Lucy, from Shenfield, Essex – who was the first in her family to go to university, gaining a maths degree in 2007 – worked briefly in graduate roles as a transport planner and in private equity. But on an annual salary of £20,000, she felt her student debt was hanging over her. She moved back to her parents’ house and has been in part-time minimum-wage jobs since she was 25. For the past six years, she has been a taxi controller, earning £19,000 last year.
“My student debt makes me not want to earn more, as my equivalent rate of tax would be 38%,” she said. “I see not repaying my loan as an act of defiance.”
Student loans have become complicated, so I may need help with this bit of the Guardian story:
Olivia took a lower paid job because her monthly payments were £350, ie £4200 pa. This £4200 would be 9% of earnings over the threshold (which can differ) say about £26000. £4200 is 9% of over £46,000 which added to the threshold is £72000 earnings.
Round here £72000 is a lot.
My sympathy is finite. Are my figures about correct?
(BTW the article never mentions that monthly payments relate only to earnings and not how much you have borrowed; and I am opposed to the loan system).
They're wrong because she's a Plan A student which means the threshold starts at £18k, if she was paying £350 per month then her annual salary was ~£65k which means she'd have paid off the loan pretty quickly. What doesn't make sense is that no one walks into a £65k job so she'd have been paying the loan off all the way up to that salary and by then she'd surely have got it down to well below £5k and at that point loads of people choose to go onto a direct debit or just use their savings to pay it off in full.
There's either more to this story than is being let on or the year of graduation is wrong and it's supposed to be 2017 not 2007.
Edit - different people, that person graduated on Plan D which sucks yeah, the Tories and Lib Dems really fucked it up.
TBF, the Browne report it's based on was set up by Labour.
This was an absolutely epochal government cockup. Not any one particular party.
What they were all smoking at the time I have no idea.
I know exactly what they were doing.
They were looking at a way that increased taxes for young people (that don't vote) that didn't increase taxes for old people (who do vote) or themselves.
It was purely selfish and it was wrong and immoral.
Well, yes, that may have been part of it and the last sentence isn't wrong which is why I've liked your post.
But - the whole point is that it didn't sort out university finance, and it's still going to leave the bulk of the expense on general taxation.
So, in a stroke of genius not given to all of us, they managed to screw the young *and* the old in one amazing burst of incompetence.
No, you've missed a key point though. Stoking up problems for the future, adding to borrowing in the future etc, is still passing the bill over to the young.
They've managed to screw over the young and the future-old, who were younger when they introduced the system too.
And before someone retorts that the young should vote then if they didn't want to be screwed over, the young we're talking about can't vote by law since the people being screwed the most were all under-18 when this change was done so even the most politically aware wasn't able to vote.
The future has arrived after just twelve years though.*
As was brutally obvious to everyone in academia who had a functioning brain at the time.
So it didn't kick the can far enough.
*A case could be made it arrived after seven years, with Brexit, but that was a bit of a black swan event.
A case can be made that Brexit allowed the problem to be delayed a couple of more years as a combination of fewer EU students and more foreign students provided enough additional university income to keep the can going a couple of more years.
I was right in predicting crossover would take place in August.
#LegendaryModestyKlaxon
Thomas Dewey led Truman in August 1948 polls, Nixon led JFK in half the August 1960 polls, Carter led or tied with Reagan in half the August 1980 polls, Dukakis led Bush 41 in August 1988 polls, Gore led Bush in some August 2000 polls, McCain tied Obama in some August 2008 polls, Hillary led Trump in all August 2016 polls. August presidential polls are not always 100% reliable forecasts of the ultimate outcome https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polling_for_United_States_presidential_elections
Lucy, from Shenfield, Essex – who was the first in her family to go to university, gaining a maths degree in 2007 – worked briefly in graduate roles as a transport planner and in private equity. But on an annual salary of £20,000, she felt her student debt was hanging over her. She moved back to her parents’ house and has been in part-time minimum-wage jobs since she was 25. For the past six years, she has been a taxi controller, earning £19,000 last year.
“My student debt makes me not want to earn more, as my equivalent rate of tax would be 38%,” she said. “I see not repaying my loan as an act of defiance.”
What a loser.
And Daniel, from Norwich, who graduated with £55,000 of student debt, feels ‘any sort of relief for students repaying loans would be good’. Well of course it would. He would say that. Who would pay for it ?
I do think interest rates charged have been high and many people were duped into taking degrees as the prevailing govt wisdom was that the jobs of the future would need degrees hence the desire to get 50% of kids into Uni. However they need to live with their life choices.
A recent social development I've observed: young thirty-ish couples, apparently bright and well educated, running bijou cafés in tourist towns. This always strikes me as being a sad waste of talent, all the more so if they're doing it to stay below the debt repayment threshold. Tourist cafés were traditionally operated by gnarled old misanthropes and I fear this is what lies in store for them, too.
I think if I ever get to being mortgage free then that lifestyle appeals to me a lot, I'm lucky that my workplace has allowed me to go part time but right now I don't see any upside to going back to a full 5 day week. I get more time with my family, more personal time to myself or to spend with my wife, my weekends aren't just about recovering from the week I actually feel energised and able to meet friends or take my kids to adventure parks or places I know they'll enjoy without feeling exhausted on Monday morning.
I'd love to run an 8am to 4pm opening brunch cafe somewhere down by the coast in Hove...
I’ve emotionally gone from being mentally and emotionally reconciled to a Trump win to having hope that Harris actually might do it. Sadly it’s the hope that kills you.
I actually think that Harris will do it as much because all the energy seems to have drained from DonOLD Trump...
Trump has been steadily declining since 2016.
Understandably so given the ageing and stress he has suffered.
Its only because US politics is so filled with senile dodderers that it hasn't been so noticeable.
Nikki Haley shortening to 65 on Betfair. Worth a small punt?
Quite surprised at this. I'm not touching it though as I don't understand what possible path she has to winning. (Interested if anyone has a good understanding of this)
Path:
Trump thinks he's going to lose.
So does a deal with Haley - she gets nomination, he gets presidential pardon
Trump pulls out, blames shooting wound
I’ve had similar thoughts. He’s 78. Very nearly dying by gunfire must be incredibly traumatic, but the trauma might take time to emerge and affect you
Also: who the F tried to kill Trump and why?! Incredible how the sassytempt has been memory-holed. “Oh just some normal guy with no opinions who was never on the internet. Typical kids, tried to kill a President, often happens, move along”
lol. wtf. Etc. I still reckon it was the Ukes using some sexy girl to seduce a lonely young clean skinned man
The playbook is much more Russian.
In the end Trump was not seriously hurt, but the shooter was killed "with an incredibly lucky shot".
Alienated young man seeking to make himself big in the world. There's no great mystery here. Unfortunately him being killed and therefore beyond interrogation means there'll always be 'theories'. That's just how people are.
Or you could do some research of your own
The dead guy who tried to kill Trump was Thomas Crooks. Turns out he DID have a faint online presence - @BartholomewRoberts is correct. On the social medium GAB, for instance
Here is his alleged GAB account, it is generally accepted this is him
After some flirtation with hard right tropes in his mid teens it appears he morphed into this guy. Pro-Biden, pro-migration, pro-lockdown. He would definitely be anti Trump
Yet he’s also articulate and well informed, absolutely not a nutter. I stand by my conspiracy theory: a sad lonely sex-starved clean skin likely recruited by someone else (possibly the Ukes) who played on his anti Trump feelings, convincing him Trump is as bad as Hitler and needs to go
OT while throwing away my books, I've come across Advocates by PB's favourite lawyer, David Pannick, before he became a lord. £15 hardback in 1992, shortly to start its slow journey to the council tip.
Don't throw away books, there'll always be someone interested in them. Support second-hand bookshops.
Sadly, there aren't. It's not just me, friends report charity bookshops were not even interested in signed copies. The old ecosystem where prolific readers used charity shops as a lending library are gone, as have the dedicated second hand bookshops of Bloomsbury and Charing Cross Road.
Most of my books are out-of-date tech books whose information is readily available online. The rest, well, it's possible I might get the odd nibble from Ebay but the hassle of listing them all, and then having to pack and post them when it's not a full-time hobby, is disproportionate.
But it is sad and frustrating, which is why it is taking so long as I stop to ponder each volume. I'm not a barrister so why buy Advocates more than 30 years ago? I can only assume Pannick had been on television or in the news around that time.
Blimey, not often a PB issue comes up which is entirely within my area of expertise. (Started work in a general secondhand bookshop, went to uni, set up bookselling biz myself).
In short, a) the efficiency of the market and b) high st rents are the reasons why local secondhand bookshops don't exist anymore.
With the advent of the internet, it became apparent that gross demand of any specific title rarely exceeds gross supply. So prices of most general books tend towards zero. If you have a massive warehouse of general secondhand books priced £2-25 and a data entry team, you can make it work by fulfilling worldwide demand online. But a small shop selling general books to a local market and paying market rents? Too little demand and too much supply in most places. There are a few exceptions, but not many. Space becomes the limiting factor even if the small local shop sells online. They won't have a big enough stock to make it work economically.
The antiquarian booktrade, however, is thriving. Whilst the same effect as above happened on some titles (partly due to fashion - fishing and cricket books have taken a massive dive over the past decade), for others it became apparent just how few copies of certain books existed; and for very popular editions of classic works, how demand far outstrips supply. As an example, we used to sell the very attractive 'Peacock' edition of Austen's Pride and Prejudice for £100ish. It now regularly sells for 20-30x that, and more!
Lucy, from Shenfield, Essex – who was the first in her family to go to university, gaining a maths degree in 2007 – worked briefly in graduate roles as a transport planner and in private equity. But on an annual salary of £20,000, she felt her student debt was hanging over her. She moved back to her parents’ house and has been in part-time minimum-wage jobs since she was 25. For the past six years, she has been a taxi controller, earning £19,000 last year.
“My student debt makes me not want to earn more, as my equivalent rate of tax would be 38%,” she said. “I see not repaying my loan as an act of defiance.”
If she got a degree in 2007, she didn't pay more than £1,200 a year in fees. Also, the first two years would have been paid up front.
What the hell was she doing working in private equity that paid £20k - cleaning the office? The receptionist or the most junior of junior analysts would have been on way more than £20k in 2009.
Lucy, from Shenfield, Essex – who was the first in her family to go to university, gaining a maths degree in 2007 – worked briefly in graduate roles as a transport planner and in private equity. But on an annual salary of £20,000, she felt her student debt was hanging over her. She moved back to her parents’ house and has been in part-time minimum-wage jobs since she was 25. For the past six years, she has been a taxi controller, earning £19,000 last year.
“My student debt makes me not want to earn more, as my equivalent rate of tax would be 38%,” she said. “I see not repaying my loan as an act of defiance.”
If she got a degree in 2007, she didn't pay more than £1,200 a year in fees. Also, the first two years would have been paid up front.
What the hell was she doing working in private equity that paid £20k - cleaning the office? The receptionist or the most junior of junior analysts would have been on way more than £20k in 2009.
Lucy, from Shenfield, Essex – who was the first in her family to go to university, gaining a maths degree in 2007 – worked briefly in graduate roles as a transport planner and in private equity. But on an annual salary of £20,000, she felt her student debt was hanging over her. She moved back to her parents’ house and has been in part-time minimum-wage jobs since she was 25. For the past six years, she has been a taxi controller, earning £19,000 last year.
“My student debt makes me not want to earn more, as my equivalent rate of tax would be 38%,” she said. “I see not repaying my loan as an act of defiance.”
What a loser.
And Daniel, from Norwich, who graduated with £55,000 of student debt, feels ‘any sort of relief for students repaying loans would be good’. Well of course it would. He would say that. Who would pay for it ?
I do think interest rates charged have been high and many people were duped into taking degrees as the prevailing govt wisdom was that the jobs of the future would need degrees hence the desire to get 50% of kids into Uni. However they need to live with their life choices.
A recent social development I've observed: young thirty-ish couples, apparently bright and well educated, running bijou cafés in tourist towns. This always strikes me as being a sad waste of talent, all the more so if they're doing it to stay below the debt repayment threshold. Tourist cafés were traditionally operated by gnarled old misanthropes and I fear this is what lies in store for them, too.
I think if I ever get to being mortgage free then that lifestyle appeals to me a lot, I'm lucky that my workplace has allowed me to go part time but right now I don't see any upside to going back to a full 5 day week. I get more time with my family, more personal time to myself or to spend with my wife, my weekends aren't just about recovering from the week I actually feel energised and able to meet friends or take my kids to adventure parks or places I know they'll enjoy without feeling exhausted on Monday morning.
I'd love to run an 8am to 4pm opening brunch cafe somewhere down by the coast in Hove...
The one thing I will point out is that running such a cafe is way harder than you might expect - you ideally want to be front of house with someone else doing the kitchen work...
I thing I've learnt over the years is that a lot of low paid work is far harder than the office based 'thinking" jobs most of us on here do...
I’ve emotionally gone from being mentally and emotionally reconciled to a Trump win to having hope that Harris actually might do it. Sadly it’s the hope that kills you.
I actually think that Harris will do it as much because all the energy seems to have drained from DonOLD Trump...
Trump has been steadily declining since 2016.
Understandably so given the ageing and stress he has suffered.
Its only because US politics is so filled with senile dodderers that it hasn't been so noticeable.
Nikki Haley shortening to 65 on Betfair. Worth a small punt?
Quite surprised at this. I'm not touching it though as I don't understand what possible path she has to winning. (Interested if anyone has a good understanding of this)
Path:
Trump thinks he's going to lose.
So does a deal with Haley - she gets nomination, he gets presidential pardon
Trump pulls out, blames shooting wound
I’ve had similar thoughts. He’s 78. Very nearly dying by gunfire must be incredibly traumatic, but the trauma might take time to emerge and affect you
Also: who the F tried to kill Trump and why?! Incredible how the sassytempt has been memory-holed. “Oh just some normal guy with no opinions who was never on the internet. Typical kids, tried to kill a President, often happens, move along”
lol. wtf. Etc. I still reckon it was the Ukes using some sexy girl to seduce a lonely young clean skinned man
The playbook is much more Russian.
In the end Trump was not seriously hurt, but the shooter was killed "with an incredibly lucky shot".
Alienated young man seeking to make himself big in the world. There's no great mystery here. Unfortunately him being killed and therefore beyond interrogation means there'll always be 'theories'. That's just how people are.
Or you could do some research of your own
The dead guy who tried to kill Trump was Thomas Crooks. Turns out he DID have a faint online presence - @BartholomewRoberts is correct. On the social medium GAB, for instance
Here is his alleged GAB account, it is generally accepted this is him
After some flirtation with hard right tropes in his mid teens it appears he morphed into this guy. Pro-Biden, pro-migration, pro-lockdown. He would definitely be anti Trump
Yet he’s also articulate and well informed, absolutely not a nutter. I stand by my conspiracy theory: a sad lonely sex-starved clean skin likely recruited by someone else (possibly the Ukes) who played on his anti Trump feelings, convincing him Trump is as bad as Hitler and needs to go
People who are articulate online absolutely can be nutters IRL.
And this is America. Shootings happen on a daily basis. You keep repeating that its "not normal" for people to be shooters, but it is normal for there to be American shooters and it is normal for Presidents to face being attacked.
By my count 20 of the 46 have, either in office or out of it, faced an assassination attempt. That's virtually a coin-toss. And its distorted by the early Presidents being less likely to face it, its greater than 50% in modern times.
That's not counting would-be Presidents like RFK who have been killed or faced assassination attempts before they became President.
Lucy, from Shenfield, Essex – who was the first in her family to go to university, gaining a maths degree in 2007 – worked briefly in graduate roles as a transport planner and in private equity. But on an annual salary of £20,000, she felt her student debt was hanging over her. She moved back to her parents’ house and has been in part-time minimum-wage jobs since she was 25. For the past six years, she has been a taxi controller, earning £19,000 last year.
“My student debt makes me not want to earn more, as my equivalent rate of tax would be 38%,” she said. “I see not repaying my loan as an act of defiance.”
What a loser.
And Daniel, from Norwich, who graduated with £55,000 of student debt, feels ‘any sort of relief for students repaying loans would be good’. Well of course it would. He would say that. Who would pay for it ?
I do think interest rates charged have been high and many people were duped into taking degrees as the prevailing govt wisdom was that the jobs of the future would need degrees hence the desire to get 50% of kids into Uni. However they need to live with their life choices.
A recent social development I've observed: young thirty-ish couples, apparently bright and well educated, running bijou cafés in tourist towns. This always strikes me as being a sad waste of talent, all the more so if they're doing it to stay below the debt repayment threshold. Tourist cafés were traditionally operated by gnarled old misanthropes and I fear this is what lies in store for them, too.
I think if I ever get to being mortgage free then that lifestyle appeals to me a lot, I'm lucky that my workplace has allowed me to go part time but right now I don't see any upside to going back to a full 5 day week. I get more time with my family, more personal time to myself or to spend with my wife, my weekends aren't just about recovering from the week I actually feel energised and able to meet friends or take my kids to adventure parks or places I know they'll enjoy without feeling exhausted on Monday morning.
I'd love to run an 8am to 4pm opening brunch cafe somewhere down by the coast in Hove...
The one thing I will point out is that running such a cafe is way harder than you might expect - you ideally want to be front of house with someone else doing the kitchen work...
I thing I've learnt over the years is that a lot of low paid work is far harder than the office based 'thinking" jobs most of us on here do...
I was thinking, when I read that 8 am to 4pm, up at 6 for the deliveries and early prep, leave at 5-6 after cleaning up to Environmental Health standards, then there's the paperwork to do ...
I went out to one of the more minor counter-protests last night, at a North London community / advice centre affiliated with the Islamic Cultural Centre (so about as establishment as it's possible to get).
Attendance peaked at around 8pm with around 100-120 people, tailing off to around half that by the time it got dark. A fairly mixed crowd - mostly 30- and 40-somethings, but some older folk too. A few babies and very young children with their parents, but no teens or students. One police car on the corner, and a couple of uniformed officers at the front gate.
It was all pretty subdued - people milling around or sitting in chairs that had been brought out into the street. Some home-made placards and one banner, but no chanting or singing. Some of the local Turkish restaurants kindly brought us meze and pide, which we very much appreciated.
My friends and I left shortly after 10, but there were a couple of dozen who were intending to stay around until midnight, just in case.
There was no sign of any trouble. The centre itself had been listed as a target on multiple racist telegram groups (hence the police presence), but it was unclear how serious the threat was. The weather was noticeably cooler than it has been recently, with some spits of rain in the air, which probably helped too. Not sure how much good we did, but hopefully it will have at least been enough to deter any future racist protests.
Lucy, from Shenfield, Essex – who was the first in her family to go to university, gaining a maths degree in 2007 – worked briefly in graduate roles as a transport planner and in private equity. But on an annual salary of £20,000, she felt her student debt was hanging over her. She moved back to her parents’ house and has been in part-time minimum-wage jobs since she was 25. For the past six years, she has been a taxi controller, earning £19,000 last year.
“My student debt makes me not want to earn more, as my equivalent rate of tax would be 38%,” she said. “I see not repaying my loan as an act of defiance.”
If she got a degree in 2007, she didn't pay more than £1,200 a year in fees. Also, the first two years would have been paid up front.
What the hell was she doing working in private equity that paid £20k - cleaning the office? The receptionist or the most junior of junior analysts would have been on way more than £20k in 2009.
It doesn't pass the smell test does it....
Indeed. The article on examination unravels into a mixture of useless idiots who make bad choices, misinformation, obvious gaps in the accounts, and clickbait. Guardian standards should be better.
(The whole loans system still stinks despite all this)
I’ve emotionally gone from being mentally and emotionally reconciled to a Trump win to having hope that Harris actually might do it. Sadly it’s the hope that kills you.
*Raises eyebrows*
Has Governor Walz's daughter taken up a new career?
You’re going to have to explain that one to me.
She’s called Hope and may have become an assassin according to your post…
It wasn’t really worth explaining…
But she is called Hope as she was an IVF baby and somehow the Republicans have managed to put themselves in the position of looking anti-IVF.
I went out to one of the more minor counter-protests last night, at a North London community / advice centre affiliated with the Islamic Cultural Centre (so about as establishment as it's possible to get).
Attendance peaked at around 8pm with around 100-120 people, tailing off to around half that by the time it got dark. A fairly mixed crowd - mostly 30- and 40-somethings, but some older folk too. A few babies and very young children with their parents, but no teens or students. One police car on the corner, and a couple of uniformed officers at the front gate.
It was all pretty subdued - people milling around or sitting in chairs that had been brought out into the street. Some home-made placards and one banner, but no chanting or singing. Some of the local Turkish restaurants kindly brought us meze and pide, which we very much appreciated.
My friends and I left shortly after 10, but there were a couple of dozen who were intending to stay around until midnight, just in case.
There was no sign of any trouble. The centre itself had been listed as a target on multiple racist telegram groups (hence the police presence), but it was unclear how serious the threat was. The weather was noticeably cooler than it has been recently, with some spits of rain in the air, which probably helped too. Not sure how much good we did, but hopefully it will have at least been enough to deter any future racist protests.
There won’t be future protests for a while. Until the next Manchester Arena type attack. Which is, sadly, almost inevitable
This riot sequence has ended. “Both sides” quite vigorously made their feelings known
The underlying issue absolutely has not gone away; it will likely worsen
Coverage of the riots and anti-riots. The saturation coverage I have followed could be seen as a thought out attempt to disguise something.
Nearly everyone rejects thuggery and violence. But that does not mean that nearly everyone believes the policy current and recent of massive net migration into the UK and population increase is soundly based or sustainable. This is now being completely sidelined.
Unless the new government wants its regime to be short, and feed the extremes they need to do better.
I’ve emotionally gone from being mentally and emotionally reconciled to a Trump win to having hope that Harris actually might do it. Sadly it’s the hope that kills you.
*Raises eyebrows*
Has Governor Walz's daughter taken up a new career?
You’re going to have to explain that one to me.
She’s called Hope and may have become an assassin according to your post…
It wasn’t really worth explaining…
But she is called Hope as she was an IVF baby and somehow the Republicans have managed to put themselves in the position of looking anti-IVF.
Lucy, from Shenfield, Essex – who was the first in her family to go to university, gaining a maths degree in 2007 – worked briefly in graduate roles as a transport planner and in private equity. But on an annual salary of £20,000, she felt her student debt was hanging over her. She moved back to her parents’ house and has been in part-time minimum-wage jobs since she was 25. For the past six years, she has been a taxi controller, earning £19,000 last year.
“My student debt makes me not want to earn more, as my equivalent rate of tax would be 38%,” she said. “I see not repaying my loan as an act of defiance.”
What a loser.
And Daniel, from Norwich, who graduated with £55,000 of student debt, feels ‘any sort of relief for students repaying loans would be good’. Well of course it would. He would say that. Who would pay for it ?
I do think interest rates charged have been high and many people were duped into taking degrees as the prevailing govt wisdom was that the jobs of the future would need degrees hence the desire to get 50% of kids into Uni. However they need to live with their life choices.
A recent social development I've observed: young thirty-ish couples, apparently bright and well educated, running bijou cafés in tourist towns. This always strikes me as being a sad waste of talent, all the more so if they're doing it to stay below the debt repayment threshold. Tourist cafés were traditionally operated by gnarled old misanthropes and I fear this is what lies in store for them, too.
I think if I ever get to being mortgage free then that lifestyle appeals to me a lot, I'm lucky that my workplace has allowed me to go part time but right now I don't see any upside to going back to a full 5 day week. I get more time with my family, more personal time to myself or to spend with my wife, my weekends aren't just about recovering from the week I actually feel energised and able to meet friends or take my kids to adventure parks or places I know they'll enjoy without feeling exhausted on Monday morning.
I'd love to run an 8am to 4pm opening brunch cafe somewhere down by the coast in Hove...
The one thing I will point out is that running such a cafe is way harder than you might expect - you ideally want to be front of house with someone else doing the kitchen work...
I thing I've learnt over the years is that a lot of low paid work is far harder than the office based 'thinking" jobs most of us on here do...
I was thinking, when I read that 8 am to 4pm, up at 6 for the deliveries and early prep, leave at 5-6 after cleaning up to Environmental Health standards, then there's the paperwork to do ...
Environmental Health actually isn't that difficult our domestic kitchen used to be 5 star.
The rules are always keep it clean and ensure your paperwork is continually up to date..
Trump is looking as deflated as one of those Christmas balloons you find behind the sofa in April.....
There's plenty of time for the Dems to do a Hillary 2016.
There is time, but there is no interest for the Dems to do a Hillary.
Hillary was full of hubris and acted like she was owed the Presidency and flew over the flyover states.
Harris is not making that mistake. She has a laser focus on winning.
Not so laser enough to pick the governor of PA as her running mate though, so RCP has PA still going red
You do champion lost causes first with Johnson now Trump
It is over, he is yesterday's news
I suspect Trump will do better than the polling suggests.
Harris' big mo has probably come a little too early.
What events are left where the narrative will change.
The Democratic Convention is going to be a week of positive news for them
After that they was supposed to be another debate but Trump isn't turning up...
And we still have Trump in court in September for sentencing...
When Trump is in the news his rating goes up. I suspect there are many opportunities left for this.
That may have been true in 2016 when Trump was an outsider who came across like he was fighting for ordinary Joe Sixpack that Beltway politicians like Hillary didn't care about.
I don't think that's true for 2020 or 2024.
Trump today doesn't care about poor Joe anymore, all he cares about is Trump. He's a bitter, angry narcissist annoyed at having lost last time and wants everyone to know that he is the greatest and doesn't care about anyone or anything else.
I think enough Americans want to put the psychodramas of the last few years behind them and Kamala is normal enough to do that, Trump is not. Hence why attacking Harris for the fact she laughs backfired, it just highlighted how dour and miserable Trump is.
Coverage of the riots and anti-riots. The saturation coverage I have followed could be seen as a thought out attempt to disguise something.
Nearly everyone rejects thuggery and violence. But that does not mean that nearly everyone believes the policy current and recent of massive net migration into the UK and population increase is soundly based or sustainable. This is now being completely sidelined.
Unless the new government wants its regime to be short, and feed the extremes they need to do better.
Proportion of immigrants and refugees conducted under the policies of this government <1%.
Coverage of the riots and anti-riots. The saturation coverage I have followed could be seen as a thought out attempt to disguise something.
Nearly everyone rejects thuggery and violence. But that does not mean that nearly everyone believes the policy current and recent of massive net migration into the UK and population increase is soundly based or sustainable. This is now being completely sidelined.
Unless the new government wants its regime to be short, and feed the extremes they need to do better.
I agree with this.
It seems to me that Labour have learned little from their time in opposition.
We're an economic crisis and a decent Tory leader away from that yugggge majority being wiped out.
OT while throwing away my books, I've come across Advocates by PB's favourite lawyer, David Pannick, before he became a lord. £15 hardback in 1992, shortly to start its slow journey to the council tip.
Don't throw away books, there'll always be someone interested in them. Support second-hand bookshops.
Sadly, there aren't. It's not just me, friends report charity bookshops were not even interested in signed copies. The old ecosystem where prolific readers used charity shops as a lending library are gone, as have the dedicated second hand bookshops of Bloomsbury and Charing Cross Road.
Most of my books are out-of-date tech books whose information is readily available online. The rest, well, it's possible I might get the odd nibble from Ebay but the hassle of listing them all, and then having to pack and post them when it's not a full-time hobby, is disproportionate.
But it is sad and frustrating, which is why it is taking so long as I stop to ponder each volume. I'm not a barrister so why buy Advocates more than 30 years ago? I can only assume Pannick had been on television or in the news around that time.
Been finding that too with clearing relatives' houses and doing the usual 60-something clearout post retirement. Certainly for ordinary charity shops, though the specialist charity bookshops in Edinburgh have been better (not much use to you). In the end we simply dumped our unwanted books to add to those in a deceased relative's house which we were getting a charity with a specialist furniture shop to clear - they have a specialist bookshop as well. That way we got the books cleared.
I don't know what it is. Booklovers dying off? Houses too small these days?
But obsolete editions of tech books can go into the recycling bin (not tip) without any compunction.
In England the people best set up to do it are Oxfam; they have various online outlets including rare and collectible books *
They also have a recycling plant in Wakefield or Huddersfield or similar for the processing. Not my favourite charity, but that's where they'd go as I can deliver to a local charity shop without pfaff.
They also have a specific emphasis on text books, which may be sent to developing countries.
National Trust are also surprisingly big in secondhand books at larger properties. Mine (NT top 20 300k visitors) has snack truck, mini-nursery, cafe, restaurant, NT shop, 2nd hand bookshop.
* For posh-nosh gobbling but uncivilised PBers they currently have a First Edition of The Gentleman's Table Guide by E. Ricket and C. Thomas (1871) for £3500.
Trump is looking as deflated as one of those Christmas balloons you find behind the sofa in April.....
There's plenty of time for the Dems to do a Hillary 2016.
There is time, but there is no interest for the Dems to do a Hillary.
Hillary was full of hubris and acted like she was owed the Presidency and flew over the flyover states.
Harris is not making that mistake. She has a laser focus on winning.
Not so laser enough to pick the governor of PA as her running mate though, so RCP has PA still going red
You do champion lost causes first with Johnson now Trump
It is over, he is yesterday's news
I suspect Trump will do better than the polling suggests.
Harris' big mo has probably come a little too early.
What events are left where the narrative will change.
The Democratic Convention is going to be a week of positive news for them
After that they was supposed to be another debate but Trump isn't turning up...
And we still have Trump in court in September for sentencing...
When Trump is in the news his rating goes up. I suspect there are many opportunities left for this.
That may have been true in 2016 when Trump was an outsider who came across like he was fighting for ordinary Joe Sixpack that Beltway politicians like Hillary didn't care about.
I don't think that's true for 2020 or 2024.
Trump today doesn't care about poor Joe anymore, all he cares about is Trump. He's a bitter, angry narcissist annoyed at having lost last time and wants everyone to know that he is the greatest and doesn't care about anyone or anything else.
I think enough Americans want to put the psychodramas of the last few years behind them and Kamala is normal enough to do that, Trump is not. Hence why attacking Harris for the fact she laughs backfired, it just highlighted how dour and miserable Trump is.
Whilst I hope this is the case, few people have made money underestimating Trump's political bouncebackability.
He often tries various lines of attack before finding one that resonates....
Lucy, from Shenfield, Essex – who was the first in her family to go to university, gaining a maths degree in 2007 – worked briefly in graduate roles as a transport planner and in private equity. But on an annual salary of £20,000, she felt her student debt was hanging over her. She moved back to her parents’ house and has been in part-time minimum-wage jobs since she was 25. For the past six years, she has been a taxi controller, earning £19,000 last year.
“My student debt makes me not want to earn more, as my equivalent rate of tax would be 38%,” she said. “I see not repaying my loan as an act of defiance.”
What a loser.
And Daniel, from Norwich, who graduated with £55,000 of student debt, feels ‘any sort of relief for students repaying loans would be good’. Well of course it would. He would say that. Who would pay for it ?
I do think interest rates charged have been high and many people were duped into taking degrees as the prevailing govt wisdom was that the jobs of the future would need degrees hence the desire to get 50% of kids into Uni. However they need to live with their life choices.
A recent social development I've observed: young thirty-ish couples, apparently bright and well educated, running bijou cafés in tourist towns. This always strikes me as being a sad waste of talent, all the more so if they're doing it to stay below the debt repayment threshold. Tourist cafés were traditionally operated by gnarled old misanthropes and I fear this is what lies in store for them, too.
I think if I ever get to being mortgage free then that lifestyle appeals to me a lot, I'm lucky that my workplace has allowed me to go part time but right now I don't see any upside to going back to a full 5 day week. I get more time with my family, more personal time to myself or to spend with my wife, my weekends aren't just about recovering from the week I actually feel energised and able to meet friends or take my kids to adventure parks or places I know they'll enjoy without feeling exhausted on Monday morning.
I'd love to run an 8am to 4pm opening brunch cafe somewhere down by the coast in Hove...
The one thing I will point out is that running such a cafe is way harder than you might expect - you ideally want to be front of house with someone else doing the kitchen work...
I thing I've learnt over the years is that a lot of low paid work is far harder than the office based 'thinking" jobs most of us on here do...
I was thinking, when I read that 8 am to 4pm, up at 6 for the deliveries and early prep, leave at 5-6 after cleaning up to Environmental Health standards, then there's the paperwork to do ...
Indeed. It's the same as the mystery of why so many people want to run a pub.
I’ve emotionally gone from being mentally and emotionally reconciled to a Trump win to having hope that Harris actually might do it. Sadly it’s the hope that kills you.
*Raises eyebrows*
Has Governor Walz's daughter taken up a new career?
You’re going to have to explain that one to me.
She’s called Hope and may have become an assassin according to your post…
It wasn’t really worth explaining…
But she is called Hope as she was an IVF baby and somehow the Republicans have managed to put themselves in the position of looking anti-IVF.
Lucy, from Shenfield, Essex – who was the first in her family to go to university, gaining a maths degree in 2007 – worked briefly in graduate roles as a transport planner and in private equity. But on an annual salary of £20,000, she felt her student debt was hanging over her. She moved back to her parents’ house and has been in part-time minimum-wage jobs since she was 25. For the past six years, she has been a taxi controller, earning £19,000 last year.
“My student debt makes me not want to earn more, as my equivalent rate of tax would be 38%,” she said. “I see not repaying my loan as an act of defiance.”
What a loser.
And Daniel, from Norwich, who graduated with £55,000 of student debt, feels ‘any sort of relief for students repaying loans would be good’. Well of course it would. He would say that. Who would pay for it ?
I do think interest rates charged have been high and many people were duped into taking degrees as the prevailing govt wisdom was that the jobs of the future would need degrees hence the desire to get 50% of kids into Uni. However they need to live with their life choices.
A recent social development I've observed: young thirty-ish couples, apparently bright and well educated, running bijou cafés in tourist towns. This always strikes me as being a sad waste of talent, all the more so if they're doing it to stay below the debt repayment threshold. Tourist cafés were traditionally operated by gnarled old misanthropes and I fear this is what lies in store for them, too.
I think if I ever get to being mortgage free then that lifestyle appeals to me a lot, I'm lucky that my workplace has allowed me to go part time but right now I don't see any upside to going back to a full 5 day week. I get more time with my family, more personal time to myself or to spend with my wife, my weekends aren't just about recovering from the week I actually feel energised and able to meet friends or take my kids to adventure parks or places I know they'll enjoy without feeling exhausted on Monday morning.
I'd love to run an 8am to 4pm opening brunch cafe somewhere down by the coast in Hove...
The one thing I will point out is that running such a cafe is way harder than you might expect - you ideally want to be front of house with someone else doing the kitchen work...
I thing I've learnt over the years is that a lot of low paid work is far harder than the office based 'thinking" jobs most of us on here do...
Yes, that's very true. It's better to look for a way of doing what you already know and are good at, but in a low-stress environment. I, for example, love software development but hate working under pressure. So now, with the mortgage paid off, savings in the bank and my partner and son financially independent, I'm free to write code that doesn't pay well but lets me do what I like doing without the stress. It sure beats trying to run a cafe or pub.
Trump is looking as deflated as one of those Christmas balloons you find behind the sofa in April.....
There's plenty of time for the Dems to do a Hillary 2016.
There is time, but there is no interest for the Dems to do a Hillary.
Hillary was full of hubris and acted like she was owed the Presidency and flew over the flyover states.
Harris is not making that mistake. She has a laser focus on winning.
Not so laser enough to pick the governor of PA as her running mate though, so RCP has PA still going red
You do champion lost causes first with Johnson now Trump
It is over, he is yesterday's news
I suspect Trump will do better than the polling suggests.
Harris' big mo has probably come a little too early.
What events are left where the narrative will change.
The Democratic Convention is going to be a week of positive news for them
After that they was supposed to be another debate but Trump isn't turning up...
And we still have Trump in court in September for sentencing...
When Trump is in the news his rating goes up. I suspect there are many opportunities left for this.
That may have been true in 2016 when Trump was an outsider who came across like he was fighting for ordinary Joe Sixpack that Beltway politicians like Hillary didn't care about.
I don't think that's true for 2020 or 2024.
Trump today doesn't care about poor Joe anymore, all he cares about is Trump. He's a bitter, angry narcissist annoyed at having lost last time and wants everyone to know that he is the greatest and doesn't care about anyone or anything else.
I think enough Americans want to put the psychodramas of the last few years behind them and Kamala is normal enough to do that, Trump is not. Hence why attacking Harris for the fact she laughs backfired, it just highlighted how dour and miserable Trump is.
Whilst I hope this is the case, few people have made money underestimating Trump's political bouncebackability.
He often tries various lines of attack before finding one that resonates....
People who bet against him in 2020 made money.
Indeed mugs who were backing Trump to bounceback were still losing their money even after America had voted and Biden had been declared the winner.
Lucy, from Shenfield, Essex – who was the first in her family to go to university, gaining a maths degree in 2007 – worked briefly in graduate roles as a transport planner and in private equity. But on an annual salary of £20,000, she felt her student debt was hanging over her. She moved back to her parents’ house and has been in part-time minimum-wage jobs since she was 25. For the past six years, she has been a taxi controller, earning £19,000 last year.
“My student debt makes me not want to earn more, as my equivalent rate of tax would be 38%,” she said. “I see not repaying my loan as an act of defiance.”
What a loser.
And Daniel, from Norwich, who graduated with £55,000 of student debt, feels ‘any sort of relief for students repaying loans would be good’. Well of course it would. He would say that. Who would pay for it ?
I do think interest rates charged have been high and many people were duped into taking degrees as the prevailing govt wisdom was that the jobs of the future would need degrees hence the desire to get 50% of kids into Uni. However they need to live with their life choices.
If it were up to me I'd abolish Student Loans (which are a tax in all but name now) and "repayments" altogether and merge it into income tax payable by absolutely everyone.
Its ridiculous that well off graduates with multiple homes who happen to be older like Blair, Cameron and Clegg who introduced these systems and made them worse don't pay a penny, while those who are starting their careers are on a 9% higher tax rate.
The down side is that would royally screwover those of my own generation (myself and the same as Max and others) who have both taken out and paid back our own "loans". But I don't see any way to avoid that while still fixing the mess.
It would also screw over all those who didn't get a chance to goto university
Lucy, from Shenfield, Essex – who was the first in her family to go to university, gaining a maths degree in 2007 – worked briefly in graduate roles as a transport planner and in private equity. But on an annual salary of £20,000, she felt her student debt was hanging over her. She moved back to her parents’ house and has been in part-time minimum-wage jobs since she was 25. For the past six years, she has been a taxi controller, earning £19,000 last year.
“My student debt makes me not want to earn more, as my equivalent rate of tax would be 38%,” she said. “I see not repaying my loan as an act of defiance.”
What a loser.
And Daniel, from Norwich, who graduated with £55,000 of student debt, feels ‘any sort of relief for students repaying loans would be good’. Well of course it would. He would say that. Who would pay for it ?
I do think interest rates charged have been high and many people were duped into taking degrees as the prevailing govt wisdom was that the jobs of the future would need degrees hence the desire to get 50% of kids into Uni. However they need to live with their life choices.
A recent social development I've observed: young thirty-ish couples, apparently bright and well educated, running bijou cafés in tourist towns. This always strikes me as being a sad waste of talent, all the more so if they're doing it to stay below the debt repayment threshold. Tourist cafés were traditionally operated by gnarled old misanthropes and I fear this is what lies in store for them, too.
I think if I ever get to being mortgage free then that lifestyle appeals to me a lot, I'm lucky that my workplace has allowed me to go part time but right now I don't see any upside to going back to a full 5 day week. I get more time with my family, more personal time to myself or to spend with my wife, my weekends aren't just about recovering from the week I actually feel energised and able to meet friends or take my kids to adventure parks or places I know they'll enjoy without feeling exhausted on Monday morning.
I'd love to run an 8am to 4pm opening brunch cafe somewhere down by the coast in Hove...
The one thing I will point out is that running such a cafe is way harder than you might expect - you ideally want to be front of house with someone else doing the kitchen work...
I thing I've learnt over the years is that a lot of low paid work is far harder than the office based 'thinking" jobs most of us on here do...
Would you believe some of them are worked so hard they can't even find time in their work day for a meagre half dozen pb posts. Just imagine.
OT while throwing away my books, I've come across Advocates by PB's favourite lawyer, David Pannick, before he became a lord. £15 hardback in 1992, shortly to start its slow journey to the council tip.
Don't throw away books, there'll always be someone interested in them. Support second-hand bookshops.
Sadly, there aren't. It's not just me, friends report charity bookshops were not even interested in signed copies. The old ecosystem where prolific readers used charity shops as a lending library are gone, as have the dedicated second hand bookshops of Bloomsbury and Charing Cross Road.
Most of my books are out-of-date tech books whose information is readily available online. The rest, well, it's possible I might get the odd nibble from Ebay but the hassle of listing them all, and then having to pack and post them when it's not a full-time hobby, is disproportionate.
But it is sad and frustrating, which is why it is taking so long as I stop to ponder each volume. I'm not a barrister so why buy Advocates more than 30 years ago? I can only assume Pannick had been on television or in the news around that time.
Been finding that too with clearing relatives' houses and doing the usual 60-something clearout post retirement. Certainly for ordinary charity shops, though the specialist charity bookshops in Edinburgh have been better (not much use to you). In the end we simply dumped our unwanted books to add to those in a deceased relative's house which we were getting a charity with a specialist furniture shop to clear - they have a specialist bookshop as well. That way we got the books cleared.
I don't know what it is. Booklovers dying off? Houses too small these days?
But obsolete editions of tech books can go into the recycling bin (not tip) without any compunction.
In England the people best set up to do it are Oxfam; they have various online outlets including rare and collectible books *
They also have a recycling plant in Wakefield or Huddersfield or similar for the processing. Not my favourite charity, but that's where they'd go as I can deliver to a local charity shop without pfaff.
They also have a specific emphasis on text books, which may be sent to developing countries.
National Trust are also surprisingly big in secondhand books at larger properties. Mine (NT top 20 300k visitors) has snack truck, mini-nursery, cafe, restaurant, NT shop, 2nd hand bookshop.
* For posh-nosh gobbling but uncivilised PBers they currently have a First Edition of The Gentleman's Table Guide by E. Ricket and C. Thomas (1871) for £3500.
OT while throwing away my books, I've come across Advocates by PB's favourite lawyer, David Pannick, before he became a lord. £15 hardback in 1992, shortly to start its slow journey to the council tip.
Don't throw away books, there'll always be someone interested in them. Support second-hand bookshops.
Sadly, there aren't. It's not just me, friends report charity bookshops were not even interested in signed copies. The old ecosystem where prolific readers used charity shops as a lending library are gone, as have the dedicated second hand bookshops of Bloomsbury and Charing Cross Road.
Most of my books are out-of-date tech books whose information is readily available online. The rest, well, it's possible I might get the odd nibble from Ebay but the hassle of listing them all, and then having to pack and post them when it's not a full-time hobby, is disproportionate.
But it is sad and frustrating, which is why it is taking so long as I stop to ponder each volume. I'm not a barrister so why buy Advocates more than 30 years ago? I can only assume Pannick had been on television or in the news around that time.
Been finding that too with clearing relatives' houses and doing the usual 60-something clearout post retirement. Certainly for ordinary charity shops, though the specialist charity bookshops in Edinburgh have been better (not much use to you). In the end we simply dumped our unwanted books to add to those in a deceased relative's house which we were getting a charity with a specialist furniture shop to clear - they have a specialist bookshop as well. That way we got the books cleared.
I don't know what it is. Booklovers dying off? Houses too small these days?
But obsolete editions of tech books can go into the recycling bin (not tip) without any compunction.
In England the people best set up to do it are Oxfam; they have various online outlets including rare and collectible books *
They also have a recycling plant in Wakefield or Huddersfield or similar for the processing. Not my favourite charity, but that's where they'd go as I can deliver to a local charity shop without pfaff.
They also have a specific emphasis on text books, which may be sent to developing countries.
National Trust are also surprisingly big in secondhand books at larger properties. Mine (NT top 20 300k visitors) has snack truck, mini-nursery, cafe, restaurant, NT shop, 2nd hand bookshop.
* For posh-nosh gobbling but uncivilised PBers they currently have a First Edition of The Gentleman's Table Guide by E. Ricket and C. Thomas (1871) for £3500.
Interesting! I see they also have free courier (from local dropoff) if one wants to send them books. That I didn't know, which would be useful for the more academic or specialist stuff.
I was right in predicting crossover would take place in August.
#LegendaryModestyKlaxon
Thomas Dewey led Truman in August 1948 polls, Nixon led JFK in half the August 1960 polls, Carter led or tied with Reagan in half the August 1980 polls, Dukakis led Bush 41 in August 1988 polls, Gore led Bush in some August 2000 polls, McCain tied Obama in some August 2008 polls, Hillary led Trump in all August 2016 polls. August presidential polls are not always 100% reliable forecasts of the ultimate outcome https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polling_for_United_States_presidential_elections
This is a betting site, I was talking about the betting.
PBers who have followed mine and Robert’s tip of Kamala Harris are quids in right now, those who followed your siren voice on Harris are going to the poorhouse.
Lucy, from Shenfield, Essex – who was the first in her family to go to university, gaining a maths degree in 2007 – worked briefly in graduate roles as a transport planner and in private equity. But on an annual salary of £20,000, she felt her student debt was hanging over her. She moved back to her parents’ house and has been in part-time minimum-wage jobs since she was 25. For the past six years, she has been a taxi controller, earning £19,000 last year.
“My student debt makes me not want to earn more, as my equivalent rate of tax would be 38%,” she said. “I see not repaying my loan as an act of defiance.”
What a loser.
And Daniel, from Norwich, who graduated with £55,000 of student debt, feels ‘any sort of relief for students repaying loans would be good’. Well of course it would. He would say that. Who would pay for it ?
I do think interest rates charged have been high and many people were duped into taking degrees as the prevailing govt wisdom was that the jobs of the future would need degrees hence the desire to get 50% of kids into Uni. However they need to live with their life choices.
A recent social development I've observed: young thirty-ish couples, apparently bright and well educated, running bijou cafés in tourist towns. This always strikes me as being a sad waste of talent, all the more so if they're doing it to stay below the debt repayment threshold. Tourist cafés were traditionally operated by gnarled old misanthropes and I fear this is what lies in store for them, too.
I think if I ever get to being mortgage free then that lifestyle appeals to me a lot, I'm lucky that my workplace has allowed me to go part time but right now I don't see any upside to going back to a full 5 day week. I get more time with my family, more personal time to myself or to spend with my wife, my weekends aren't just about recovering from the week I actually feel energised and able to meet friends or take my kids to adventure parks or places I know they'll enjoy without feeling exhausted on Monday morning.
I'd love to run an 8am to 4pm opening brunch cafe somewhere down by the coast in Hove...
The one thing I will point out is that running such a cafe is way harder than you might expect - you ideally want to be front of house with someone else doing the kitchen work...
I thing I've learnt over the years is that a lot of low paid work is far harder than the office based 'thinking" jobs most of us on here do...
Yes, that's very true. It's better to look for a way of doing what you already know and are good at, but in a low-stress environment. I, for example, love software development but hate working under pressure. So now, with the mortgage paid off, savings in the bank and my partner and son financially independent, I'm free to write code that doesn't pay well but lets me do what I like doing without the stress. It sure beats trying to run a cafe or pub.
+1 - I'm more than happy to spend X hours a day arguing with a computer to get something working correctly..
I’ve emotionally gone from being mentally and emotionally reconciled to a Trump win to having hope that Harris actually might do it. Sadly it’s the hope that kills you.
*Raises eyebrows*
Has Governor Walz's daughter taken up a new career?
You’re going to have to explain that one to me.
Suggesting the utterly charming Hope Walz has taken up the job of a hit man.
I’ve emotionally gone from being mentally and emotionally reconciled to a Trump win to having hope that Harris actually might do it. Sadly it’s the hope that kills you.
*Raises eyebrows*
Has Governor Walz's daughter taken up a new career?
You’re going to have to explain that one to me.
She’s called Hope and may have become an assassin according to your post…
It wasn’t really worth explaining…
But she is called Hope as she was an IVF baby and somehow the Republicans have managed to put themselves in the position of looking anti-IVF.
I thought they *were* anti-IVF?
I am anti taxpayer-funded IVF.
In the scheme of things I can think of a whole set of items that I object to far more.
Giving a family a chance of children seems to be a noble use of a tiny percentage of what I pay in taxes.
Interesting short item from yesterdays Telegraph Ukraine the Latest podcast about an uptick in Russian Gas imports into the EU (From a low base). The main miscreant being France:
I disagree with the header. I don't think it's a 50/50 race anymore.
At the moment, it's between a narrow win and a big win.
I think I am still scarred by 2016.
I realised over the weekend I am more emotionally invested in the 2024 US Presidential election than I have ever been in any UK general election or Brexit referendum/Scottish independence referendum and I was pretty emotionally invested in the those too.
The Democrats appear to have learned, though. Every attempt to stir up some party division (which the US media, liberal or otherwise, absolutely loves to cover) just isn't working. I can't recall a time when one wing of the party wasn't having a go at the other, but that seems now to be the prevailing mood.
And they don't get wound up by Trump's bullshit. They're inoculated, and just laugh at him now.
The more I look at it, the smarter Walz is as the VP pick. He's no threat to the next generation - has specifically said that this is the culmination of his career, not a step on the way to the top job - and has been enthusiastically endorsed by everyone from Bernie and AOC to fucking Joe Manchin, who doesn't like anyone.
And they're defending a largely positive record in government.
But as has been noted, there's still three months to go.
There are a lot of people on this site who, like @TSE, are very emotionally attached to what happens in the States and more so than here, and you can see it in here with the commentary around the Harris-Walz ticket. In the spirit of presenting the other side of the argument, here are some points to consider before getting carried away:
1. It is August and early August at that. The US is not paying attention to November (more so this year when you have the Olympics). So trying to read signals into November now is tricky except when, in the rare cases as with Biden, you had a narrative that had been building up and established (i.e. he was too old for the job);
2. You might think the Administration is defending a largely positive record but what you think doesn't count. The US voter generally doesn't. And that is likely to get worse for Harris than better because...
3...the economic data in the States is overall getting worse. The unemployment stats were worse than expected and consumer confidence is being hit. More relevant, US companies in their Q2 results have struck a noticeably more gloomy view on the US consumer and expect this to go into 2025.
4. The scrutiny of Harris and Walz has not really started in terms of their track records. There is plenty of video material of Harris which will be gold dust on the campaign trail. And Walz is already facing questions about his handling of the George Floyd riots. At the end of the day, Harris and Walz - on recent track records - are progressives.
5. Harris may have picked Walz but there are strong indications that Shapiro deliberately exited himself from the VP pick, as Cooper did. You may want to reflect on why. One of the reasons being stated is they didn't want to tie themselves to a campaign they felt would fail and hurt their own chances (at least in the case of Shapiro). You might also reflect that given Shapiro's ambitions, why is he going to want Harris in the Presidency for potentially eight years when he is keen on a run in 2028 - that has implications for how much he helps the ticket in PA.
6. Trump may be struggling with rallies, funding etc. But one way to look at what he is doing is essentially being quiet, reframing his message at a time when Americans are not really listening and then hit hard come September onwards. Some of his lines against Harris have failed. You should be more worried he hasn't continued his flailing. The fact he has gone quiet suggests he is being more disciplined and listening to advice.
7. The election will ultimately come down to the economy. Trump has a clear advantage and probably more so now given Harris and Walz are seen on the left. The Fed is likely to cut rates but it may be seen as too late anyway.
You are correct that many on here, and this includes me, would rather that Trump did not win.
But while the economy will be the largest factor determining the result this year (and it's where Trump holds a clear edge), it is not the only factor.
Firstly, remember that the Republicans did poorly in the midterms this cycle, losing a Senate seat and barely winning back the House. That was at a time when the economy was in a worse position than now. So, it's fair to say that Republican enthusiasm is not at sky high levels.
And this can be seen in the Primaries: even long after Haley was defeated, she was still picking up a fifth of the Republican primary vote. People - registered Republicans - were making their way to the polling station to cast a vote saying "we don't want Trump". If these people stay home this year, then Trump is toast.
Secondly, Trump has notably deteriorated mentally since 2016 and 2020. No, he's not at Biden 2024 levels... but he's simply not the candidate he was before. And his unwillingness to debate Harris is going to be played on repeatedly by the Democrats.
Thirdly, Project 2025. You say that Harris and Walz are progressives, and maybe they are (albeit Harris was about as centrist as they come when she was a Senator and an Attorney General), but Trump has the millstone of Project 2025 around his neck. Trump realizes this (and has rightly called it crazy), but Vance and his backers like Thiel, are knee deep in it. The more the Democrats can tie Trump-Vance to a group that wants to nationally criminalize abortion, the worse it is for Trump's chances.
With that said, I still make Trump the narrow favourite: Americans (like Brits, French, Japanese, Russians and Germans) have gotten poorer in the last four years. Incumbents are getting booted out everywhere. And if the Republican Presidential nominee was - say - DeSantis or Haley or whoever, then I suspect that they would be running comfortably ahead of the Democrats.
But it's not: it's Trump, a many who is loathed by 45% of Americans. And that's why this is an incredibly close race, that will come down to narrow margins in half a dozen states.
I’ve emotionally gone from being mentally and emotionally reconciled to a Trump win to having hope that Harris actually might do it. Sadly it’s the hope that kills you.
I actually think that Harris will do it as much because all the energy seems to have drained from DonOLD Trump...
Trump has been steadily declining since 2016.
Understandably so given the ageing and stress he has suffered.
Its only because US politics is so filled with senile dodderers that it hasn't been so noticeable.
Nikki Haley shortening to 65 on Betfair. Worth a small punt?
Quite surprised at this. I'm not touching it though as I don't understand what possible path she has to winning. (Interested if anyone has a good understanding of this)
Path:
Trump thinks he's going to lose.
So does a deal with Haley - she gets nomination, he gets presidential pardon
Trump pulls out, blames shooting wound
Presidential pardon doesn't fix any of the state level charges and there are a lot of those...
Well the pair of Dem clowns in GA have managed to stuff things up themselves.
With Trump out of politics it could all fade away.
I don't see Trump withdrawing, unless he pops his clogs or becomes medically unfit.
If he loses, the wheels of Justice will grind him to prison, as he won't be able to pardon himself.
AFAICS his entire hand, for his personal interest, consists of a single Trump card.
Lucy, from Shenfield, Essex – who was the first in her family to go to university, gaining a maths degree in 2007 – worked briefly in graduate roles as a transport planner and in private equity. But on an annual salary of £20,000, she felt her student debt was hanging over her. She moved back to her parents’ house and has been in part-time minimum-wage jobs since she was 25. For the past six years, she has been a taxi controller, earning £19,000 last year.
“My student debt makes me not want to earn more, as my equivalent rate of tax would be 38%,” she said. “I see not repaying my loan as an act of defiance.”
If she got a degree in 2007, she didn't pay more than £1,200 a year in fees. Also, the first two years would have been paid up front.
What the hell was she doing working in private equity that paid £20k - cleaning the office? The receptionist or the most junior of junior analysts would have been on way more than £20k in 2009.
It doesn't pass the smell test does it....
It doesn’t, there was a Telegraph article a while back that had a story about a graduate from a Red Brick with a first in maths struggling to obtain a mortgage as he only earned £36k.
It was only when you got to the bottom of the article that you found out he worked that he worked 3 days a week.
I’ve emotionally gone from being mentally and emotionally reconciled to a Trump win to having hope that Harris actually might do it. Sadly it’s the hope that kills you.
*Raises eyebrows*
Has Governor Walz's daughter taken up a new career?
You’re going to have to explain that one to me.
She’s called Hope and may have become an assassin according to your post…
It wasn’t really worth explaining…
But she is called Hope as she was an IVF baby and somehow the Republicans have managed to put themselves in the position of looking anti-IVF.
I thought they *were* anti-IVF?
I am anti taxpayer-funded IVF.
In the scheme of things I can think of a whole set of items that I object to far more.
Giving a family a chance of children seems to be a noble use of a tiny percentage of what I pay in taxes.
I agree.
Not least because we have a demographic problem.
If people want their state pensions to be paid, they'd better start getting behind pro natal policies and non-doms staying in the UK.
I’ve emotionally gone from being mentally and emotionally reconciled to a Trump win to having hope that Harris actually might do it. Sadly it’s the hope that kills you.
I actually think that Harris will do it as much because all the energy seems to have drained from DonOLD Trump...
Trump has been steadily declining since 2016.
Understandably so given the ageing and stress he has suffered.
Its only because US politics is so filled with senile dodderers that it hasn't been so noticeable.
Nikki Haley shortening to 65 on Betfair. Worth a small punt?
Quite surprised at this. I'm not touching it though as I don't understand what possible path she has to winning. (Interested if anyone has a good understanding of this)
Path:
Trump thinks he's going to lose.
So does a deal with Haley - she gets nomination, he gets presidential pardon
Trump pulls out, blames shooting wound
I’ve had similar thoughts. He’s 78. Very nearly dying by gunfire must be incredibly traumatic, but the trauma might take time to emerge and affect you
Also: who the F tried to kill Trump and why?! Incredible how the sassytempt has been memory-holed. “Oh just some normal guy with no opinions who was never on the internet. Typical kids, tried to kill a President, often happens, move along”
lol. wtf. Etc. I still reckon it was the Ukes using some sexy girl to seduce a lonely young clean skinned man
The playbook is much more Russian.
In the end Trump was not seriously hurt, but the shooter was killed "with an incredibly lucky shot".
Alienated young man seeking to make himself big in the world. There's no great mystery here. Unfortunately him being killed and therefore beyond interrogation means there'll always be 'theories'. That's just how people are.
Or you could do some research of your own
The dead guy who tried to kill Trump was Thomas Crooks. Turns out he DID have a faint online presence - @BartholomewRoberts is correct. On the social medium GAB, for instance
Here is his alleged GAB account, it is generally accepted this is him
After some flirtation with hard right tropes in his mid teens it appears he morphed into this guy. Pro-Biden, pro-migration, pro-lockdown. He would definitely be anti Trump
Yet he’s also articulate and well informed, absolutely not a nutter. I stand by my conspiracy theory: a sad lonely sex-starved clean skin likely recruited by someone else (possibly the Ukes) who played on his anti Trump feelings, convincing him Trump is as bad as Hitler and needs to go
Well possibly. But in the absence of any evidence of such a plot what's more likely is that there wasn't one.
Yet as of this morning Trump still leads Harris 287 to 251 in the RCP EC average with no toss up states. That is even with Harris now leading in all the upper Midwest states ie Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan Walz should have boosted her in https://www.realclearpolling.com/maps/president/2024/no-toss-up/electoral-college
How many more times?
The RCP average bizarrely excludes some polls such as the ones with Harris +5 so is incorrectly skewing to Trump.
I’ve emotionally gone from being mentally and emotionally reconciled to a Trump win to having hope that Harris actually might do it. Sadly it’s the hope that kills you.
*Raises eyebrows*
Has Governor Walz's daughter taken up a new career?
You’re going to have to explain that one to me.
She’s called Hope and may have become an assassin according to your post…
It wasn’t really worth explaining…
But she is called Hope as she was an IVF baby and somehow the Republicans have managed to put themselves in the position of looking anti-IVF.
I thought they *were* anti-IVF?
I am anti taxpayer-funded IVF.
In the scheme of things I can think of a whole set of items that I object to far more.
Giving a family a chance of children seems to be a noble use of a tiny percentage of what I pay in taxes.
Certainly with fertility rates now below replacement level in the UK and USA
I disagree with the header. I don't think it's a 50/50 race anymore.
At the moment, it's between a narrow win and a big win.
I think I am still scarred by 2016.
I realised over the weekend I am more emotionally invested in the 2024 US Presidential election than I have ever been in any UK general election or Brexit referendum/Scottish independence referendum and I was pretty emotionally invested in the those too.
The Democrats appear to have learned, though. Every attempt to stir up some party division (which the US media, liberal or otherwise, absolutely loves to cover) just isn't working. I can't recall a time when one wing of the party wasn't having a go at the other, but that seems now to be the prevailing mood.
And they don't get wound up by Trump's bullshit. They're inoculated, and just laugh at him now.
The more I look at it, the smarter Walz is as the VP pick. He's no threat to the next generation - has specifically said that this is the culmination of his career, not a step on the way to the top job - and has been enthusiastically endorsed by everyone from Bernie and AOC to fucking Joe Manchin, who doesn't like anyone.
And they're defending a largely positive record in government.
But as has been noted, there's still three months to go.
There are a lot of people on this site who, like @TSE, are very emotionally attached to what happens in the States and more so than here, and you can see it in here with the commentary around the Harris-Walz ticket. In the spirit of presenting the other side of the argument, here are some points to consider before getting carried away:
1. It is August and early August at that. The US is not paying attention to November (more so this year when you have the Olympics). So trying to read signals into November now is tricky except when, in the rare cases as with Biden, you had a narrative that had been building up and established (i.e. he was too old for the job);
2. You might think the Administration is defending a largely positive record but what you think doesn't count. The US voter generally doesn't. And that is likely to get worse for Harris than better because...
3...the economic data in the States is overall getting worse. The unemployment stats were worse than expected and consumer confidence is being hit. More relevant, US companies in their Q2 results have struck a noticeably more gloomy view on the US consumer and expect this to go into 2025.
4. The scrutiny of Harris and Walz has not really started in terms of their track records. There is plenty of video material of Harris which will be gold dust on the campaign trail. And Walz is already facing questions about his handling of the George Floyd riots. At the end of the day, Harris and Walz - on recent track records - are progressives.
5. Harris may have picked Walz but there are strong indications that Shapiro deliberately exited himself from the VP pick, as Cooper did. You may want to reflect on why. One of the reasons being stated is they didn't want to tie themselves to a campaign they felt would fail and hurt their own chances (at least in the case of Shapiro). You might also reflect that given Shapiro's ambitions, why is he going to want Harris in the Presidency for potentially eight years when he is keen on a run in 2028 - that has implications for how much he helps the ticket in PA.
6. Trump may be struggling with rallies, funding etc. But one way to look at what he is doing is essentially being quiet, reframing his message at a time when Americans are not really listening and then hit hard come September onwards. Some of his lines against Harris have failed. You should be more worried he hasn't continued his flailing. The fact he has gone quiet suggests he is being more disciplined and listening to advice.
7. The election will ultimately come down to the economy. Trump has a clear advantage and probably more so now given Harris and Walz are seen on the left. The Fed is likely to cut rates but it may be seen as too late anyway.
You are correct that many on here, and this includes me, would rather that Trump did not win.
But while the economy will be the largest factor determining the result this year (and it's where Trump holds a clear edge), it is not the only factor.
Firstly, remember that the Republicans did poorly in the midterms this cycle, losing a Senate seat and barely winning back the House. That was at a time when the economy was in a worse position than now. So, it's fair to say that Republican enthusiasm is not at sky high levels.
And this can be seen in the Primaries: even long after Haley was defeated, she was still picking up a fifth of the Republican primary vote. People - registered Republicans - were making their way to the polling station to cast a vote saying "we don't want Trump". If these people stay home this year, then Trump is toast.
Secondly, Trump has notably deteriorated mentally since 2016 and 2020. No, he's not at Biden 2024 levels... but he's simply not the candidate he was before. And his unwillingness to debate Harris is going to be played on repeatedly by the Democrats.
Thirdly, Project 2025. You say that Harris and Walz are progressives, and maybe they are (albeit Harris was about as centrist as they come when she was a Senator and an Attorney General), but Trump has the millstone of Project 2025 around his neck. Trump realizes this (and has rightly called it crazy), but Vance and his backers like Thiel, are knee deep in it. The more the Democrats can tie Trump-Vance to a group that wants to nationally criminalize abortion, the worse it is for Trump's chances.
With that said, I still make Trump the narrow favourite: Americans (like Brits, French, Japanese, Russians and Germans) have gotten poorer in the last four years. Incumbents are getting booted out everywhere. And if the Republican Presidential nominee was - say - DeSantis or Haley or whoever, then I suspect that they would be running comfortably ahead of the Democrats.
But it's not: it's Trump, a many who is loathed by 45% of Americans. And that's why this is an incredibly close race, that will come down to narrow margins in half a dozen states.
If it was Harris against Haley - I think it would be a safe bet that Haley would win.
With Trump attached I think it's going to end up as a solid Harris win with Trump melting down at some point in September / October..
I was right in predicting crossover would take place in August.
#LegendaryModestyKlaxon
Thomas Dewey led Truman in August 1948 polls, Nixon led JFK in half the August 1960 polls, Carter led or tied with Reagan in half the August 1980 polls, Dukakis led Bush 41 in August 1988 polls, Gore led Bush in some August 2000 polls, McCain tied Obama in some August 2008 polls, Hillary led Trump in all August 2016 polls. August presidential polls are not always 100% reliable forecasts of the ultimate outcome https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polling_for_United_States_presidential_elections
This is a betting site, I was talking about the betting.
PBers who have followed mine and Robert’s tip of Kamala Harris are quids in right now, those who followed your siren voice on Harris are going to the poorhouse.
Harris for the nomination maybe. Harris for winning the EC and Presidency is still very much open to question, even against Trump
I’ve emotionally gone from being mentally and emotionally reconciled to a Trump win to having hope that Harris actually might do it. Sadly it’s the hope that kills you.
*Raises eyebrows*
Has Governor Walz's daughter taken up a new career?
You’re going to have to explain that one to me.
Suggesting the utterly charming Hope Walz has taken up the job of a hit man.
OT while throwing away my books, I've come across Advocates by PB's favourite lawyer, David Pannick, before he became a lord. £15 hardback in 1992, shortly to start its slow journey to the council tip.
Don't throw away books, there'll always be someone interested in them. Support second-hand bookshops.
Sadly, there aren't. It's not just me, friends report charity bookshops were not even interested in signed copies. The old ecosystem where prolific readers used charity shops as a lending library are gone, as have the dedicated second hand bookshops of Bloomsbury and Charing Cross Road.
Most of my books are out-of-date tech books whose information is readily available online. The rest, well, it's possible I might get the odd nibble from Ebay but the hassle of listing them all, and then having to pack and post them when it's not a full-time hobby, is disproportionate.
But it is sad and frustrating, which is why it is taking so long as I stop to ponder each volume. I'm not a barrister so why buy Advocates more than 30 years ago? I can only assume Pannick had been on television or in the news around that time.
Been finding that too with clearing relatives' houses and doing the usual 60-something clearout post retirement. Certainly for ordinary charity shops, though the specialist charity bookshops in Edinburgh have been better (not much use to you). In the end we simply dumped our unwanted books to add to those in a deceased relative's house which we were getting a charity with a specialist furniture shop to clear - they have a specialist bookshop as well. That way we got the books cleared.
I don't know what it is. Booklovers dying off? Houses too small these days?
Same here. I once tried giving books away - literally leaving them outside my then-house for people to take what they want. Still had plenty left
About a year ago I resorted to actually dumping books in the paper recycling which felt so sad and wrong I moved to e-books. It was a great decision - they are so much more convenient. I love my Kindles - and all that weight from my luggage is gone. I now only buy physical books on the very rare occasions I read a book on Kindle which is so good I want the paper version
It’s happened once, this year. Zamoyski’s biography of Napoleon
I also sync my ebooks with Audible whenever possible, so I can keep “reading” even when driving round France, &c
Yeah, I got rid of all my physical books a few years ago. I was paying a fortune to cart them around every time I moved, and even more to keep them in storage when I was living in places that didn't have room for them. It got to the point where it would have been cheaper to buy them all anew than continue to hoard them for another decade. I didn't try to sell any of them, just got a recycling service to collect them - think they charged around £80 for 40 medium boxes, which I thought was pretty decent.
Besides, the proper e-Ink Kindles are simply a better reading experience - better print quality than a mass-market paperback, much easier on the eyes than a normal tablet screen, equally readable in the dark or direct sunshine, and the page always stays the right way up which is handy for reading in bed.
It's just a pity that Amazon seem to have lost interest in them - they've cut the size of the team working on them, there've been no particularly noteworthy new features in the past few years, and there's still no direct replacement for the Kindle Oasis. Mine is five years old - the leather case is falling apart, the battery has worn down to the point where it only lasts for a few days when used heavily, and it's the only device I own that still uses old-school micro-usb. I'd like a more modern version, but Amazon don't have one to sell me.
Has anyone here got opinions about alternatives? I know there are devices from Onyx and Kobo that are meant to be pretty good...
People who are articulate online absolutely can be nutters IRL.
And this is America. Shootings happen on a daily basis. You keep repeating that its "not normal" for people to be shooters, but it is normal for there to be American shooters and it is normal for Presidents to face being attacked.
By my count 20 of the 46 have, either in office or out of it, faced an assassination attempt. That's virtually a coin-toss. And its distorted by the early Presidents being less likely to face it, its greater than 50% in modern times.
That's not counting would-be Presidents like RFK who have been killed or faced assassination attempts before they became President.
It depends on how you define assassination attemp, as many more plots get thwarted before they even result in an attack. Sadly if you are the US President or running for the office threats and attempts are to be expected.
9 times out of 10 it's some nutter with an ill-founded grudge or seeking notoriety. Not something out of a paperback thriller.
I went out to one of the more minor counter-protests last night, at a North London community / advice centre affiliated with the Islamic Cultural Centre (so about as establishment as it's possible to get).
Attendance peaked at around 8pm with around 100-120 people, tailing off to around half that by the time it got dark. A fairly mixed crowd - mostly 30- and 40-somethings, but some older folk too. A few babies and very young children with their parents, but no teens or students. One police car on the corner, and a couple of uniformed officers at the front gate.
It was all pretty subdued - people milling around or sitting in chairs that had been brought out into the street. Some home-made placards and one banner, but no chanting or singing. Some of the local Turkish restaurants kindly brought us meze and pide, which we very much appreciated.
My friends and I left shortly after 10, but there were a couple of dozen who were intending to stay around until midnight, just in case.
There was no sign of any trouble. The centre itself had been listed as a target on multiple racist telegram groups (hence the police presence), but it was unclear how serious the threat was. The weather was noticeably cooler than it has been recently, with some spits of rain in the air, which probably helped too. Not sure how much good we did, but hopefully it will have at least been enough to deter any future racist protests.
There won’t be future protests for a while. Until the next Manchester Arena type attack. Which is, sadly, almost inevitable
This riot sequence has ended. “Both sides” quite vigorously made their feelings known
The underlying issue absolutely has not gone away; it will likely worsen
Given recent events, it's perfectly plausible that the next "Manchester Arena type attack" will be performed by right-wing asshates.
I’ve emotionally gone from being mentally and emotionally reconciled to a Trump win to having hope that Harris actually might do it. Sadly it’s the hope that kills you.
*Raises eyebrows*
Has Governor Walz's daughter taken up a new career?
You’re going to have to explain that one to me.
Suggesting the utterly charming Hope Walz has taken up the job of a hit man.
I was right in predicting crossover would take place in August.
#LegendaryModestyKlaxon
Thomas Dewey led Truman in August 1948 polls, Nixon led JFK in half the August 1960 polls, Carter led or tied with Reagan in half the August 1980 polls, Dukakis led Bush 41 in August 1988 polls, Gore led Bush in some August 2000 polls, McCain tied Obama in some August 2008 polls, Hillary led Trump in all August 2016 polls. August presidential polls are not always 100% reliable forecasts of the ultimate outcome https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polling_for_United_States_presidential_elections
This is a betting site, I was talking about the betting.
PBers who have followed mine and Robert’s tip of Kamala Harris are quids in right now, those who followed your siren voice on Harris are going to the poorhouse.
Harris for the nomination maybe. Harris for winning the EC and Presidency is still very much open to question, even against Trump
For the Presidency, I think Robert tipped her at 40/1, but look at the chart in the header, in the space of a month she’s gone from a no hoper to the favourite to win the presidency.
OT while throwing away my books, I've come across Advocates by PB's favourite lawyer, David Pannick, before he became a lord. £15 hardback in 1992, shortly to start its slow journey to the council tip.
Don't throw away books, there'll always be someone interested in them. Support second-hand bookshops.
Sadly, there aren't. It's not just me, friends report charity bookshops were not even interested in signed copies. The old ecosystem where prolific readers used charity shops as a lending library are gone, as have the dedicated second hand bookshops of Bloomsbury and Charing Cross Road.
Most of my books are out-of-date tech books whose information is readily available online. The rest, well, it's possible I might get the odd nibble from Ebay but the hassle of listing them all, and then having to pack and post them when it's not a full-time hobby, is disproportionate.
But it is sad and frustrating, which is why it is taking so long as I stop to ponder each volume. I'm not a barrister so why buy Advocates more than 30 years ago? I can only assume Pannick had been on television or in the news around that time.
Been finding that too with clearing relatives' houses and doing the usual 60-something clearout post retirement. Certainly for ordinary charity shops, though the specialist charity bookshops in Edinburgh have been better (not much use to you). In the end we simply dumped our unwanted books to add to those in a deceased relative's house which we were getting a charity with a specialist furniture shop to clear - they have a specialist bookshop as well. That way we got the books cleared.
I don't know what it is. Booklovers dying off? Houses too small these days?
But obsolete editions of tech books can go into the recycling bin (not tip) without any compunction.
In England the people best set up to do it are Oxfam; they have various online outlets including rare and collectible books *
They also have a recycling plant in Wakefield or Huddersfield or similar for the processing. Not my favourite charity, but that's where they'd go as I can deliver to a local charity shop without pfaff.
They also have a specific emphasis on text books, which may be sent to developing countries.
National Trust are also surprisingly big in secondhand books at larger properties. Mine (NT top 20 300k visitors) has snack truck, mini-nursery, cafe, restaurant, NT shop, 2nd hand bookshop.
* For posh-nosh gobbling but uncivilised PBers they currently have a First Edition of The Gentleman's Table Guide by E. Ricket and C. Thomas (1871) for £3500.
I’ve emotionally gone from being mentally and emotionally reconciled to a Trump win to having hope that Harris actually might do it. Sadly it’s the hope that kills you.
*Raises eyebrows*
Has Governor Walz's daughter taken up a new career?
You’re going to have to explain that one to me.
Suggesting the utterly charming Hope Walz has taken up the job of a hit man.
OT while throwing away my books, I've come across Advocates by PB's favourite lawyer, David Pannick, before he became a lord. £15 hardback in 1992, shortly to start its slow journey to the council tip.
Don't throw away books, there'll always be someone interested in them. Support second-hand bookshops.
Sadly, there aren't. It's not just me, friends report charity bookshops were not even interested in signed copies. The old ecosystem where prolific readers used charity shops as a lending library are gone, as have the dedicated second hand bookshops of Bloomsbury and Charing Cross Road.
Most of my books are out-of-date tech books whose information is readily available online. The rest, well, it's possible I might get the odd nibble from Ebay but the hassle of listing them all, and then having to pack and post them when it's not a full-time hobby, is disproportionate.
But it is sad and frustrating, which is why it is taking so long as I stop to ponder each volume. I'm not a barrister so why buy Advocates more than 30 years ago? I can only assume Pannick had been on television or in the news around that time.
Been finding that too with clearing relatives' houses and doing the usual 60-something clearout post retirement. Certainly for ordinary charity shops, though the specialist charity bookshops in Edinburgh have been better (not much use to you). In the end we simply dumped our unwanted books to add to those in a deceased relative's house which we were getting a charity with a specialist furniture shop to clear - they have a specialist bookshop as well. That way we got the books cleared.
I don't know what it is. Booklovers dying off? Houses too small these days?
Same here. I once tried giving books away - literally leaving them outside my then-house for people to take what they want. Still had plenty left
About a year ago I resorted to actually dumping books in the paper recycling which felt so sad and wrong I moved to e-books. It was a great decision - they are so much more convenient. I love my Kindles - and all that weight from my luggage is gone. I now only buy physical books on the very rare occasions I read a book on Kindle which is so good I want the paper version
It’s happened once, this year. Zamoyski’s biography of Napoleon
I also sync my ebooks with Audible whenever possible, so I can keep “reading” even when driving round France, &c
Yeah, I got rid of all my physical books a few years ago. I was paying a fortune to cart them around every time I moved, and even more to keep them in storage when I was living in places that didn't have room for them. It got to the point where it would have been cheaper to buy them all anew than continue to hoard them for another decade. I didn't try to sell any of them, just got a recycling service to collect them - think they charged around £80 for 40 medium boxes, which I thought was pretty decent.
Besides, the proper e-Ink Kindles are simply a better reading experience - better print quality than a mass-market paperback, much easier on the eyes than a normal tablet screen, equally readable in the dark or direct sunshine, and the page always stays the right way up which is handy for reading in bed.
It's just a pity that Amazon seem to have lost interest in them - they've cut the size of the team working on them, there've been no particularly noteworthy new features in the past few years, and there's still no direct replacement for the Kindle Oasis. Mine is five years old - the leather case is falling apart, the battery has worn down to the point where it only lasts for a few days when used heavily, and it's the only device I own that still uses old-school micro-usb. I'd like a more modern version, but Amazon don't have one to sell me.
Has anyone here got opinions about alternatives? I know there are devices from Onyx and Kobo that are meant to be pretty good...
I had an 2018 Oasis and my solution was to get a 2019 Oasis to keep things going for a while longer.
The Scribe is a great device but no good for reading in bed and because I like physical buttons the paperwhite isn't for me.
Edit to add the problem with Onyx / Kobo is that the Kindle purchase / delivery path is so simple and I have an awful lot of books that I've bought over the years so the sunk cost of moving is just too much.
Coverage of the riots and anti-riots. The saturation coverage I have followed could be seen as a thought out attempt to disguise something.
Nearly everyone rejects thuggery and violence. But that does not mean that nearly everyone believes the policy current and recent of massive net migration into the UK and population increase is soundly based or sustainable. This is now being completely sidelined.
Unless the new government wants its regime to be short, and feed the extremes they need to do better.
I agree with this.
It seems to me that Labour have learned little from their time in opposition.
We're an economic crisis and a decent Tory leader away from that yugggge majority being wiped out.
OT while throwing away my books, I've come across Advocates by PB's favourite lawyer, David Pannick, before he became a lord. £15 hardback in 1992, shortly to start its slow journey to the council tip.
Don't throw away books, there'll always be someone interested in them. Support second-hand bookshops.
Sadly, there aren't. It's not just me, friends report charity bookshops were not even interested in signed copies. The old ecosystem where prolific readers used charity shops as a lending library are gone, as have the dedicated second hand bookshops of Bloomsbury and Charing Cross Road.
Most of my books are out-of-date tech books whose information is readily available online. The rest, well, it's possible I might get the odd nibble from Ebay but the hassle of listing them all, and then having to pack and post them when it's not a full-time hobby, is disproportionate.
But it is sad and frustrating, which is why it is taking so long as I stop to ponder each volume. I'm not a barrister so why buy Advocates more than 30 years ago? I can only assume Pannick had been on television or in the news around that time.
Been finding that too with clearing relatives' houses and doing the usual 60-something clearout post retirement. Certainly for ordinary charity shops, though the specialist charity bookshops in Edinburgh have been better (not much use to you). In the end we simply dumped our unwanted books to add to those in a deceased relative's house which we were getting a charity with a specialist furniture shop to clear - they have a specialist bookshop as well. That way we got the books cleared.
I don't know what it is. Booklovers dying off? Houses too small these days?
But obsolete editions of tech books can go into the recycling bin (not tip) without any compunction.
In England the people best set up to do it are Oxfam; they have various online outlets including rare and collectible books *
They also have a recycling plant in Wakefield or Huddersfield or similar for the processing. Not my favourite charity, but that's where they'd go as I can deliver to a local charity shop without pfaff.
They also have a specific emphasis on text books, which may be sent to developing countries.
National Trust are also surprisingly big in secondhand books at larger properties. Mine (NT top 20 300k visitors) has snack truck, mini-nursery, cafe, restaurant, NT shop, 2nd hand bookshop.
* For posh-nosh gobbling but uncivilised PBers they currently have a First Edition of The Gentleman's Table Guide by E. Ricket and C. Thomas (1871) for £3500.
Trump is looking as deflated as one of those Christmas balloons you find behind the sofa in April.....
There's plenty of time for the Dems to do a Hillary 2016.
There is time, but there is no interest for the Dems to do a Hillary.
Hillary was full of hubris and acted like she was owed the Presidency and flew over the flyover states.
Harris is not making that mistake. She has a laser focus on winning.
Not so laser enough to pick the governor of PA as her running mate though, so RCP has PA still going red
You can be damn sure Shapiro is laser focused on delivering PA for the Harris ticket. His presidential chances in 2028 or 2032 depend on it. Lose, and his bright prospects are tarnished.
There is a load of potential competition for leader of the next generation of Democrats. This election is as make or break for them individually as it is for the party.
Lucy, from Shenfield, Essex – who was the first in her family to go to university, gaining a maths degree in 2007 – worked briefly in graduate roles as a transport planner and in private equity. But on an annual salary of £20,000, she felt her student debt was hanging over her. She moved back to her parents’ house and has been in part-time minimum-wage jobs since she was 25. For the past six years, she has been a taxi controller, earning £19,000 last year.
“My student debt makes me not want to earn more, as my equivalent rate of tax would be 38%,” she said. “I see not repaying my loan as an act of defiance.”
What a loser.
And Daniel, from Norwich, who graduated with £55,000 of student debt, feels ‘any sort of relief for students repaying loans would be good’. Well of course it would. He would say that. Who would pay for it ?
I do think interest rates charged have been high and many people were duped into taking degrees as the prevailing govt wisdom was that the jobs of the future would need degrees hence the desire to get 50% of kids into Uni. However they need to live with their life choices.
A recent social development I've observed: young thirty-ish couples, apparently bright and well educated, running bijou cafés in tourist towns. This always strikes me as being a sad waste of talent, all the more so if they're doing it to stay below the debt repayment threshold. Tourist cafés were traditionally operated by gnarled old misanthropes and I fear this is what lies in store for them, too.
I think if I ever get to being mortgage free then that lifestyle appeals to me a lot, I'm lucky that my workplace has allowed me to go part time but right now I don't see any upside to going back to a full 5 day week. I get more time with my family, more personal time to myself or to spend with my wife, my weekends aren't just about recovering from the week I actually feel energised and able to meet friends or take my kids to adventure parks or places I know they'll enjoy without feeling exhausted on Monday morning.
I'd love to run an 8am to 4pm opening brunch cafe somewhere down by the coast in Hove...
The one thing I will point out is that running such a cafe is way harder than you might expect - you ideally want to be front of house with someone else doing the kitchen work...
I thing I've learnt over the years is that a lot of low paid work is far harder than the office based 'thinking" jobs most of us on here do...
Yes, that's very true. It's better to look for a way of doing what you already know and are good at, but in a low-stress environment. I, for example, love software development but hate working under pressure. So now, with the mortgage paid off, savings in the bank and my partner and son financially independent, I'm free to write code that doesn't pay well but lets me do what I like doing without the stress. It sure beats trying to run a cafe or pub.
I always find ‘couldn’t run a whelk stall’ a peculiar term of abuse, having seen from close quarters the problems involved.
OT while throwing away my books, I've come across Advocates by PB's favourite lawyer, David Pannick, before he became a lord. £15 hardback in 1992, shortly to start its slow journey to the council tip.
Don't throw away books, there'll always be someone interested in them. Support second-hand bookshops.
Sadly, there aren't. It's not just me, friends report charity bookshops were not even interested in signed copies. The old ecosystem where prolific readers used charity shops as a lending library are gone, as have the dedicated second hand bookshops of Bloomsbury and Charing Cross Road.
Most of my books are out-of-date tech books whose information is readily available online. The rest, well, it's possible I might get the odd nibble from Ebay but the hassle of listing them all, and then having to pack and post them when it's not a full-time hobby, is disproportionate.
But it is sad and frustrating, which is why it is taking so long as I stop to ponder each volume. I'm not a barrister so why buy Advocates more than 30 years ago? I can only assume Pannick had been on television or in the news around that time.
Been finding that too with clearing relatives' houses and doing the usual 60-something clearout post retirement. Certainly for ordinary charity shops, though the specialist charity bookshops in Edinburgh have been better (not much use to you). In the end we simply dumped our unwanted books to add to those in a deceased relative's house which we were getting a charity with a specialist furniture shop to clear - they have a specialist bookshop as well. That way we got the books cleared.
I don't know what it is. Booklovers dying off? Houses too small these days?
But obsolete editions of tech books can go into the recycling bin (not tip) without any compunction.
In England the people best set up to do it are Oxfam; they have various online outlets including rare and collectible books *
They also have a recycling plant in Wakefield or Huddersfield or similar for the processing. Not my favourite charity, but that's where they'd go as I can deliver to a local charity shop without pfaff.
They also have a specific emphasis on text books, which may be sent to developing countries.
National Trust are also surprisingly big in secondhand books at larger properties. Mine (NT top 20 300k visitors) has snack truck, mini-nursery, cafe, restaurant, NT shop, 2nd hand bookshop.
* For posh-nosh gobbling but uncivilised PBers they currently have a First Edition of The Gentleman's Table Guide by E. Ricket and C. Thomas (1871) for £3500.
Interesting! I see they also have free courier (from local dropoff) if one wants to send them books. That I didn't know, which would be useful for the more academic or specialist stuff.
I can't find a Scottish number, but nationally there are 120 specialist Oxfam bookshops.
OT while throwing away my books, I've come across Advocates by PB's favourite lawyer, David Pannick, before he became a lord. £15 hardback in 1992, shortly to start its slow journey to the council tip.
Don't throw away books, there'll always be someone interested in them. Support second-hand bookshops.
Sadly, there aren't. It's not just me, friends report charity bookshops were not even interested in signed copies. The old ecosystem where prolific readers used charity shops as a lending library are gone, as have the dedicated second hand bookshops of Bloomsbury and Charing Cross Road.
Most of my books are out-of-date tech books whose information is readily available online. The rest, well, it's possible I might get the odd nibble from Ebay but the hassle of listing them all, and then having to pack and post them when it's not a full-time hobby, is disproportionate.
But it is sad and frustrating, which is why it is taking so long as I stop to ponder each volume. I'm not a barrister so why buy Advocates more than 30 years ago? I can only assume Pannick had been on television or in the news around that time.
Been finding that too with clearing relatives' houses and doing the usual 60-something clearout post retirement. Certainly for ordinary charity shops, though the specialist charity bookshops in Edinburgh have been better (not much use to you). In the end we simply dumped our unwanted books to add to those in a deceased relative's house which we were getting a charity with a specialist furniture shop to clear - they have a specialist bookshop as well. That way we got the books cleared.
I don't know what it is. Booklovers dying off? Houses too small these days?
Same here. I once tried giving books away - literally leaving them outside my then-house for people to take what they want. Still had plenty left
About a year ago I resorted to actually dumping books in the paper recycling which felt so sad and wrong I moved to e-books. It was a great decision - they are so much more convenient. I love my Kindles - and all that weight from my luggage is gone. I now only buy physical books on the very rare occasions I read a book on Kindle which is so good I want the paper version
It’s happened once, this year. Zamoyski’s biography of Napoleon
I also sync my ebooks with Audible whenever possible, so I can keep “reading” even when driving round France, &c
Yeah, I got rid of all my physical books a few years ago. I was paying a fortune to cart them around every time I moved, and even more to keep them in storage when I was living in places that didn't have room for them. It got to the point where it would have been cheaper to buy them all anew than continue to hoard them for another decade. I didn't try to sell any of them, just got a recycling service to collect them - think they charged around £80 for 40 medium boxes, which I thought was pretty decent.
Besides, the proper e-Ink Kindles are simply a better reading experience - better print quality than a mass-market paperback, much easier on the eyes than a normal tablet screen, equally readable in the dark or direct sunshine, and the page always stays the right way up which is handy for reading in bed.
It's just a pity that Amazon seem to have lost interest in them - they've cut the size of the team working on them, there've been no particularly noteworthy new features in the past few years, and there's still no direct replacement for the Kindle Oasis. Mine is five years old - the leather case is falling apart, the battery has worn down to the point where it only lasts for a few days when used heavily, and it's the only device I own that still uses old-school micro-usb. I'd like a more modern version, but Amazon don't have one to sell me.
Has anyone here got opinions about alternatives? I know there are devices from Onyx and Kobo that are meant to be pretty good...
Isn’t the simplest thing to download the kindle app to a tablet?
The underlying issue absolutely has not gone away; it will likely worsen
Yeah the "racism defeated" cheering this morning is daft. In reality an already toxic but real issue, mass immigration, has now been weaponised by malign actors on social media, almost certianly in part by our foes in Russia. That they can cause widespread unrest in the UK so easily is a very big problem. It's not hard to think of scenarios where things go south very quickly and turn out a lot worse. About the only "ideas" anyone has had are all kinds of mad illiberal bans on language, free movement, access to the internet and so on. Most of which would likely not work and also prove to be counter-productive. Good luck to whoever has to figure out how to prevent repeats of this.
OT while throwing away my books, I've come across Advocates by PB's favourite lawyer, David Pannick, before he became a lord. £15 hardback in 1992, shortly to start its slow journey to the council tip.
Don't throw away books, there'll always be someone interested in them. Support second-hand bookshops.
Sadly, there aren't. It's not just me, friends report charity bookshops were not even interested in signed copies. The old ecosystem where prolific readers used charity shops as a lending library are gone, as have the dedicated second hand bookshops of Bloomsbury and Charing Cross Road.
Most of my books are out-of-date tech books whose information is readily available online. The rest, well, it's possible I might get the odd nibble from Ebay but the hassle of listing them all, and then having to pack and post them when it's not a full-time hobby, is disproportionate.
But it is sad and frustrating, which is why it is taking so long as I stop to ponder each volume. I'm not a barrister so why buy Advocates more than 30 years ago? I can only assume Pannick had been on television or in the news around that time.
Been finding that too with clearing relatives' houses and doing the usual 60-something clearout post retirement. Certainly for ordinary charity shops, though the specialist charity bookshops in Edinburgh have been better (not much use to you). In the end we simply dumped our unwanted books to add to those in a deceased relative's house which we were getting a charity with a specialist furniture shop to clear - they have a specialist bookshop as well. That way we got the books cleared.
I don't know what it is. Booklovers dying off? Houses too small these days?
Same here. I once tried giving books away - literally leaving them outside my then-house for people to take what they want. Still had plenty left
About a year ago I resorted to actually dumping books in the paper recycling which felt so sad and wrong I moved to e-books. It was a great decision - they are so much more convenient. I love my Kindles - and all that weight from my luggage is gone. I now only buy physical books on the very rare occasions I read a book on Kindle which is so good I want the paper version
It’s happened once, this year. Zamoyski’s biography of Napoleon
I also sync my ebooks with Audible whenever possible, so I can keep “reading” even when driving round France, &c
Yeah, I got rid of all my physical books a few years ago. I was paying a fortune to cart them around every time I moved, and even more to keep them in storage when I was living in places that didn't have room for them. It got to the point where it would have been cheaper to buy them all anew than continue to hoard them for another decade. I didn't try to sell any of them, just got a recycling service to collect them - think they charged around £80 for 40 medium boxes, which I thought was pretty decent.
Besides, the proper e-Ink Kindles are simply a better reading experience - better print quality than a mass-market paperback, much easier on the eyes than a normal tablet screen, equally readable in the dark or direct sunshine, and the page always stays the right way up which is handy for reading in bed.
It's just a pity that Amazon seem to have lost interest in them - they've cut the size of the team working on them, there've been no particularly noteworthy new features in the past few years, and there's still no direct replacement for the Kindle Oasis. Mine is five years old - the leather case is falling apart, the battery has worn down to the point where it only lasts for a few days when used heavily, and it's the only device I own that still uses old-school micro-usb. I'd like a more modern version, but Amazon don't have one to sell me.
Has anyone here got opinions about alternatives? I know there are devices from Onyx and Kobo that are meant to be pretty good...
Isn’t the simplest thing to download the kindle app to a tablet?
E-ink is far better and easier to read at night. A tablet / phone screen emits blue light that keeps you awake..
I’ve emotionally gone from being mentally and emotionally reconciled to a Trump win to having hope that Harris actually might do it. Sadly it’s the hope that kills you.
*Raises eyebrows*
Has Governor Walz's daughter taken up a new career?
You’re going to have to explain that one to me.
She’s called Hope and may have become an assassin according to your post…
It wasn’t really worth explaining…
But she is called Hope as she was an IVF baby and somehow the Republicans have managed to put themselves in the position of looking anti-IVF.
I thought they *were* anti-IVF?
I am anti taxpayer-funded IVF.
In the scheme of things I can think of a whole set of items that I object to far more.
Giving a family a chance of children seems to be a noble use of a tiny percentage of what I pay in taxes.
I agree.
Not least because we have a demographic problem.
If people want their state pensions to be paid, they'd better start getting behind pro natal policies and non-doms staying in the UK.
Better to import 21 year olds, so that some other country has to cover the cost of their education and their parents' maternity and paternity leave.
I’ve emotionally gone from being mentally and emotionally reconciled to a Trump win to having hope that Harris actually might do it. Sadly it’s the hope that kills you.
I actually think that Harris will do it as much because all the energy seems to have drained from DonOLD Trump...
Trump has been steadily declining since 2016.
Understandably so given the ageing and stress he has suffered.
Its only because US politics is so filled with senile dodderers that it hasn't been so noticeable.
Nikki Haley shortening to 65 on Betfair. Worth a small punt?
Quite surprised at this. I'm not touching it though as I don't understand what possible path she has to winning. (Interested if anyone has a good understanding of this)
Path:
Trump thinks he's going to lose.
So does a deal with Haley - she gets nomination, he gets presidential pardon
Trump pulls out, blames shooting wound
I’ve had similar thoughts. He’s 78. Very nearly dying by gunfire must be incredibly traumatic, but the trauma might take time to emerge and affect you
Also: who the F tried to kill Trump and why?! Incredible how the sassytempt has been memory-holed. “Oh just some normal guy with no opinions who was never on the internet. Typical kids, tried to kill a President, often happens, move along”
lol. wtf. Etc. I still reckon it was the Ukes using some sexy girl to seduce a lonely young clean skinned man
The playbook is much more Russian.
In the end Trump was not seriously hurt, but the shooter was killed "with an incredibly lucky shot".
Alienated young man seeking to make himself big in the world. There's no great mystery here. Unfortunately him being killed and therefore beyond interrogation means there'll always be 'theories'. That's just how people are.
Or you could do some research of your own
The dead guy who tried to kill Trump was Thomas Crooks. Turns out he DID have a faint online presence - @BartholomewRoberts is correct. On the social medium GAB, for instance
Here is his alleged GAB account, it is generally accepted this is him
After some flirtation with hard right tropes in his mid teens it appears he morphed into this guy. Pro-Biden, pro-migration, pro-lockdown. He would definitely be anti Trump
Yet he’s also articulate and well informed, absolutely not a nutter. I stand by my conspiracy theory: a sad lonely sex-starved clean skin likely recruited by someone else (possibly the Ukes) who played on his anti Trump feelings, convincing him Trump is as bad as Hitler and needs to go
People who are articulate online absolutely can be nutters IRL.
And this is America. Shootings happen on a daily basis. You keep repeating that its "not normal" for people to be shooters, but it is normal for there to be American shooters and it is normal for Presidents to face being attacked.
By my count 20 of the 46 have, either in office or out of it, faced an assassination attempt. That's virtually a coin-toss. And its distorted by the early Presidents being less likely to face it, its greater than 50% in modern times.
That's not counting would-be Presidents like RFK who have been killed or faced assassination attempts before they became President.
I know this is trivia, but my daughter has been on a holiday of discovery and in particular part of our family history and has traced my maternal grandmothers line all the way back to 1592 in Minchinhampton with every date and marriage leading upto her death here in Rhos on Sea in 1969
I’ve emotionally gone from being mentally and emotionally reconciled to a Trump win to having hope that Harris actually might do it. Sadly it’s the hope that kills you.
*Raises eyebrows*
Has Governor Walz's daughter taken up a new career?
You’re going to have to explain that one to me.
Suggesting the utterly charming Hope Walz has taken up the job of a hit man.
I’ve emotionally gone from being mentally and emotionally reconciled to a Trump win to having hope that Harris actually might do it. Sadly it’s the hope that kills you.
*Raises eyebrows*
Has Governor Walz's daughter taken up a new career?
You’re going to have to explain that one to me.
Suggesting the utterly charming Hope Walz has taken up the job of a hit man.
OT while throwing away my books, I've come across Advocates by PB's favourite lawyer, David Pannick, before he became a lord. £15 hardback in 1992, shortly to start its slow journey to the council tip.
Don't throw away books, there'll always be someone interested in them. Support second-hand bookshops.
Sadly, there aren't. It's not just me, friends report charity bookshops were not even interested in signed copies. The old ecosystem where prolific readers used charity shops as a lending library are gone, as have the dedicated second hand bookshops of Bloomsbury and Charing Cross Road.
Most of my books are out-of-date tech books whose information is readily available online. The rest, well, it's possible I might get the odd nibble from Ebay but the hassle of listing them all, and then having to pack and post them when it's not a full-time hobby, is disproportionate.
But it is sad and frustrating, which is why it is taking so long as I stop to ponder each volume. I'm not a barrister so why buy Advocates more than 30 years ago? I can only assume Pannick had been on television or in the news around that time.
Been finding that too with clearing relatives' houses and doing the usual 60-something clearout post retirement. Certainly for ordinary charity shops, though the specialist charity bookshops in Edinburgh have been better (not much use to you). In the end we simply dumped our unwanted books to add to those in a deceased relative's house which we were getting a charity with a specialist furniture shop to clear - they have a specialist bookshop as well. That way we got the books cleared.
I don't know what it is. Booklovers dying off? Houses too small these days?
But obsolete editions of tech books can go into the recycling bin (not tip) without any compunction.
In England the people best set up to do it are Oxfam; they have various online outlets including rare and collectible books *
They also have a recycling plant in Wakefield or Huddersfield or similar for the processing. Not my favourite charity, but that's where they'd go as I can deliver to a local charity shop without pfaff.
They also have a specific emphasis on text books, which may be sent to developing countries.
National Trust are also surprisingly big in secondhand books at larger properties. Mine (NT top 20 300k visitors) has snack truck, mini-nursery, cafe, restaurant, NT shop, 2nd hand bookshop.
* For posh-nosh gobbling but uncivilised PBers they currently have a First Edition of The Gentleman's Table Guide by E. Ricket and C. Thomas (1871) for £3500.
Interesting! I see they also have free courier (from local dropoff) if one wants to send them books. That I didn't know, which would be useful for the more academic or specialist stuff.
I've sold quite a few books in Germany with Rebuy or Momox apps- books need to have a barcode/ISBN. Postage is free at any packet drop-off shop. Don't know if they (or equivalent) operate in the UK. They don't tend to offer much cash, but it's very simple and quick way of getting rid of a decent percentage of unwanted books.
The underlying issue absolutely has not gone away; it will likely worsen
Yeah the "racism defeated" cheering this morning is daft. In reality an already toxic but real issue, mass immigration, has now been weaponised by malign actors on social media, almost certianly in part by our foes in Russia. That they can cause widespread unrest in the UK so easily is a very big problem. It's not hard to think of scenarios where things go south very quickly and turn out a lot worse. About the only "ideas" anyone has had are all kinds of mad illiberal bans on language, free movement, access to the internet and so on. Most of which would likely not work and also prove to be counter-productive. Good luck to whoever has to figure out how to prevent repeats of this.
We can start by pointing and laughing at racists of all ilks and colours; not just ones that look different. There is too much casual acceptance of racism in society, and making it socially unacceptable would be a great start.
If someone says something racist, whoever they are, tell them. Don't shut up because you don't want to create a fuss.
OT while throwing away my books, I've come across Advocates by PB's favourite lawyer, David Pannick, before he became a lord. £15 hardback in 1992, shortly to start its slow journey to the council tip.
Don't throw away books, there'll always be someone interested in them. Support second-hand bookshops.
Sadly, there aren't. It's not just me, friends report charity bookshops were not even interested in signed copies. The old ecosystem where prolific readers used charity shops as a lending library are gone, as have the dedicated second hand bookshops of Bloomsbury and Charing Cross Road.
Most of my books are out-of-date tech books whose information is readily available online. The rest, well, it's possible I might get the odd nibble from Ebay but the hassle of listing them all, and then having to pack and post them when it's not a full-time hobby, is disproportionate.
But it is sad and frustrating, which is why it is taking so long as I stop to ponder each volume. I'm not a barrister so why buy Advocates more than 30 years ago? I can only assume Pannick had been on television or in the news around that time.
Been finding that too with clearing relatives' houses and doing the usual 60-something clearout post retirement. Certainly for ordinary charity shops, though the specialist charity bookshops in Edinburgh have been better (not much use to you). In the end we simply dumped our unwanted books to add to those in a deceased relative's house which we were getting a charity with a specialist furniture shop to clear - they have a specialist bookshop as well. That way we got the books cleared.
I don't know what it is. Booklovers dying off? Houses too small these days?
Same here. I once tried giving books away - literally leaving them outside my then-house for people to take what they want. Still had plenty left
About a year ago I resorted to actually dumping books in the paper recycling which felt so sad and wrong I moved to e-books. It was a great decision - they are so much more convenient. I love my Kindles - and all that weight from my luggage is gone. I now only buy physical books on the very rare occasions I read a book on Kindle which is so good I want the paper version
It’s happened once, this year. Zamoyski’s biography of Napoleon
I also sync my ebooks with Audible whenever possible, so I can keep “reading” even when driving round France, &c
Yeah, I got rid of all my physical books a few years ago. I was paying a fortune to cart them around every time I moved, and even more to keep them in storage when I was living in places that didn't have room for them. It got to the point where it would have been cheaper to buy them all anew than continue to hoard them for another decade. I didn't try to sell any of them, just got a recycling service to collect them - think they charged around £80 for 40 medium boxes, which I thought was pretty decent.
Besides, the proper e-Ink Kindles are simply a better reading experience - better print quality than a mass-market paperback, much easier on the eyes than a normal tablet screen, equally readable in the dark or direct sunshine, and the page always stays the right way up which is handy for reading in bed.
It's just a pity that Amazon seem to have lost interest in them - they've cut the size of the team working on them, there've been no particularly noteworthy new features in the past few years, and there's still no direct replacement for the Kindle Oasis. Mine is five years old - the leather case is falling apart, the battery has worn down to the point where it only lasts for a few days when used heavily, and it's the only device I own that still uses old-school micro-usb. I'd like a more modern version, but Amazon don't have one to sell me.
Has anyone here got opinions about alternatives? I know there are devices from Onyx and Kobo that are meant to be pretty good...
I disagree with the header. I don't think it's a 50/50 race anymore.
At the moment, it's between a narrow win and a big win.
I think I am still scarred by 2016.
I realised over the weekend I am more emotionally invested in the 2024 US Presidential election than I have ever been in any UK general election or Brexit referendum/Scottish independence referendum and I was pretty emotionally invested in the those too.
The Democrats appear to have learned, though. Every attempt to stir up some party division (which the US media, liberal or otherwise, absolutely loves to cover) just isn't working. I can't recall a time when one wing of the party wasn't having a go at the other, but that seems now to be the prevailing mood.
And they don't get wound up by Trump's bullshit. They're inoculated, and just laugh at him now.
The more I look at it, the smarter Walz is as the VP pick. He's no threat to the next generation - has specifically said that this is the culmination of his career, not a step on the way to the top job - and has been enthusiastically endorsed by everyone from Bernie and AOC to fucking Joe Manchin, who doesn't like anyone.
And they're defending a largely positive record in government.
But as has been noted, there's still three months to go.
There are a lot of people on this site who, like @TSE, are very emotionally attached to what happens in the States and more so than here, and you can see it in here with the commentary around the Harris-Walz ticket. In the spirit of presenting the other side of the argument, here are some points to consider before getting carried away:
1. It is August and early August at that. The US is not paying attention to November (more so this year when you have the Olympics). So trying to read signals into November now is tricky except when, in the rare cases as with Biden, you had a narrative that had been building up and established (i.e. he was too old for the job);
2. You might think the Administration is defending a largely positive record but what you think doesn't count. The US voter generally doesn't. And that is likely to get worse for Harris than better because...
3...the economic data in the States is overall getting worse. The unemployment stats were worse than expected and consumer confidence is being hit. More relevant, US companies in their Q2 results have struck a noticeably more gloomy view on the US consumer and expect this to go into 2025.
4. The scrutiny of Harris and Walz has not really started in terms of their track records. There is plenty of video material of Harris which will be gold dust on the campaign trail. And Walz is already facing questions about his handling of the George Floyd riots. At the end of the day, Harris and Walz - on recent track records - are progressives.
5. Harris may have picked Walz but there are strong indications that Shapiro deliberately exited himself from the VP pick, as Cooper did. You may want to reflect on why. One of the reasons being stated is they didn't want to tie themselves to a campaign they felt would fail and hurt their own chances (at least in the case of Shapiro). You might also reflect that given Shapiro's ambitions, why is he going to want Harris in the Presidency for potentially eight years when he is keen on a run in 2028 - that has implications for how much he helps the ticket in PA.
6. Trump may be struggling with rallies, funding etc. But one way to look at what he is doing is essentially being quiet, reframing his message at a time when Americans are not really listening and then hit hard come September onwards. Some of his lines against Harris have failed. You should be more worried he hasn't continued his flailing. The fact he has gone quiet suggests he is being more disciplined and listening to advice.
7. The election will ultimately come down to the economy. Trump has a clear advantage and probably more so now given Harris and Walz are seen on the left. The Fed is likely to cut rates but it may be seen as too late anyway.
You are correct that many on here, and this includes me, would rather that Trump did not win.
But while the economy will be the largest factor determining the result this year (and it's where Trump holds a clear edge), it is not the only factor.
Firstly, remember that the Republicans did poorly in the midterms this cycle, losing a Senate seat and barely winning back the House. That was at a time when the economy was in a worse position than now. So, it's fair to say that Republican enthusiasm is not at sky high levels.
And this can be seen in the Primaries: even long after Haley was defeated, she was still picking up a fifth of the Republican primary vote. People - registered Republicans - were making their way to the polling station to cast a vote saying "we don't want Trump". If these people stay home this year, then Trump is toast.
Secondly, Trump has notably deteriorated mentally since 2016 and 2020. No, he's not at Biden 2024 levels... but he's simply not the candidate he was before. And his unwillingness to debate Harris is going to be played on repeatedly by the Democrats.
Thirdly, Project 2025. You say that Harris and Walz are progressives, and maybe they are (albeit Harris was about as centrist as they come when she was a Senator and an Attorney General), but Trump has the millstone of Project 2025 around his neck. Trump realizes this (and has rightly called it crazy), but Vance and his backers like Thiel, are knee deep in it. The more the Democrats can tie Trump-Vance to a group that wants to nationally criminalize abortion, the worse it is for Trump's chances...
About that.
Trump to Heritage after flying in a private jet with his Project 2025 leader: “This is a great group and they’re going to lay the groundwork and detail plans for exactly what our movement will do [in my second term]”
I’ve emotionally gone from being mentally and emotionally reconciled to a Trump win to having hope that Harris actually might do it. Sadly it’s the hope that kills you.
*Raises eyebrows*
Has Governor Walz's daughter taken up a new career?
You’re going to have to explain that one to me.
She’s called Hope and may have become an assassin according to your post…
It wasn’t really worth explaining…
But she is called Hope as she was an IVF baby and somehow the Republicans have managed to put themselves in the position of looking anti-IVF.
I thought they *were* anti-IVF?
I am anti taxpayer-funded IVF.
In the scheme of things I can think of a whole set of items that I object to far more.
Giving a family a chance of children seems to be a noble use of a tiny percentage of what I pay in taxes.
I agree.
Not least because we have a demographic problem.
If people want their state pensions to be paid, they'd better start getting behind pro natal policies and non-doms staying in the UK.
Better to import 21 year olds, so that some other country has to cover the cost of their education and their parents' maternity and paternity leave.
Given most of the western world and the Far East has the same demographic problems that means African or South Asian 21 year olds mainly and if some are Islamic radicals even more riots and far right extremism
Mine is five years old - the leather case is falling apart, the battery has worn down to the point where it only lasts for a few days when used heavily, and it's the only device I own that still uses old-school micro-usb.
That interests me - just what is 'old-school micro-usb'?
I have about 3 different versions, some of which sometimes interchange. For everything from the CO2 monitor to the mobile phone to the motorist-control-camera to the glucose monitor.
I’ve emotionally gone from being mentally and emotionally reconciled to a Trump win to having hope that Harris actually might do it. Sadly it’s the hope that kills you.
*Raises eyebrows*
Has Governor Walz's daughter taken up a new career?
You’re going to have to explain that one to me.
Suggesting the utterly charming Hope Walz has taken up the job of a hit man.
I’ve emotionally gone from being mentally and emotionally reconciled to a Trump win to having hope that Harris actually might do it. Sadly it’s the hope that kills you.
*Raises eyebrows*
Has Governor Walz's daughter taken up a new career?
You’re going to have to explain that one to me.
She’s called Hope and may have become an assassin according to your post…
It wasn’t really worth explaining…
But she is called Hope as she was an IVF baby and somehow the Republicans have managed to put themselves in the position of looking anti-IVF.
I thought they *were* anti-IVF?
I am anti taxpayer-funded IVF.
In the scheme of things I can think of a whole set of items that I object to far more.
Giving a family a chance of children seems to be a noble use of a tiny percentage of what I pay in taxes.
Certainly with fertility rates now below replacement level in the UK and USA
Sadly, reproductive services are something that the NHS have all but abandoned.
Technically, they still aim to offer three cycles to under-40s, and one to those aged 40 and 41 - but in most of the country are nowhere close to achieving this. The usual pattern is to mange the problem by delaying long enough that people age out of eligibility, so if you're in your mid 30s they'll drag it out so you get one cycle at 38 or 39, and another a couple of years later. And that's only if you're very persistent.
In reality, most people on average need around four cycles, with some trying up to six before giving up. Each cycle typically costs around £10k.
Fertility rapidly declines once you hit your late 20s, but as a society we've set ourselves up so that people are unable to even consider having children until a decade later. So we're effectively expecting people to pay £20k or so on average to be able to have children, and that's before you even get on to the nightmarish situation that NHS maternity services are in.
Trump is looking as deflated as one of those Christmas balloons you find behind the sofa in April.....
There's plenty of time for the Dems to do a Hillary 2016.
There is time, but there is no interest for the Dems to do a Hillary.
Hillary was full of hubris and acted like she was owed the Presidency and flew over the flyover states.
Harris is not making that mistake. She has a laser focus on winning.
Not so laser enough to pick the governor of PA as her running mate though, so RCP has PA still going red
You can be damn sure Shapiro is laser focused on delivering PA for the Harris ticket. His presidential chances in 2028 or 2032 depend on it. Lose, and his bright prospects are tarnished.
There is a load of potential competition for leader of the next generation of Democrats. This election is as make or break for them individually as it is for the party.
They aren't, if Harris and Walz lose Shapiro and Buttigieg are prime contenders to be Dem nominee in 2028 to take on VP Vance.
If Harris wins however she can run again in 2028 and then plenty more governors and senators would be in the frame for 2032 if Harris were re elected and VP Walz declined to run
I’ve emotionally gone from being mentally and emotionally reconciled to a Trump win to having hope that Harris actually might do it. Sadly it’s the hope that kills you.
*Raises eyebrows*
Has Governor Walz's daughter taken up a new career?
You’re going to have to explain that one to me.
Suggesting the utterly charming Hope Walz has taken up the job of a hit man.
Nobody is this wholesome, he must have some kind of dark secret.
He puts pineapples on his pizza.
What is your opinion of pineapple fritters?
Never heard of them until today, I shall have to investigate.
You have them as a side with fish and chips.
They are deep-fried pineapple rings.
Known to every true Yorkshireman. I claim.
You're in for a treat - they're delicious. They are (imo) a dessert item though, so not as sacreligious as being added to a pizza.
True. But as a dessert I'd recommend with maple syrup, as one would for a dessert Yorkshire pudding - although that works really well with sweet-n-sour such as Blackberry Vinegar.
Comments
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polling_for_United_States_presidential_elections
I'd love to run an 8am to 4pm opening brunch cafe somewhere down by the coast in Hove...
Hillary was full of hubris and acted like she was owed the Presidency and flew over the flyover states.
Harris is not making that mistake. She has a laser focus on winning.
The dead guy who tried to kill Trump was Thomas Crooks. Turns out he DID have a faint online presence - @BartholomewRoberts is correct. On the social medium GAB, for instance
Here is his alleged GAB account, it is generally accepted this is him
https://gab.com/epicMicrowave/comments
After some flirtation with hard right tropes in his mid teens it appears he morphed into this guy. Pro-Biden, pro-migration, pro-lockdown. He would definitely be anti Trump
Yet he’s also articulate and well informed, absolutely not a nutter. I stand by my conspiracy theory: a sad lonely sex-starved clean skin likely recruited by someone else (possibly the Ukes) who played on his anti Trump feelings, convincing him Trump is as bad as Hitler and needs to go
In short, a) the efficiency of the market and b) high st rents are the reasons why local secondhand bookshops don't exist anymore.
With the advent of the internet, it became apparent that gross demand of any specific title rarely exceeds gross supply. So prices of most general books tend towards zero. If you have a massive warehouse of general secondhand books priced £2-25 and a data entry team, you can make it work by fulfilling worldwide demand online. But a small shop selling general books to a local market and paying market rents? Too little demand and too much supply in most places. There are a few exceptions, but not many. Space becomes the limiting factor even if the small local shop sells online. They won't have a big enough stock to make it work economically.
The antiquarian booktrade, however, is thriving. Whilst the same effect as above happened on some titles (partly due to fashion - fishing and cricket books have taken a massive dive over the past decade), for others it became apparent just how few copies of certain books existed; and for very popular editions of classic works, how demand far outstrips supply. As an example, we used to sell the very attractive 'Peacock' edition of Austen's Pride and Prejudice for £100ish. It now regularly sells for 20-30x that, and more!
I thing I've learnt over the years is that a lot of low paid work is far harder than the office based 'thinking" jobs most of us on here do...
And this is America. Shootings happen on a daily basis. You keep repeating that its "not normal" for people to be shooters, but it is normal for there to be American shooters and it is normal for Presidents to face being attacked.
By my count 20 of the 46 have, either in office or out of it, faced an assassination attempt. That's virtually a coin-toss. And its distorted by the early Presidents being less likely to face it, its greater than 50% in modern times.
That's not counting would-be Presidents like RFK who have been killed or faced assassination attempts before they became President.
It is over, he is yesterday's news
Harris' big mo has probably come a little too early.
https://www.npr.org/2024/08/07/nx-s1-5066878/tim-walz-tampon-law-minnesota
Harris will be the next POTUS
But I think Trump will win where it matters.
Attendance peaked at around 8pm with around 100-120 people, tailing off to around half that by the time it got dark. A fairly mixed crowd - mostly 30- and 40-somethings, but some older folk too. A few babies and very young children with their parents, but no teens or students. One police car on the corner, and a couple of uniformed officers at the front gate.
It was all pretty subdued - people milling around or sitting in chairs that had been brought out into the street. Some home-made placards and one banner, but no chanting or singing. Some of the local Turkish restaurants kindly brought us meze and pide, which we very much appreciated.
My friends and I left shortly after 10, but there were a couple of dozen who were intending to stay around until midnight, just in case.
There was no sign of any trouble. The centre itself had been listed as a target on multiple racist telegram groups (hence the police presence), but it was unclear how serious the threat was. The weather was noticeably cooler than it has been recently, with some spits of rain in the air, which probably helped too. Not sure how much good we did, but hopefully it will have at least been enough to deter any future racist protests.
The Democratic Convention is going to be a week of positive news for them
After that they was supposed to be another debate but Trump isn't turning up...
And we still have Trump in court in September for sentencing...
(The whole loans system still stinks despite all this)
Harris (D): 50%
Trump (R): 42%
Kennedy (I): 6%
Marquette / Aug 1, 2024 / n=879
https://x.com/USA_Polling/status/1821416267175043173
This riot sequence has ended. “Both sides” quite vigorously made their feelings known
The underlying issue absolutely has not gone away; it will likely worsen
Nearly everyone rejects thuggery and violence. But that does not mean that nearly everyone believes the policy current and recent of massive net migration into the UK and population increase is soundly based or sustainable. This is now being completely sidelined.
Unless the new government wants its regime to be short, and feed the extremes they need to do better.
The rules are always keep it clean and ensure your paperwork is continually up to date..
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/how-i-learned-to-embrace-my-autism/
Actually quite uplifting
I don't think that's true for 2020 or 2024.
Trump today doesn't care about poor Joe anymore, all he cares about is Trump. He's a bitter, angry narcissist annoyed at having lost last time and wants everyone to know that he is the greatest and doesn't care about anyone or anything else.
I think enough Americans want to put the psychodramas of the last few years behind them and Kamala is normal enough to do that, Trump is not. Hence why attacking Harris for the fact she laughs backfired, it just highlighted how dour and miserable Trump is.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/cx2n5g9gqg6o
Even looters don't want them.
It seems to me that Labour have learned little from their time in opposition.
We're an economic crisis and a decent Tory leader away from that yugggge majority being wiped out.
They also have a recycling plant in Wakefield or Huddersfield or similar for the processing. Not my favourite charity, but that's where they'd go as I can deliver to a local charity shop without pfaff.
They also have a specific emphasis on text books, which may be sent to developing countries.
National Trust are also surprisingly big in secondhand books at larger properties. Mine (NT top 20 300k visitors) has snack truck, mini-nursery, cafe, restaurant, NT shop, 2nd hand bookshop.
* For posh-nosh gobbling but uncivilised PBers they currently have a First Edition of The Gentleman's Table Guide by E. Ricket and C. Thomas (1871) for £3500.
https://onlineshop.oxfam.org.uk/very-rare-first-edition-of-the-gentlemans-table-guide-by-e-ricket-and-c-thomas-1871/product/HD_301306916?sku=HD_301306916
He often tries various lines of attack before finding one that resonates....
Indeed mugs who were backing Trump to bounceback were still losing their money even after America had voted and Biden had been declared the winner.
If he weren't in the race, I think they'd be voting Trump.
You sometimes find lovely things in the most unlikely places!
PBers who have followed mine and Robert’s tip of Kamala Harris are quids in right now, those who followed your siren voice on Harris are going to the poorhouse.
Giving a family a chance of children seems to be a noble use of a tiny percentage of what I pay in taxes.
https://youtu.be/8g7hRIxb7gA?t=1342
(I have not looked into sources for this, but the podcast does not rumour-monger.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFtOlBKaAvA
But while the economy will be the largest factor determining the result this year (and it's where Trump holds a clear edge), it is not the only factor.
Firstly, remember that the Republicans did poorly in the midterms this cycle, losing a Senate seat and barely winning back the House. That was at a time when the economy was in a worse position than now. So, it's fair to say that Republican enthusiasm is not at sky high levels.
And this can be seen in the Primaries: even long after Haley was defeated, she was still picking up a fifth of the Republican primary vote. People - registered Republicans - were making their way to the polling station to cast a vote saying "we don't want Trump". If these people stay home this year, then Trump is toast.
Secondly, Trump has notably deteriorated mentally since 2016 and 2020. No, he's not at Biden 2024 levels... but he's simply not the candidate he was before. And his unwillingness to debate Harris is going to be played on repeatedly by the Democrats.
Thirdly, Project 2025. You say that Harris and Walz are progressives, and maybe they are (albeit Harris was about as centrist as they come when she was a Senator and an Attorney General), but Trump has the millstone of Project 2025 around his neck. Trump realizes this (and has rightly called it crazy), but Vance and his backers like Thiel, are knee deep in it. The more the Democrats can tie Trump-Vance to a group that wants to nationally criminalize abortion, the worse it is for Trump's chances.
With that said, I still make Trump the narrow favourite: Americans (like Brits, French, Japanese, Russians and Germans) have gotten poorer in the last four years. Incumbents are getting booted out everywhere. And if the Republican Presidential nominee was - say - DeSantis or Haley or whoever, then I suspect that they would be running comfortably ahead of the Democrats.
But it's not: it's Trump, a many who is loathed by 45% of Americans. And that's why this is an incredibly close race, that will come down to narrow margins in half a dozen states.
If he loses, the wheels of Justice will grind him to prison, as he won't be able to pardon himself.
AFAICS his entire hand, for his personal interest, consists of a single Trump card.
It was only when you got to the bottom of the article that you found out he worked that he worked 3 days a week.
Not least because we have a demographic problem.
If people want their state pensions to be paid, they'd better start getting behind pro natal policies and non-doms staying in the UK.
With Trump attached I think it's going to end up as a solid Harris win with Trump melting down at some point in September / October..
(Really)
Besides, the proper e-Ink Kindles are simply a better reading experience - better print quality than a mass-market paperback, much easier on the eyes than a normal tablet screen, equally readable in the dark or direct sunshine, and the page always stays the right way up which is handy for reading in bed.
It's just a pity that Amazon seem to have lost interest in them - they've cut the size of the team working on them, there've been no particularly noteworthy new features in the past few years, and there's still no direct replacement for the Kindle Oasis. Mine is five years old - the leather case is falling apart, the battery has worn down to the point where it only lasts for a few days when used heavily, and it's the only device I own that still uses old-school micro-usb. I'd like a more modern version, but Amazon don't have one to sell me.
Has anyone here got opinions about alternatives? I know there are devices from Onyx and Kobo that are meant to be pretty good...
9 times out of 10 it's some nutter with an ill-founded grudge or seeking notoriety. Not something out of a paperback thriller.
- Nearest charity shops that sell books
- Book exchange shelf at the station
- Left on the train/plane/bus if I finish a book mid-journey
The Scribe is a great device but no good for reading in bed and because I like physical buttons the paperwhite isn't for me.
Edit to add the problem with Onyx / Kobo is that the Kindle purchase / delivery path is so simple and I have an awful lot of books that I've bought over the years so the sunk cost of moving is just too much.
His presidential chances in 2028 or 2032 depend on it. Lose, and his bright prospects are tarnished.
There is a load of potential competition for leader of the next generation of Democrats. This election is as make or break for them individually as it is for the party.
https://www.npr.org/2024/08/06/nx-s1-5065392/man-arrested-threats-kamala-harris
Possibly just mouthing off - but also owned an AR15.
It tells a remarkable story
For Vance, it's probably the least objectionable thing about him.
They are deep-fried pineapple rings.
Known to every true Yorkshireman. I claim.
If someone says something racist, whoever they are, tell them. Don't shut up because you don't want to create a fuss.
Also, people who like the Kennedy name or really like gravelly voices.
https://amzn.eu/d/ei5qNAD
Trump to Heritage after flying in a private jet with his Project 2025 leader: “This is a great group and they’re going to lay the groundwork and detail plans for exactly what our movement will do [in my second term]”
https://x.com/KamalaHQ/status/1821315586128851245
Not now, young HY. He is soiled goods and quite properly sunk without trace.
I have about 3 different versions, some of which sometimes interchange. For everything from the CO2 monitor to the mobile phone to the motorist-control-camera to the glucose monitor.
Technically, they still aim to offer three cycles to under-40s, and one to those aged 40 and 41 - but in most of the country are nowhere close to achieving this. The usual pattern is to mange the problem by delaying long enough that people age out of eligibility, so if you're in your mid 30s they'll drag it out so you get one cycle at 38 or 39, and another a couple of years later. And that's only if you're very persistent.
In reality, most people on average need around four cycles, with some trying up to six before giving up. Each cycle typically costs around £10k.
Fertility rapidly declines once you hit your late 20s, but as a society we've set ourselves up so that people are unable to even consider having children until a decade later. So we're effectively expecting people to pay £20k or so on average to be able to have children, and that's before you even get on to the nightmarish situation that NHS maternity services are in.
If Harris wins however she can run again in 2028 and then plenty more governors and senators would be in the frame for 2032 if Harris were re elected and VP Walz declined to run