drag or benefit on the ticket? If you are explaining, you are losing.
In an ultra close presidential election (and on current polls this will be the closest presidential election since 2000) a VP pick can make all the difference in a key state. PA is the key state in this election as Florida was in 2000.
More Jews than Muslims in Arizona and Nevada too and 5 times as many Jews as Muslims in Florida and of course in 2000 the Jewish vote went heavily for Gore Lieberman in Florida
Shapiro is seen as being pro-Israel over Gaza, by the Left of the Democrat Party.
Kelly has some issues over Labour/unions, but much less.
Hence the favourable/unfavourable rankings in that poll the over day.
So what? The left of the Labour party felt the same about Starmer over Gaza and it didn't do him much harm in key swing seats even if it lost him a few votes in safe Labour areas. PA also has nearly double the EC votes AZ does
It comes back to the point about VP picks being about avoiding negatives.
The Democrat Party is a coalition. A lot of the base and voluntary party are on the left. Why piss them off when there are available candidates that don’t?
"I think Josh is very qualified to be Harris's VP pick," Chuck Schumer told the press over the weekend. "I do worry he might discourage those wishing to obliterate the U.S. and wipe Israel off the face of the Earth. We really need those votes."
"We really need those 15,000 votes from Dearborn, Michigan who want America to be eternally consumed by the fires of holy jihad," Schumer said. "We'd hate to lose out on their support just because we have a guy on the ticket who probably thinks Jews should exist. It's a real conundrum."
Great!!!
The Babylon Bee is a satirical news site. But I think you know that, right?
(Top Brompton upgrade: I bought some removable dual platform pedals so I can "clip in" when riding. It dramatically improves the experience.)
I have Shimano XTR M9120 on mine because I ride it a lot in the rain and they are one of the few pedals that have properly sealed bearings and don't need rebuilding after every third wet ride.
I like to fold my Brompton into a very small space, so I need removable pedals. But on my road bike, I have the Shimano Deore SPD pedals and absolutely love them. They have been rock solid for years without the slightest issue.
I have double sided pedals on my main 700C cycle, which are fine, but tbh I haven't used the SPD side for several years.
I think you mean single-sided? And I'm the same - thought I'd use my MTB shoes all the time but usually end up using some walking shoes (or even sandals).
No - I mean double-sided. SPD (mountain bike) clips one side, flats the other. This may be semantics.
Checked, and I'm using Shimano PD-A 530s, which have been on it for years.
Lesson 1 was when adjusting clips start loose and tighten, not the other way round.
(I hope you don't insist on calling pedals with clips, "clipless". )
That, for me, is single sided.
I am willing to have a vicious argument about this irrelevant topic, in the finest PB tradition.
I'm not.
You're wrong, and I am unanimous on that.
But you have carefully avoided answered the more important irrelevant question about clipless pedals which have clips on them.
BTW do you say "flammable" or "inflammable"?
I find the fact that you "clip in" to "clipless" pedals completely bizarre. Who the hell thought that pedals you clip into should be called "clipless"?
All of this and other legislation is as a result of agreement with the Union paymasters as to what a labour govt would do when in power. The unions have paid the piper they now call the tune.
If this was the Tories and big business there would be howls of outrage. Yet here there is none.
All of this and other legislation is as a result of agreement with the Union paymasters as to what a labour govt would do when in power. The unions have paid the piper they now call the tune.
If this was the Tories and big business there would be howls of outrage. Yet here there is none.
I fear it may not be mentioned on the mainstream media but there are some unpleasant videos online of gangs of Asian looking men attacking single white men. Nick Lowdes of Hope Not Hate spread potentially inflammatory disinformation about events in Middlesbrough.
Keir Starmer cannot stick to the explicitly 'far right' narrative and will have to condemn all violence and thuggery if he hasn't done so already.
Starmer commented on the lines you suggest [source: Guardian yesterday]: 'Asked whether he thought everyone taking part in the riots were “far-right thugs”, he said: “If you target people because of the colour of their skin or their face then that is far right and I’m prepared to say so. But it doesn’t matter what apparent motivation there is. This is violence, not protest. It doesn’t matter what the motivation is.”'
Sorry but it still isn't clear he is including people who are attacking those with white skin. Have non-whites attacking whites ever been referred to as far right in the past? I don't think many believe believe that is what he meant.
No violence is acceptable and he made that very clear in his last 3 sentences, but to pretend this was not caused by and is predominantly far right racist thugs is whataboutery of the first order. Asians attacking white people is almost certainly not far right racists (obviously). It is still wrong and the full force of the law should come down on them, although you might reflect on whether it would be happening at all in the first place if the right wing thugs hadn't started rioting.
isn't the idea that Asians can't be far right racists a bit racialist?
Of course they can be far right racists, but be sensible, I said 'almost certainly not far right racists' and clearly I meant in the current circumstances. Do you really think they are far right racists or do you think they are people reacting violently to the circumstances created by far right racists.
Anyone who thinks the Asian thugs in these circumstances are far right racists needs their head examining.
Why not? There are people from every culture I’ve ever heard of who go for
1) Death to the different 2) Hail to The Leader 3) Violence to achieve the above is awesome.
I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the “Asian thugs” don’t turn out to have social and political views that are very reminiscent of Yarxley-Lennon.
Head hits desk. I am getting fed up with having to clarify every minute nuance of a post I made to expose whataboutery umpteen posts ago.
OK yes some of these people may be racists because racists exist everywhere and no doubt some will have views similar to Tommy Robinson. I will have yet another go so that people don't (what seems deliberately to) misunderstand my posts, but it seems futile:
The Asian thugs did not attack the white people in these instances because the Asian thugs are racists. They attacked them for several possible reasons: they fancied a fight, they were angry at the rioting, etc. Their primary motive was not racism even if some of them might be.
And just to put a nail in the coffin of the other spurious reading of what I posted, I was not, and never would justify the beating up of one race because the other race beat up your race. It is all as bad as one another.
And in practically every reply the word 'Racist' was used when I consistently used the term 'Right Wing Racist' because that was the term used in the original post I was replying to.
The whole point of my post has now been completely lost now because of the nit picking of people.
Sorry @Malmesbury that wasn't aimed at you. Your post was correct, but I am at the end of my tether doting the 'i's and crossing the 't's having to explain and then re-explain and then explain again what I meant such that the original point has now been completely lost.
What I meant was that people who think like this
1) Our people are being attacked by “White People” 2) Therefore we will go and attack us some “White People”
Are probably already that kind of dickhead.
As opposed to
1) Our people are being attacked by “White People” 2) Therefore we will go and defend the mosque from the scum
Yep completely agree with that @Malmesbury (as you probably know from my like). I have been dragged down a rabbit hole by nit picking of my post by people defending the right wing thugs by going 'Ooh look a brown man is attacking a white man'.
Neither justifies the other. And my post of pointing out the whataboutery of such a statement which tries to excuse the Right Wing thugs by pointing out some Asian thugs are just as bad has been turned on its head by suggesting I am justifying Asian thuggery. I am not.
All of this and other legislation is as a result of agreement with the Union paymasters as to what a labour govt would do when in power. The unions have paid the piper they now call the tune.
If this was the Tories and big business there would be howls of outrage. Yet here there is none.
According to Michael Moore (a Michigander), Josh Shapiro has chosen badly on Gaza. He also points out in this interview that Michigan is vulnerable given the number of pro-Palestinian voters
As you know I am lairy of battleground state theory: you have to consider the effect on all the states, not just one. Everybody is focussing on Shapiro to get Pennsylvania and missing that he may lose Michigan
Yes, that is a very good point re Shapiro and it is not only Michigan where that may cause problems - for example, in Wisconsin, his viewpoints are unlikely to go down well in a university town like Madison and that could also prove fatal to the Democrat chances in that state.
At this stage, and given the reaction to her candidacy, Harris is likely to be thinking "what pick does not risk significant blowback?" On that measure, Kelly may be the 'safest' of the three.
Alternatively, she therefore may decide that it is best to go with the one who can amplify her message. If that is the case, Walz may be the pick if she decides that firing up the base is the way to go.
However, in either of the two above scenarios, Shapiro would seem the riskiest option
I agree that Shapiro carries significant risk, and I suspect that the campaign's motto will be: First, Do No Harm.
The lowest risk candidate has to be Mark Kelly: popular, moderate, and a great backstory.
But I must admit, I would roll the dice if I were Kamala, and would pick Buttigieg, because he would absolutely wipe the floor with Vance.
But is wiping the floor with Vance such a big deal? Vance looks like he will wipe the floor with himself unaided tbh.
In retrospect, and probably prospect, JDV was a terrible VP pick. He amplifies DJT's negatives of weird shithousery and provides zero positives. I suspect he was selected because he's a reformed Trump critic and DJT's monstrous vanity could not resist parading that supplication.
JDV was meant to preserve the MAGA succession in 2028 as Trump cannot run for a 3rd term even if he wins.
On the other hand if Trump and Vance lose then that is a total defeat of MAGA and so a more traditional conservative like DeSantis or a moderate like Haley looks favourite for the GOP nomination next time
DeSantis is often depicted as a mini-Trump; he's not that much of a traditional conservative. Even Haley only really counts as a "moderate" relative to the current GOP.
DeSantis is not MAGA though. Haley is the most centrist candidate who ran in the primaries this year in US terms, GOP or Democrat, she is more moderate than Biden and Harris as well
(Top Brompton upgrade: I bought some removable dual platform pedals so I can "clip in" when riding. It dramatically improves the experience.)
I have Shimano XTR M9120 on mine because I ride it a lot in the rain and they are one of the few pedals that have properly sealed bearings and don't need rebuilding after every third wet ride.
I like to fold my Brompton into a very small space, so I need removable pedals. But on my road bike, I have the Shimano Deore SPD pedals and absolutely love them. They have been rock solid for years without the slightest issue.
I have double sided pedals on my main 700C cycle, which are fine, but tbh I haven't used the SPD side for several years.
I think you mean single-sided? And I'm the same - thought I'd use my MTB shoes all the time but usually end up using some walking shoes (or even sandals).
No - I mean double-sided. SPD (mountain bike) clips one side, flats the other. This may be semantics.
Checked, and I'm using Shimano PD-A 530s, which have been on it for years.
Lesson 1 was when adjusting clips start loose and tighten, not the other way round.
(I hope you don't insist on calling pedals with clips, "clipless". )
That, for me, is single sided.
I am willing to have a vicious argument about this irrelevant topic, in the finest PB tradition.
Single sided pedals are ones where there is one platform for pedalling (into which you clip), while the other side is not used at all.
Most "road" pedals - Look, SPD-SL, etc - are single sided like that.
(But for normal people regular SPD pedals are fine. And much easier to walk in.)
Yes, but the shoes tend to have a hole in the sole, which is not good for puddles or British, especially West of the Pennines British, weather.
There are normal style shoes with SPD type clips.
I have waterproof socks, but it's a bit of effort to find a compromise.
(Top Brompton upgrade: I bought some removable dual platform pedals so I can "clip in" when riding. It dramatically improves the experience.)
I have Shimano XTR M9120 on mine because I ride it a lot in the rain and they are one of the few pedals that have properly sealed bearings and don't need rebuilding after every third wet ride.
I like to fold my Brompton into a very small space, so I need removable pedals. But on my road bike, I have the Shimano Deore SPD pedals and absolutely love them. They have been rock solid for years without the slightest issue.
I have double sided pedals on my main 700C cycle, which are fine, but tbh I haven't used the SPD side for several years.
I think you mean single-sided? And I'm the same - thought I'd use my MTB shoes all the time but usually end up using some walking shoes (or even sandals).
No - I mean double-sided. SPD (mountain bike) clips one side, flats the other. This may be semantics.
Checked, and I'm using Shimano PD-A 530s, which have been on it for years.
Lesson 1 was when adjusting clips start loose and tighten, not the other way round.
(I hope you don't insist on calling pedals with clips, "clipless". )
That, for me, is single sided.
I am willing to have a vicious argument about this irrelevant topic, in the finest PB tradition.
Single sided pedals are ones where there is one platform for pedalling (into which you clip), while the other side is not used at all.
Most "road" pedals - Look, SPD-SL, etc - are single sided like that.
(But for normal people regular SPD pedals are fine. And much easier to walk in.)
All of this and other legislation is as a result of agreement with the Union paymasters as to what a labour govt would do when in power. The unions have paid the piper they now call the tune.
If this was the Tories and big business there would be howls of outrage. Yet here there is none.
I have a bad ankle, and one that can react badly (*) to sideways twisting motions. I'd love to get clipless pedals, but am quite concerned about : 1) getting clipless shoes that don't aggravate my ankle. 2) whether the twisting movement to disconnect would cause pain, especially if done hurriedly and unexpectedly.
The former I can probably check by going into a shop and trying loads on, and then getting compatible pedals for the show.
But my real concern is the latter. How much of a twisting motion, and how much force, is required to clip and unclip?
(The main reason I want to get some is for power measurement purposes.)
(*) The agonising-pain definition of 'react badly'.
(Yes, I know this isn't obscurecyclingquestions.com...)
You don't have to twist your ankle: you should initiate the motion much higher up the leg, so the entire below the knee area moves outwards.
(Top Brompton upgrade: I bought some removable dual platform pedals so I can "clip in" when riding. It dramatically improves the experience.)
I have Shimano XTR M9120 on mine because I ride it a lot in the rain and they are one of the few pedals that have properly sealed bearings and don't need rebuilding after every third wet ride.
I like to fold my Brompton into a very small space, so I need removable pedals. But on my road bike, I have the Shimano Deore SPD pedals and absolutely love them. They have been rock solid for years without the slightest issue.
I have double sided pedals on my main 700C cycle, which are fine, but tbh I haven't used the SPD side for several years.
I think you mean single-sided? And I'm the same - thought I'd use my MTB shoes all the time but usually end up using some walking shoes (or even sandals).
No - I mean double-sided. SPD (mountain bike) clips one side, flats the other. This may be semantics.
Checked, and I'm using Shimano PD-A 530s, which have been on it for years.
Lesson 1 was when adjusting clips start loose and tighten, not the other way round.
(I hope you don't insist on calling pedals with clips, "clipless". )
That, for me, is single sided.
I am willing to have a vicious argument about this irrelevant topic, in the finest PB tradition.
I'm not.
You're wrong, and I am unanimous on that.
But you have carefully avoided answered the more important irrelevant question about clipless pedals which have clips on them.
BTW do you say "flammable" or "inflammable"?
I find the fact that you "clip in" to "clipless" pedals completely bizarre. Who the hell thought that pedals you clip into should be called "clipless"?
It's to do with the previous pedals in use having things called "toe clips", which are like little metal frames that go over the front of your foot.
@GoodwinMJ I just spent 4 days in Hungary, a conservative country criticised by elites across the West. I saw no crime. No homeless people. No riots. No unrest. No drugs. No mass immigration. No broken borders. No self-loathing. No chaos. And now I've just landed back in the UK. https://x.com/GoodwinMJ/status/1820225513836925380
If Hungary is so wonderful why doesn’t he stay there?
It reminds me of the hagiographic comments about Hitler's new Germany by right wing journalists in the 1930s. Why do some right wingers hate freedom so much?
It wasn't just right wing journalists, David Lloyd George was fooled too.
Was he? I would note the shift in re-armament at the same time. The deal with Hitler bought time, the fiction was that it was 'peace in our time'. What else could Lloyd George have said? This isn't worth the paper its written on?
A few years earlier than that, Lloyd George wrote n an article for the Daily Express, "The German youth is...full of hope and confidence. It is a happier Germany." He wrote that Hitler was "a great man". Lloyd George praised the social order in Nazi Germany. He observed a disciplined and organized society with a strong sense of national unity. He commented positively on the enthusiasm and vitality of German youth, which he attributed to the Nazi regime's influence.
I think most historians, whether more pro or anti Lloyd George, would agree that Lloyd George in the 1930s was not the man he'd once been.
The might well say the same of Goodwin, if they can recall who he was.
(Top Brompton upgrade: I bought some removable dual platform pedals so I can "clip in" when riding. It dramatically improves the experience.)
I have Shimano XTR M9120 on mine because I ride it a lot in the rain and they are one of the few pedals that have properly sealed bearings and don't need rebuilding after every third wet ride.
I like to fold my Brompton into a very small space, so I need removable pedals. But on my road bike, I have the Shimano Deore SPD pedals and absolutely love them. They have been rock solid for years without the slightest issue.
I have double sided pedals on my main 700C cycle, which are fine, but tbh I haven't used the SPD side for several years.
I think you mean single-sided? And I'm the same - thought I'd use my MTB shoes all the time but usually end up using some walking shoes (or even sandals).
I use old fashioned leather straps on my touring bike. Does that make me a bad person?
Though Mrs Flatlander insists on using downtube shifters as well, so she's even more retro than I am. They are DuraAce at least.
I used to love downtube shifters. I liked being able to "throw" the derailleur across multiple gears, and I loved being able to micro adjust if I wasn't quite in the right gear. Modern indexed shifters, by contrast, are a total f*cking pain the arse, because they inevitably become deindexed over time.
Unless you are fly-by-wire(less) - complete with gear changing sensors to do a perfect job for you....
On my road bike, I have SRAM AXS, and it's absolutely fabulous. There's the tiniest whirr... and you are instantly in the next gear.
I realize some people (*cough* Dura Ace *cough*) prefer Shimano groupsets.
Hilariously, Shimano thought they could get into rowing.
In rowing, the shoes are (generally) bolted (literally) to the foot plate, which is bolted into the boat.
Awesome if you are using only your boat, or you row in the same boat all the time. In most clubs, this is not so.
So Shimano got into the expanding space of removable shoes. To start the idiocy, they created their own footplate. Boats come with footplates. Usually in composite and light as a feather. Shimano produced a thing in chunks (and I mean chunks) of aluminium.
To further advance their endeavour, they needed shoes to clips to the foot rest and a mechanism to clip with. No, they didn't do that. Rather than using the system from bike shoes, they created a new, extremely expensive and utterly unique system. Which was especially incompatible with their bike system. And could only ever use their shoes. Which were expensive and a bit shit.
To cap it off, they were very upset at the rude reviews that followed. Even phoning editors to demand that reviews be pulled.
They have since tried reworking the system, but everyone just giggles. And buys Bont Racing's system. Which works and costs about £30 a pair. As opposed to about £500 for Shimano.
Kwasi Kwarteng saying this with a straight face. I quite like Kwarteng and a couple of his interviews have been good but Labour have been in power 4 weeks and inherited a shitshow.
I don't blame him for the politics. I think it will be a while before people believe it.
Totally off topic, but one for Sunil - did the full Colombo-Badulla line (there and back) a couple of days ago - 10-12 hours each way. It has to be one of the world's greatest rail journeys, rising to a peak of almost 2km above sea level amid lush jungle, pristine tea estates and dramatic waterfalls, including crossing the famous 9 arches bridge, and traversing the incredible Demoda loop. My favourite moment comes when the line crosses the top of a mountain ridge, with the ground dropping away steeply on each side and the station at the summit drifting in and out of the clouds. One for all rail fans or anyone who enjoys jaw dropping scenery.
Funnily enough, I’m in Colombo right now and was thinking about doing the Budulla trip - just not sure if it would work with a 5 year old in tow (though he loves trains!)
On another front (and a bit tongue in cheek), is it safe to come back to the UK? Will I be lynched? Though I guess London is a different kettle of fish when compared to other parts of the country. Stay safe everyone!
(Top Brompton upgrade: I bought some removable dual platform pedals so I can "clip in" when riding. It dramatically improves the experience.)
I have Shimano XTR M9120 on mine because I ride it a lot in the rain and they are one of the few pedals that have properly sealed bearings and don't need rebuilding after every third wet ride.
I like to fold my Brompton into a very small space, so I need removable pedals. But on my road bike, I have the Shimano Deore SPD pedals and absolutely love them. They have been rock solid for years without the slightest issue.
I have double sided pedals on my main 700C cycle, which are fine, but tbh I haven't used the SPD side for several years.
I think you mean single-sided? And I'm the same - thought I'd use my MTB shoes all the time but usually end up using some walking shoes (or even sandals).
I use old fashioned leather straps on my touring bike. Does that make me a bad person?
Though Mrs Flatlander insists on using downtube shifters as well, so she's even more retro than I am. They are DuraAce at least.
I used to love downtube shifters. I liked being able to "throw" the derailleur across multiple gears, and I loved being able to micro adjust if I wasn't quite in the right gear. Modern indexed shifters, by contrast, are a total f*cking pain the arse, because they inevitably become deindexed over time.
Unless you are fly-by-wire(less) - complete with gear changing sensors to do a perfect job for you....
On my road bike, I have SRAM AXS, and it's absolutely fabulous. There's the tiniest whirr... and you are instantly in the next gear.
I realize some people (*cough* Dura Ace *cough*) prefer Shimano groupsets.
A funnier person than I, will write an article about the perfect bike of the future, with complete mechanisation of the riding. So you sit on a park bench as your bike does perfect laps of Richmond Park.
(Top Brompton upgrade: I bought some removable dual platform pedals so I can "clip in" when riding. It dramatically improves the experience.)
I have Shimano XTR M9120 on mine because I ride it a lot in the rain and they are one of the few pedals that have properly sealed bearings and don't need rebuilding after every third wet ride.
I like to fold my Brompton into a very small space, so I need removable pedals. But on my road bike, I have the Shimano Deore SPD pedals and absolutely love them. They have been rock solid for years without the slightest issue.
I have double sided pedals on my main 700C cycle, which are fine, but tbh I haven't used the SPD side for several years.
I think you mean single-sided? And I'm the same - thought I'd use my MTB shoes all the time but usually end up using some walking shoes (or even sandals).
I use old fashioned leather straps on my touring bike. Does that make me a bad person?
Though Mrs Flatlander insists on using downtube shifters as well, so she's even more retro than I am. They are DuraAce at least.
I used to love downtube shifters. I liked being able to "throw" the derailleur across multiple gears, and I loved being able to micro adjust if I wasn't quite in the right gear. Modern indexed shifters, by contrast, are a total f*cking pain the arse, because they inevitably become deindexed over time.
Unless you are fly-by-wire(less) - complete with gear changing sensors to do a perfect job for you....
There are no sensors in electronic shifting systems. They all depend on the derailleur home position beings correctly set and from there it's an open loop system that relies on the accuracy of the stepper motors. The extent of derailleur travel is set by the position of the limit screws.
(Top Brompton upgrade: I bought some removable dual platform pedals so I can "clip in" when riding. It dramatically improves the experience.)
I have Shimano XTR M9120 on mine because I ride it a lot in the rain and they are one of the few pedals that have properly sealed bearings and don't need rebuilding after every third wet ride.
I like to fold my Brompton into a very small space, so I need removable pedals. But on my road bike, I have the Shimano Deore SPD pedals and absolutely love them. They have been rock solid for years without the slightest issue.
I have double sided pedals on my main 700C cycle, which are fine, but tbh I haven't used the SPD side for several years.
I think you mean single-sided? And I'm the same - thought I'd use my MTB shoes all the time but usually end up using some walking shoes (or even sandals).
No - I mean double-sided. SPD (mountain bike) clips one side, flats the other. This may be semantics.
Checked, and I'm using Shimano PD-A 530s, which have been on it for years.
Lesson 1 was when adjusting clips start loose and tighten, not the other way round.
(I hope you don't insist on calling pedals with clips, "clipless". )
That, for me, is single sided.
I am willing to have a vicious argument about this irrelevant topic, in the finest PB tradition.
Single sided pedals are ones where there is one platform for pedalling (into which you clip), while the other side is not used at all.
Most "road" pedals - Look, SPD-SL, etc - are single sided like that.
(But for normal people regular SPD pedals are fine. And much easier to walk in.)
Yes, but the shoes tend to have a hole in the sole, which is not good for puddles or British, especially West of the Pennines British, weather.
There are normal style shoes with SPD type clips.
I have waterproof socks, but it's a bit of effort to find a compromise.
The Adidas Velosamba shoes look normal (in fact, I think they look pretty good), and are SPD cleat compatible. The one issue with them is that the sole is very stiff and therefore they are not comfortable to walk in for long periods of time.
Comments
https://x.com/TimesRadio/status/1820751713189400772
The appropriate reaction is to encourage all communities to support the police, not use his position to justify aggression by a pile of angry young men, dressed up as defence.
As member of our parliament, he should understand this.
He's the yin to Farage's yang.
Also coined this marvellous line - “It is the beauty of a well designed Fascism that it gives every piss-ant an anthill to piss from.”
https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1820788830171017712
The same legacy media dingbats who lied repeatedly, claiming “X/Twitter is dying”, are now saying it’s the “largest & most influential platform” 🤣🤣🤣
The real crime here is that my sides hurt from laughing at the irony!
Listen Ed, if you want to refute something, it is easy to do on this platform, unlike the tripe you publish in your legacy paper.
OK yes some of these people may be racists because racists exist everywhere and no doubt some will have views similar to Tommy Robinson. I will have yet another go so that people don't (what seems deliberately to) misunderstand my posts, but it seems futile:
The Asian thugs did not attack the white people in these instances because the Asian thugs are racists. They attacked them for several possible reasons: they fancied a fight, they were angry at the rioting, etc. Their primary motive was not racism even if some of them might be.
And just to put a nail in the coffin of the other spurious reading of what I posted, I was not, and never would justify the beating up of one race because the other race beat up your race. It is all as bad as one another.
And in practically every reply the word 'Racist' was used when I consistently used the term 'Right Wing Racist' because that was the term used in the original post I was replying to.
The whole point of my post has now been completely lost now because of the nit picking of people.
Sorry @Malmesbury that wasn't aimed at you. Your post was correct, but I am at the end of my tether doting the 'i's and crossing the 't's having to explain and then re-explain and then explain again what I meant such that the original point has now been completely lost.
Kelly has some issues over Labour/unions, but much less.
Hence the favourable/unfavourable rankings in that poll the over day.
Checked, and I'm using Shimano PD-A 530s, which have been on it for years.
Lesson 1 was when adjusting clips start loose and tighten, not the other way round.
(I hope you don't insist on calling pedals with clips, "clipless".
1) Our people are being attacked by “White People”
2) Therefore we will go and attack us some “White People”
Are probably already that kind of dickhead.
As opposed to
1) Our people are being attacked by “White People”
2) Therefore we will go and defend the mosque from the scum
https://x.com/dillyhussain88/status/1820725239174594839
Though Mrs Flatlander insists on using downtube shifters as well, so she's even more retro than I am. They are DuraAce at least.
If someone attacks somebody else because of the colour of their skin, then - by definition - they are a racist because the attack is motivated by the colour of their skin.
What you seem to be saying - and why you are having to explain yourself multiple times - is that if a white crowd attacks an Asian because of the colour of their skin, then the automatic - and only - explanation is that they are racist. Yet, if an Asian crowd attacks somebody white, then they are not racist because there are other explanations possible.
Three questions:
1. How is that not double standards?
2. How do you know that racism / religiosity is not the primary motivating factors behind Asian attacks on white people?
3. Have you been to a town like Oldham over the past 15-20 years? Plenty of instances there to knock your theory out of the park.
A pity that all is being drowned out by his "free speech" BS which is entirely hard right / conspiratorial. That guy linked to earlier where the ban hammer was threatened to TSE (popcorn on standby) - I had a glance at him. He is a screaming homophobe and anti-semite. But he's pro-Trump. So of course Twix will defend him.
Seriously, can someone push a software update out to Elon the way we get them for the cars?
The Democrat Party is a coalition. A lot of the base and voluntary party are on the left. Why piss them off when there are available candidates that don’t?
Or do you mean the really traditional ones attached to your ankle that have to be unbuckled whilst still going since your foot is hard-tied to the pedal?
Or is there something in between?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Te4QEdF-DhA
Don't 3 speed Brompton's still use a Sturmey Archer gearbox?
She can't risk a safe choice therefore, she needs a candidate who can bring her a big swing state like PA.
Under FPTP the hard left are largely irrelevant anyway, it is centrist suburban swing voters in battleground states Shapiro appeals to who will decide the election.
*Maybe* the same is true in terms of allowing HMO landlords to sweat an asset a bit longer, but I suspect their fixed costs are pretty much the same whether they rent to asylum seekers or the general population. New boiler every x years, new paint on the walls etc. But I wouldn't bet on it. HMO landlords are already able to sweat assets to a ridiculous degree due to the housing crisis. People will rent anything with a roof on it. Hence the complaints we see on social media about immigrants living in "four star hotels" while "good, honest British patriots (sic)" live in damp, black mould ridden houses etc.
The block booking of hotels nearing the end of their serviceable life opened up a new avenue for hotel companies to make money. On that basis, I reckon switching to HMOs suggests fewer cost savings for the government, plus further distortion of an overheated rental market. I can't see how it's an improvement.
I am willing to have a vicious argument about this irrelevant topic, in the finest PB tradition.
I figure that if you look like you aren't trying to go fast there is no embarrassment in trundling around at 20kmh.
If someone on a racing machine passes you just shrug and look at the flowers.
"We really need those 15,000 votes from Dearborn, Michigan who want America to be eternally consumed by the fires of holy jihad," Schumer said. "We'd hate to lose out on their support just because we have a guy on the ticket who probably thinks Jews should exist. It's a real conundrum."
Great!!!
You're wrong, and I am unanimous on that.
But you have carefully avoided answered the more important irrelevant question about clipless pedals which have clips on them.
BTW do you say "flammable" or "inflammable"?
This ain't Gaza. We ain't having no intifada, here.
Minority groups/viewpoints have full civil rights and access to the political system to address/resolve their grievances.
Here's Shabana Mahmood, showing how it's done;
https://x.com/ShabanaMahmood/status/1820779480312398075
Shabana Mahmood MP
@ShabanaMahmood
·
1h
It doesn’t matter who you are or what you’re protesting – if you turn up in a mask, with a weapon, intent on causing disorder, you will face the full force of the law.
To those working with police and community organisations with pride and civic duty - you are the best of us.
Kris Maharaj was convicted of the murder of a father and son back in 1986, but he always maintained his innocence. In 2019 a judge ruled he had proved so."
https://news.sky.com/story/kris-maharaj-who-spent-38-years-in-florida-prison-despite-judge-finding-him-innocent-dies-13191774
@Yokes is usually good on this stuff
The kind of 'legacy media' that will likely outlast the X platform under his leadership.
See the reaction Starmer's action/inaction here.
Hey, at least he didn't get less than a year, like the assistants in the Bond Street stabbing/murder, way back.
I don't blame him for the politics. I think it will be a while before people believe it.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/other/labour-s-neglect-of-ordinary-people-s-concerns-with-a-sprinkling-of-contempt-is-fuelling-rage-and-despair-kwasi-kwarteng/ar-AA1ok8ks?ocid=entnewsntp&pc=U531&cvid=5203ccba8d22435db5a7d063c6af616c&ei=20
It’s not “large democrats” but “democrats with large names”. Thus Gore needed Libermann to balance his short arse name.
Harris is a mediocre length - Walz or Kelly wouldn’t help but Shapiro might do a little
I have a bad ankle, and one that can react badly (*) to sideways twisting motions. I'd love to get clipless pedals, but am quite concerned about :
1) getting clipless shoes that don't aggravate my ankle.
2) whether the twisting movement to disconnect would cause pain, especially if done hurriedly and unexpectedly.
The former I can probably check by going into a shop and trying loads on, and then getting compatible pedals for the show.
But my real concern is the latter. How much of a twisting motion, and how much force, is required to clip and unclip?
(The main reason I want to get some is for power measurement purposes.)
(*) The agonising-pain definition of 'react badly'.
(Yes, I know this isn't obscurecyclingquestions.com...)
Now moving onto what you said: You have again said something I didn't say. You say I 'seem to be saying'. Well guess what I wasn't (or not specifically. It is more complicated than that. See below)
Try to respond to what I actually say and not what you think I say. You have generalised a specific incident. You can't do that.
So let's be clear:
I assume you believe that the white rioters were generally racists or at least motivated by racists. Not sure anyone would disagree with that.
Now also let's be clear so we don't raise this red herring again - Non white people can also be racist.
However when someone reacts to a racist attack in a violent way it does not automatically make them racist. That is illogical and is not a double standard. If for instance I see a black and a white man fighting over a racial issue and I step in that doesn't make me a racist does it?
You even made the point (unintentionally I assume yourself) when you paraphrased me: You said if a white man attacks an Asian because of the colour of their skin that is racism (It is). Yet if an Asian crowd attacks someone white, then that is not racism because other explanations are possible (and that is also possibly correct).
Do you want to know why it is correct? Because in the first part you put the words 'colour of skin' and in the second part you didn't. Now if you had put 'colour of skin' in the 2nd part that would also have been racism, but you didn't.
As soon as you remove the colour of skin being a reason then it may or may not be racism. It could be a 101 reasons. You might be stopping a burglar for instance. In the case of the riots it is clear that the original perpetrators are racists. It is not clear that those responding are.
In answer to questions 2) Common sense says it is unlikely and is a reaction to the riots and I might ask how do you know it isn't. In answer to question 3) Yes.
Most "road" pedals - Look, SPD-SL, etc - are single sided like that.
(But for normal people regular SPD pedals are fine. And much easier to walk in.)
I realize some people (*cough* Dura Ace *cough*) prefer Shimano groupsets.
All of this and other legislation is as a result of agreement with the Union paymasters as to what a labour govt would do when in power. The unions have paid the piper they now call the tune.
If this was the Tories and big business there would be howls of outrage. Yet here there is none.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/labour-s-angela-rayner-announces-draconian-tory-anti-strike-laws-will-be-scrapped/ar-AA1ojAE9?ocid=entnewsntp&pc=U531&cvid=45514e4e906145169e8043fb1eef49ba&ei=51
Neither justifies the other. And my post of pointing out the whataboutery of such a statement which tries to excuse the Right Wing thugs by pointing out some Asian thugs are just as bad has been turned on its head by suggesting I am justifying Asian thuggery. I am not.
All thuggery is bad. All racism is bad.
Because I suspect the end result would be that everyone called in sick on the day of the strike rather than admitted they were striking...
End result would be the same except companies would need to pay money out...
However Haley led Biden by 8% in February while Trump had just a 2% lead and DeSantis a 3% lead and Haley had a 16% lower unfavourable rating than Harris did
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nikki-haley-fares-best-against-biden-2024-presidential-election-poll/
https://www.newsweek.com/kamala-harris-popularity-compared-nikki-haley-1866503
There are normal style shoes with SPD type clips.
I have waterproof socks, but it's a bit of effort to find a compromise.
Just asking for Stormy Daniels.
I'm usually one of the least authoritarian posters on this site, but he's a menace to all of us.
So clips on the soul became "clipless pedals".
In rowing, the shoes are (generally) bolted (literally) to the foot plate, which is bolted into the boat.
Awesome if you are using only your boat, or you row in the same boat all the time. In most clubs, this is not so.
So Shimano got into the expanding space of removable shoes. To start the idiocy, they created their own footplate. Boats come with footplates. Usually in composite and light as a feather. Shimano produced a thing in chunks (and I mean chunks) of aluminium.
To further advance their endeavour, they needed shoes to clips to the foot rest and a mechanism to clip with. No, they didn't do that. Rather than using the system from bike shoes, they created a new, extremely expensive and utterly unique system. Which was especially incompatible with their bike system. And could only ever use their shoes. Which were expensive and a bit shit.
To cap it off, they were very upset at the rude reviews that followed. Even phoning editors to demand that reviews be pulled.
They have since tried reworking the system, but everyone just giggles. And buys Bont Racing's system. Which works and costs about £30 a pair. As opposed to about £500 for Shimano.
On another front (and a bit tongue in cheek), is it safe to come back to the UK? Will I be lynched? Though I guess London is a different kettle of fish when compared to other parts of the country. Stay safe everyone!
Including medals at Kayak Cross which is basically dodgem cars in water.
Walz is governor of Minnesota which is solid Democratic and even voted for Hillary, Dukakis and Mondale