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What’s this betting market going to look like on Wednesday morning? – politicalbetting.com

SystemSystem Posts: 12,212
edited September 29 in General
imageWhat’s this betting market going to look like on Wednesday morning? – politicalbetting.com

For over a week Donald Trump has been the favourite on Betfair and with the forthcoming debate on Tuesday evening (American time) might change that. Normally debates don’t matter but Joe Biden’s disastrous performance in June saw a massive change on Betfair and saw Biden eventually quit the race.

Read the full story here

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Comments

  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 54,972
    1st, from Paradise.
  • TimSTimS Posts: 13,213
    Second, from Brockley
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 28,888
    Turncoat Tulsi will have prepped him well and he will be loaded with amphetamines so it could go fine. On the other hand there could be a train wreck. 50/50?
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 28,888

    4th, from junior parkrun marshaling. :)

    Good effort, but no medal.
  • LostPasswordLostPassword Posts: 18,895
    Do people remember the Truss/Sunak debate in which the presenter fainted, and we saw Truss's shocked expression before she rushed forward to help?

    Unknown to us at the time, it foreshadowed Truss's effect on the British economy, and the reaction of the British public.

    Might we have something similarly prophetic from the Harris/Trump debate?
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 49,112
    Generally debates are nil nil draws. The previous Trump Biden one was an exception.
  • TimSTimS Posts: 13,213
    Foxy said:

    Generally debates are nil nil draws. The previous Trump Biden one was an exception.

    I expect this one will reinforce partisans’ pre-existing opinions, like most debates do.
  • £30m a year - why F1 designer is one of sport's highest-earning Britons
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/articles/czrxgll23w9o
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 49,112
    TimS said:

    Foxy said:

    Generally debates are nil nil draws. The previous Trump Biden one was an exception.

    I expect this one will reinforce partisans’ pre-existing opinions, like most debates do.
    There is always a possibility of a car crash performance by one candidate, and surely it is Trump that is more likely. He doesn't stick to a script.
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 54,972
    On topic, this is the only debate scheduled this year, and I think it does have the potential to cause a couple of points’ swing in either direction.

    There’s been lots of discussion and argument between the camps over the format, but no changes ended up being made from the previous agreement between Trump and Biden.

    I think that Harris wants to stick as closely to the script as possible, while Trump is much happier down in the off script swamp, and wants Harris down there too wrestling with the proverbial pig.

    Either of them could end up saying something totally outrageous.

    Unlike the last debate with Biden, and irrespective of what actually occurs at the debate, what’s not going to happen is all of the liberal media doing anything other than calling it a brilliant victory for Veep. The two sides now have their own media that talk straight past each other, and can agree on little more than that today is Sunday.

    As many commentators have said in the past few days, no-one is going to change their mind, so it’s now all about the turnout - first getting people registered to vote, and then actually voting.
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 51,082
    edited September 8
    MAGA is about a fictional hero who will Save America. They project this onto Donald Trump. The actual Donald Trump is almost irrelevant. See the bizarre fan art that portrays him as various types of hero - and even Jesus. These are attempts to reconcile the reality with the myth.

    This is a common feature of these kind of populist leader cults. Any negative is taken as a positive - proof that The Conspiracy will do Anything to stop The Hero.

    What does this mean for the debates? The problem is that it is virtually impossible for Trump to “break” the lock he has on 45% of the electorate. They aren’t voting for him, anyway, they are voting for The Legend.

    If he collapses into complete carehome grade dementia on stage that will become “The Hero was poisoned by Democrats and Ukrainians to steal the election”.

    Trump will get 45% of the vote (more or less). He and Harris are fighting over less than 10%

    So the debates might move the needle a bit - but not much. No matter what actually happens.


  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 28,888
    edited September 8

    MAGA is about a fictional hero who will Save America. They project this onto Donald Trump. The actual Donald Trump is almost irrelevant. See the bizarre fan art that portrays him as various types of hero - and even Jesus. These are attempts to reconcile the reality with the myth.

    This is a common feature of these kind of populist leader cults. Any negative is taken as a positive - proof that The Conspiracy will do Anything to stop The Hero.

    What does this mean for the debates? The problem is that it is virtually impossible for Trump to “break” the lock he has on 45% of the electorate. They aren’t voting for him, anyway, they are voting for The Legend.

    If he collapses into complete carehome grade dementia on stage that will become “The Hero was poisoned by Democrats and Ukrainians to steal the election”.

    Trump will get 45% of the vote (more or less). He and Harris are fighting over less than 10%

    So the debates might move the needle a bit - but not much. No matter what actually happens.


    It's worse than that. It all hinges on a percentage point here and there in less than ten swing states.

    Kamala wins the popular vote comfortably, Trump probably wins the College by a whisker.

    I suspect that is what the markets are telling us.
  • Ratters said:

    Foxy said:

    Generally debates are nil nil draws. The previous Trump Biden one was an exception.

    Nil, minus 10 was certainly an unusual outcome.
    More minus three plays minus ten, I reckon. Biden was much worse than Trump, but both were showing signs of being compost mentis.

    And one of them was cogent enough to (eventually) pull out of the race.
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 54,972

    MAGA is about a fictional hero who will Save America. They project this onto Donald Trump. The actual Donald Trump is almost irrelevant. See the bizarre fan art that portrays him as various types of hero - and even Jesus. These are attempts to reconcile the reality with the myth.

    This is a common feature of these kind of populist leader cults. Any negative is taken as a positive - proof that The Conspiracy will do Anything to stop The Hero.

    What does this mean for the debates? The problem is that it is virtually impossible for Trump to “break” the lock he has on 45% of the electorate. They aren’t voting for him, anyway, they are voting for The Legend.

    If he collapses into complete carehome grade dementia on stage that will become “The Hero was poisoned by Democrats and Ukrainians to steal the election”.

    Trump will get 45% of the vote (more or less). He and Harris are fighting over less than 10%

    So the debates might move the needle a bit - but not much. No matter what actually happens.


    It's worse than that. It all hinges on a percentage point here and there in less than ten swing states.

    Kamala wins the popular vote comfortably, Trump probably wins the College by a whisker.

    I suspect that is what the markets are telling us.
    It more than likely all comes down to Pennsylvania, just as it all came down to Florida in 2000,

    Let’s hope it’s a little more decisive, one way or another, than that race.

    Both teams have already spent millions on lawyers, and no doubt will be spending tens of millions more over the next four months.

    What is totally alien to those watching from abroad, is just how much control local political leaders have on the actual process of elections. There are very few Federal rules, so States, counties, and cities all have a huge amount of discretion over how the elections are conducted, and the politicians in charge can and do push the limits of what’s allowed for their own political benefit and that of their party.
  • Sandpit said:

    MAGA is about a fictional hero who will Save America. They project this onto Donald Trump. The actual Donald Trump is almost irrelevant. See the bizarre fan art that portrays him as various types of hero - and even Jesus. These are attempts to reconcile the reality with the myth.

    This is a common feature of these kind of populist leader cults. Any negative is taken as a positive - proof that The Conspiracy will do Anything to stop The Hero.

    What does this mean for the debates? The problem is that it is virtually impossible for Trump to “break” the lock he has on 45% of the electorate. They aren’t voting for him, anyway, they are voting for The Legend.

    If he collapses into complete carehome grade dementia on stage that will become “The Hero was poisoned by Democrats and Ukrainians to steal the election”.

    Trump will get 45% of the vote (more or less). He and Harris are fighting over less than 10%

    So the debates might move the needle a bit - but not much. No matter what actually happens.


    It's worse than that. It all hinges on a percentage point here and there in less than ten swing states.

    Kamala wins the popular vote comfortably, Trump probably wins the College by a whisker.

    I suspect that is what the markets are telling us.
    It more than likely all comes down to Pennsylvania, just as it all came down to Florida in 2000,

    Let’s hope it’s a little more decisive, one way or another, than that race.

    Both teams have already spent millions on lawyers, and no doubt will be spending tens of millions more over the next four months.

    What is totally alien to those watching from abroad, is just how much control local political leaders have on the actual process of elections. There are very few Federal rules, so States, counties, and cities all have a huge amount of discretion over how the elections are conducted, and the politicians in charge can and do push the limits of what’s allowed for their own political benefit and that of their party.
    It really is odd. Electoral services officers in uk councils are the least political people you could ever encounter.
  • OT Last day of the Paralympics so the medals table won't change much. We will still be second best under Keir Starmer.

    1. China 94 gold medals
    2. Dear Old Blighty 47
    3. Land of the Free (except healthcare) 36
    4. ex-Holland 26
    5. Pizza and pasta 24
    6. The beautiful game 23
    7. Slava Ukraini 21
    8. Aux Armes (& gilets jaunes) Citoyens 19
    9. Land down under, girt by sea 18
    10. Japan 14
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 49,112

    MAGA is about a fictional hero who will Save America. They project this onto Donald Trump. The actual Donald Trump is almost irrelevant. See the bizarre fan art that portrays him as various types of hero - and even Jesus. These are attempts to reconcile the reality with the myth.

    This is a common feature of these kind of populist leader cults. Any negative is taken as a positive - proof that The Conspiracy will do Anything to stop The Hero.

    What does this mean for the debates? The problem is that it is virtually impossible for Trump to “break” the lock he has on 45% of the electorate. They aren’t voting for him, anyway, they are voting for The Legend.

    If he collapses into complete carehome grade dementia on stage that will become “The Hero was poisoned by Democrats and Ukrainians to steal the election”.

    Trump will get 45% of the vote (more or less). He and Harris are fighting over less than 10%

    So the debates might move the needle a bit - but not much. No matter what actually happens.


    It's worse than that. It all hinges on a percentage point here and there in less than ten swing states.

    Kamala wins the popular vote comfortably, Trump probably wins the College by a whisker.

    I suspect that is what the markets are telling us.
    One of the value bets out there is for the election winner to lose the popular vote.

    I think Kamala is highly likely to win the PV, but Trump could easily scrape through the EC. It's currently 3.05 at Betfair for an outcome that I would price closer to 2, Pennsylvania being a toss up.
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 51,082
    Sandpit said:

    MAGA is about a fictional hero who will Save America. They project this onto Donald Trump. The actual Donald Trump is almost irrelevant. See the bizarre fan art that portrays him as various types of hero - and even Jesus. These are attempts to reconcile the reality with the myth.

    This is a common feature of these kind of populist leader cults. Any negative is taken as a positive - proof that The Conspiracy will do Anything to stop The Hero.

    What does this mean for the debates? The problem is that it is virtually impossible for Trump to “break” the lock he has on 45% of the electorate. They aren’t voting for him, anyway, they are voting for The Legend.

    If he collapses into complete carehome grade dementia on stage that will become “The Hero was poisoned by Democrats and Ukrainians to steal the election”.

    Trump will get 45% of the vote (more or less). He and Harris are fighting over less than 10%

    So the debates might move the needle a bit - but not much. No matter what actually happens.


    It's worse than that. It all hinges on a percentage point here and there in less than ten swing states.

    Kamala wins the popular vote comfortably, Trump probably wins the College by a whisker.

    I suspect that is what the markets are telling us.
    It more than likely all comes down to Pennsylvania, just as it all came down to Florida in 2000,

    Let’s hope it’s a little more decisive, one way or another, than that race.

    Both teams have already spent millions on lawyers, and no doubt will be spending tens of millions more over the next four months.

    What is totally alien to those watching from abroad, is just how much control local political leaders have on the actual process of elections. There are very few Federal rules, so States, counties, and cities all have a huge amount of discretion over how the elections are conducted, and the politicians in charge can and do push the limits of what’s allowed for their own political benefit and that of their party.
    And the MAGA crowd noted the success of the Tea Party types, who got lots of their friends onto the low level of the justice system in the US. Which meant that, increasingly, the more senior judges, who are picked from that pool…

    In the MAGA case, they have methodically taken over, where they can, the election machinery in a number of states.
  • Casino_RoyaleCasino_Royale Posts: 60,668
    If anything "happens" it will overreact, otherwise not very much - possible tightening for Harris regardless if she does OK.
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 51,082

    MAGA is about a fictional hero who will Save America. They project this onto Donald Trump. The actual Donald Trump is almost irrelevant. See the bizarre fan art that portrays him as various types of hero - and even Jesus. These are attempts to reconcile the reality with the myth.

    This is a common feature of these kind of populist leader cults. Any negative is taken as a positive - proof that The Conspiracy will do Anything to stop The Hero.

    What does this mean for the debates? The problem is that it is virtually impossible for Trump to “break” the lock he has on 45% of the electorate. They aren’t voting for him, anyway, they are voting for The Legend.

    If he collapses into complete carehome grade dementia on stage that will become “The Hero was poisoned by Democrats and Ukrainians to steal the election”.

    Trump will get 45% of the vote (more or less). He and Harris are fighting over less than 10%

    So the debates might move the needle a bit - but not much. No matter what actually happens.


    It's worse than that. It all hinges on a percentage point here and there in less than ten swing states.

    Kamala wins the popular vote comfortably, Trump probably wins the College by a whisker.

    I suspect that is what the markets are telling us.
    That may be what the markets are telling us but whether the markets have a clue is another question.
    I try to ignore the market when making betting decisions. No, really.

    I try and work out what the actual odds are. Then look at the market, afterwards, to see if there is value there.

    Political betting is interesting because there are so many people betting with their hearts and not their heads. AKA suckers. Less than there used to be - there was that thing in the U.K. in the early 2000s of politicians and supporters betting to move the market. As if the odds would somehow help them on election day…

    The price in the market is of no use in primary decision making.
  • StillWatersStillWaters Posts: 8,443
    edited September 8
    TimS said:

    Second, from Brockley

    Wait, I thought Brockley *was* Paradise??
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 51,082
    Foxy said:

    Ratters said:

    Foxy said:

    Generally debates are nil nil draws. The previous Trump Biden one was an exception.

    Nil, minus 10 was certainly an unusual outcome.
    More minus three plays minus ten, I reckon. Biden was much worse than Trump, but both were showing signs of being compost mentis.

    And one of them was cogent enough to (eventually) pull out of the race.
    Compost mentis is a great autocorrect!
    I thought it was deliberate - and excellent.
  • numbertwelvenumbertwelve Posts: 6,916
    I still don’t feel comfortable making a prediction. It very much feels to me as being on a knife edge. I think Harris probably has the better chance of -just- getting over the line by being competitive in more places than it just being a crapshoot for PA, WI, MI (important though they are). But it’s still very squeaky bum stuff.

    I think the debate will matter, to some extent, in whether it punctures the Harris bubble. At the moment she is enthusing Democratic-leaning voters by being a projection of hope. If she starts going off on her word-salads, she could look a bit diminished. I do however think she will have been prepped for this debate to the Nth degree, and therefore I do expect her to avoid any clangers and play it defensively.
  • CookieCookie Posts: 14,069

    MAGA is about a fictional hero who will Save America. They project this onto Donald Trump. The actual Donald Trump is almost irrelevant. See the bizarre fan art that portrays him as various types of hero - and even Jesus. These are attempts to reconcile the reality with the myth.

    This is a common feature of these kind of populist leader cults. Any negative is taken as a positive - proof that The Conspiracy will do Anything to stop The Hero.

    What does this mean for the debates? The problem is that it is virtually impossible for Trump to “break” the lock he has on 45% of the electorate. They aren’t voting for him, anyway, they are voting for The Legend.

    If he collapses into complete carehome grade dementia on stage that will become “The Hero was poisoned by Democrats and Ukrainians to steal the election”.

    Trump will get 45% of the vote (more or less). He and Harris are fighting over less than 10%

    So the debates might move the needle a bit - but not much. No matter what actually happens.


    It's worse than that. It all hinges on a percentage point here and there in less than ten swing states.

    Kamala wins the popular vote comfortably, Trump probably wins the College by a whisker.

    I suspect that is what the markets are telling us.
    I'm slightly sceptical 45% of Americans are deranged. I understand the story Malmesbury is telling, but I'm yet to be convinced that this applies to more than a fraction of the electorate.
    I do believe that 45% of the electorate will vote for almost anyone put up against almost any candidate the modern Dem Party will realistically put forward.

    In Britain, we might grumble about the sort of basket of state-knows-best fashionable positions which Labour vaguely represents. But outside a small core it's not actually electorally toxic*. In America it's toxic to a good 45% of the population. So people will vote for someone who is unequivocally against that brand of politics, even if he is deranged.

    *We talk about how shallow Labour's support is. But I also think opposition to Labour is pretty shallow, yet.
  • TimS said:

    Second, from Brockley

    Wait, I thought Brockley *was* Paradise??
    No, that's Honor Oak Park.
  • OldKingColeOldKingCole Posts: 33,694
    edited September 8

    MAGA is about a fictional hero who will Save America. They project this onto Donald Trump. The actual Donald Trump is almost irrelevant. See the bizarre fan art that portrays him as various types of hero - and even Jesus. These are attempts to reconcile the reality with the myth.

    This is a common feature of these kind of populist leader cults. Any negative is taken as a positive - proof that The Conspiracy will do Anything to stop The Hero.

    What does this mean for the debates? The problem is that it is virtually impossible for Trump to “break” the lock he has on 45% of the electorate. They aren’t voting for him, anyway, they are voting for The Legend.

    If he collapses into complete carehome grade dementia on stage that will become “The Hero was poisoned by Democrats and Ukrainians to steal the election”.

    Trump will get 45% of the vote (more or less). He and Harris are fighting over less than 10%

    So the debates might move the needle a bit - but not much. No matter what actually happens.


    It's worse than that. It all hinges on a percentage point here and there in less than ten swing states.

    Kamala wins the popular vote comfortably, Trump probably wins the College by a whisker.

    I suspect that is what the markets are telling us.
    That may be what the markets are telling us but whether the markets have a clue is another question.
    I try to ignore the market when making betting decisions. No, really.

    I try and work out what the actual odds are. Then look at the market, afterwards, to see if there is value there.

    Political betting is interesting because there are so many people betting with their hearts and not their heads. AKA suckers. Less than there used to be - there was that thing in the U.K. in the early 2000s of politicians and supporters betting to move the market. As if the odds would somehow help them on election day…

    The price in the market is of no use in primary decision making.
    Good morning everyone. BBC says it's raining here; no, it isn't, nor has it been. In fact we've had good sunny spells.

    That's the beauty of coming on here to discuss politics isn't it? People bet with their heads, not their hearts, and, more importantly, discuss their reasons for so doing.
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 49,112
    Sandpit said:

    MAGA is about a fictional hero who will Save America. They project this onto Donald Trump. The actual Donald Trump is almost irrelevant. See the bizarre fan art that portrays him as various types of hero - and even Jesus. These are attempts to reconcile the reality with the myth.

    This is a common feature of these kind of populist leader cults. Any negative is taken as a positive - proof that The Conspiracy will do Anything to stop The Hero.

    What does this mean for the debates? The problem is that it is virtually impossible for Trump to “break” the lock he has on 45% of the electorate. They aren’t voting for him, anyway, they are voting for The Legend.

    If he collapses into complete carehome grade dementia on stage that will become “The Hero was poisoned by Democrats and Ukrainians to steal the election”.

    Trump will get 45% of the vote (more or less). He and Harris are fighting over less than 10%

    So the debates might move the needle a bit - but not much. No matter what actually happens.


    It's worse than that. It all hinges on a percentage point here and there in less than ten swing states.

    Kamala wins the popular vote comfortably, Trump probably wins the College by a whisker.

    I suspect that is what the markets are telling us.
    It more than likely all comes down to Pennsylvania, just as it all came down to Florida in 2000,

    Let’s hope it’s a little more decisive, one way or another, than that race.

    Both teams have already spent millions on lawyers, and no doubt will be spending tens of millions more over the next four months.

    What is totally alien to those watching from abroad, is just how much control local political leaders have on the actual process of elections. There are very few Federal rules, so States, counties, and cities all have a huge amount of discretion over how the elections are conducted, and the politicians in charge can and do push the limits of what’s allowed for their own political benefit and that of their party.
    Pennsylvania is key, but elections do tend to provide surprises. Georgia flipping Dem in 2000, Wisconsin and Michigan flipping Republican in 2016.

    I am musing what would be the 2024 surprise flips.
  • numbertwelvenumbertwelve Posts: 6,916
    Re the Starmer interview - I am a little relieved to hear him talk about reform for the NHS rather than just the spending trap (though he did allude to that also). This is the sort of thinking he does need to be getting out there. I am still, from his early actions, very unconvinced he has what it takes to really take on some of the vested interests and get meaningful reform through - but at least the topic is on the table.
  • numbertwelvenumbertwelve Posts: 6,916
    Foxy said:

    Sandpit said:

    MAGA is about a fictional hero who will Save America. They project this onto Donald Trump. The actual Donald Trump is almost irrelevant. See the bizarre fan art that portrays him as various types of hero - and even Jesus. These are attempts to reconcile the reality with the myth.

    This is a common feature of these kind of populist leader cults. Any negative is taken as a positive - proof that The Conspiracy will do Anything to stop The Hero.

    What does this mean for the debates? The problem is that it is virtually impossible for Trump to “break” the lock he has on 45% of the electorate. They aren’t voting for him, anyway, they are voting for The Legend.

    If he collapses into complete carehome grade dementia on stage that will become “The Hero was poisoned by Democrats and Ukrainians to steal the election”.

    Trump will get 45% of the vote (more or less). He and Harris are fighting over less than 10%

    So the debates might move the needle a bit - but not much. No matter what actually happens.


    It's worse than that. It all hinges on a percentage point here and there in less than ten swing states.

    Kamala wins the popular vote comfortably, Trump probably wins the College by a whisker.

    I suspect that is what the markets are telling us.
    It more than likely all comes down to Pennsylvania, just as it all came down to Florida in 2000,

    Let’s hope it’s a little more decisive, one way or another, than that race.

    Both teams have already spent millions on lawyers, and no doubt will be spending tens of millions more over the next four months.

    What is totally alien to those watching from abroad, is just how much control local political leaders have on the actual process of elections. There are very few Federal rules, so States, counties, and cities all have a huge amount of discretion over how the elections are conducted, and the politicians in charge can and do push the limits of what’s allowed for their own political benefit and that of their party.
    Pennsylvania is key, but elections do tend to provide surprises. Georgia flipping Dem in 2000, Wisconsin and Michigan flipping Republican in 2016.

    I am musing what would be the 2024 surprise flips.
    North Carolina feels like the one to watch for me.

    I am aware of decent polling for Harris in Florida and Texas showing her 4 points behind in each, but I think they’re probably outliers and a bit of a bridge too far.
  • WildernessPt2WildernessPt2 Posts: 715
    edited September 8

    Re the Starmer interview - I am a little relieved to hear him talk about reform for the NHS rather than just the spending trap (though he did allude to that also). This is the sort of thinking he does need to be getting out there. I am still, from his early actions, very unconvinced he has what it takes to really take on some of the vested interests and get meaningful reform through - but at least the topic is on the table.

    The worse aspect of the May/Johnson/Sunak government was the unconservative belief that a problem could be solved by throwing money at it. The NHS has been soaked in money.
  • CookieCookie Posts: 14,069

    MAGA is about a fictional hero who will Save America. They project this onto Donald Trump. The actual Donald Trump is almost irrelevant. See the bizarre fan art that portrays him as various types of hero - and even Jesus. These are attempts to reconcile the reality with the myth.

    This is a common feature of these kind of populist leader cults. Any negative is taken as a positive - proof that The Conspiracy will do Anything to stop The Hero.

    What does this mean for the debates? The problem is that it is virtually impossible for Trump to “break” the lock he has on 45% of the electorate. They aren’t voting for him, anyway, they are voting for The Legend.

    If he collapses into complete carehome grade dementia on stage that will become “The Hero was poisoned by Democrats and Ukrainians to steal the election”.

    Trump will get 45% of the vote (more or less). He and Harris are fighting over less than 10%

    So the debates might move the needle a bit - but not much. No matter what actually happens.


    It's worse than that. It all hinges on a percentage point here and there in less than ten swing states.

    Kamala wins the popular vote comfortably, Trump probably wins the College by a whisker.

    I suspect that is what the markets are telling us.
    That may be what the markets are telling us but whether the markets have a clue is another question.
    I try to ignore the market when making betting decisions. No, really.

    I try and work out what the actual odds are. Then look at the market, afterwards, to see if there is value there.

    Political betting is interesting because there are so many people betting with their hearts and not their heads. AKA suckers. Less than there used to be - there was that thing in the U.K. in the early 2000s of politicians and supporters betting to move the market. As if the odds would somehow help them on election day…

    The price in the market is of no use in primary decision making.
    Good morning everyone. BBC says it's raining here; no, it isn't, nor has it been. In fact we've had good sunny spells.

    That's the beauty of coming on here to discuss politics isn't it? People bet with their heads, not their hearts, and, more importantly, discuss their reasons for so doing.
    The BBC weather forecasts say rain pretty much constantly, everywhere. They were always more pessimistic than other forecasts but they have become detached from reality, like some miserable pensioner telling everyone the worst will happen. Ignore.
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 54,972
    Foxy said:

    Sandpit said:

    MAGA is about a fictional hero who will Save America. They project this onto Donald Trump. The actual Donald Trump is almost irrelevant. See the bizarre fan art that portrays him as various types of hero - and even Jesus. These are attempts to reconcile the reality with the myth.

    This is a common feature of these kind of populist leader cults. Any negative is taken as a positive - proof that The Conspiracy will do Anything to stop The Hero.

    What does this mean for the debates? The problem is that it is virtually impossible for Trump to “break” the lock he has on 45% of the electorate. They aren’t voting for him, anyway, they are voting for The Legend.

    If he collapses into complete carehome grade dementia on stage that will become “The Hero was poisoned by Democrats and Ukrainians to steal the election”.

    Trump will get 45% of the vote (more or less). He and Harris are fighting over less than 10%

    So the debates might move the needle a bit - but not much. No matter what actually happens.


    It's worse than that. It all hinges on a percentage point here and there in less than ten swing states.

    Kamala wins the popular vote comfortably, Trump probably wins the College by a whisker.

    I suspect that is what the markets are telling us.
    It more than likely all comes down to Pennsylvania, just as it all came down to Florida in 2000,

    Let’s hope it’s a little more decisive, one way or another, than that race.

    Both teams have already spent millions on lawyers, and no doubt will be spending tens of millions more over the next four months.

    What is totally alien to those watching from abroad, is just how much control local political leaders have on the actual process of elections. There are very few Federal rules, so States, counties, and cities all have a huge amount of discretion over how the elections are conducted, and the politicians in charge can and do push the limits of what’s allowed for their own political benefit and that of their party.
    Pennsylvania is key, but elections do tend to provide surprises. Georgia flipping Dem in 2000, Wisconsin and Michigan flipping Republican in 2016.

    I am musing what would be the 2024 surprise flips.
    That’s a good point, are there any reasonably ‘safe’ states that could flip either way, that are not currently on the radar.

    The obvious examples are Texas and Florida, said to be trending Dem for years but never quite getting there. Two states that have had a lot of immigration from California and NY respectively since the last election. Now many will say that those who left the Dem states were Reps who didn’t like Dem policies, but it’s not difficult to imagine a swing there.
  • MattWMattW Posts: 23,877

    OT Last day of the Paralympics so the medals table won't change much. We will still be second best under Keir Starmer.

    1. China 94 gold medals
    2. Dear Old Blighty 47
    3. Land of the Free (except healthcare) 36
    4. ex-Holland 26
    5. Pizza and pasta 24
    6. The beautiful game 23
    7. Slava Ukraini 21
    8. Aux Armes (& gilets jaunes) Citoyens 19
    9. Land down under, girt by sea 18
    10. Japan 14

    C'est une performance normale - les années depuis 1960:

    2, 2, 2, 3, 5, 5, 2, 3, 3, 4, 2, 2, 2, 3, 2, 2 .

  • OldKingColeOldKingCole Posts: 33,694

    Re the Starmer interview - I am a little relieved to hear him talk about reform for the NHS rather than just the spending trap (though he did allude to that also). This is the sort of thinking he does need to be getting out there. I am still, from his early actions, very unconvinced he has what it takes to really take on some of the vested interests and get meaningful reform through - but at least the topic is on the table.

    The only caveat I would have about NHS reform is that until 2011 or thereabouts we lived in a constant state of reform, and it wasn't good for services or the morale of service providers.
    As a service user now I don't think I want to see a root and breach reform; I want to see the present system properly funded and staffed. And it's not 'just' seeing a GP or consultant; I want to be able to contact a physiotherapist or district nurse without an interminable wait on the phone, and a recorded voice telling me the service is 'experiencing a high volume of calls'.
  • Sandpit said:

    Sandpit said:

    MAGA is about a fictional hero who will Save America. They project this onto Donald Trump. The actual Donald Trump is almost irrelevant. See the bizarre fan art that portrays him as various types of hero - and even Jesus. These are attempts to reconcile the reality with the myth.

    This is a common feature of these kind of populist leader cults. Any negative is taken as a positive - proof that The Conspiracy will do Anything to stop The Hero.

    What does this mean for the debates? The problem is that it is virtually impossible for Trump to “break” the lock he has on 45% of the electorate. They aren’t voting for him, anyway, they are voting for The Legend.

    If he collapses into complete carehome grade dementia on stage that will become “The Hero was poisoned by Democrats and Ukrainians to steal the election”.

    Trump will get 45% of the vote (more or less). He and Harris are fighting over less than 10%

    So the debates might move the needle a bit - but not much. No matter what actually happens.


    It's worse than that. It all hinges on a percentage point here and there in less than ten swing states.

    Kamala wins the popular vote comfortably, Trump probably wins the College by a whisker.

    I suspect that is what the markets are telling us.
    It more than likely all comes down to Pennsylvania, just as it all came down to Florida in 2000,

    Let’s hope it’s a little more decisive, one way or another, than that race.

    Both teams have already spent millions on lawyers, and no doubt will be spending tens of millions more over the next four months.

    What is totally alien to those watching from abroad, is just how much control local political leaders have on the actual process of elections. There are very few Federal rules, so States, counties, and cities all have a huge amount of discretion over how the elections are conducted, and the politicians in charge can and do push the limits of what’s allowed for their own political benefit and that of their party.
    It really is odd. Electoral services officers in uk councils are the least political people you could ever encounter.
    Oh indeed. In the US, the city mayor will be deciding where to put the polling stations, what hours they are open, will they allow early voting stations, where will they be and when will they be open, postal voting eligibility and timescale etc etc. Decisions that are all made for nakedly partisan reasons, trying to make it as easy as possible to get ‘your’ votes but as difficult as possible to get ‘their’ votes. Decisions which of course get challenged by opponents and end up in court for the weeks and months leading up to the election. Don’t forget that judges are either political appointees or directly elected too.

    There’s even lawsuits over the eligibility of candidates themselves, for example the Dems spent a lot of money trying to get RFK Jr off ballots in a number of states, only to then spend a lot more money trying to stop him withdrawing his name when he got behind Trump.

    The UK system of actually running the election is better in every single way.
    Such a simple process. Its clear for everyone, and just non controversial (except top down decisions such as voter id, postal voting regulations etc), ive been consulted in locations of polling stations in the past, but again, just none controversial.
    Amazing how resilient a pencil, piece of paper and an open count in a community centre can be.
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 54,972
    Cookie said:

    MAGA is about a fictional hero who will Save America. They project this onto Donald Trump. The actual Donald Trump is almost irrelevant. See the bizarre fan art that portrays him as various types of hero - and even Jesus. These are attempts to reconcile the reality with the myth.

    This is a common feature of these kind of populist leader cults. Any negative is taken as a positive - proof that The Conspiracy will do Anything to stop The Hero.

    What does this mean for the debates? The problem is that it is virtually impossible for Trump to “break” the lock he has on 45% of the electorate. They aren’t voting for him, anyway, they are voting for The Legend.

    If he collapses into complete carehome grade dementia on stage that will become “The Hero was poisoned by Democrats and Ukrainians to steal the election”.

    Trump will get 45% of the vote (more or less). He and Harris are fighting over less than 10%

    So the debates might move the needle a bit - but not much. No matter what actually happens.


    It's worse than that. It all hinges on a percentage point here and there in less than ten swing states.

    Kamala wins the popular vote comfortably, Trump probably wins the College by a whisker.

    I suspect that is what the markets are telling us.
    That may be what the markets are telling us but whether the markets have a clue is another question.
    I try to ignore the market when making betting decisions. No, really.

    I try and work out what the actual odds are. Then look at the market, afterwards, to see if there is value there.

    Political betting is interesting because there are so many people betting with their hearts and not their heads. AKA suckers. Less than there used to be - there was that thing in the U.K. in the early 2000s of politicians and supporters betting to move the market. As if the odds would somehow help them on election day…

    The price in the market is of no use in primary decision making.
    Good morning everyone. BBC says it's raining here; no, it isn't, nor has it been. In fact we've had good sunny spells.

    That's the beauty of coming on here to discuss politics isn't it? People bet with their heads, not their hearts, and, more importantly, discuss their reasons for so doing.
    The BBC weather forecasts say rain pretty much constantly, everywhere. They were always more pessimistic than other forecasts but they have become detached from reality, like some miserable pensioner telling everyone the worst will happen. Ignore.
    That’s a shame, he says while sitting on a beach where it’s 38ºC and sipping a cocktail. :sunglasses:
  • Re the Starmer interview - I am a little relieved to hear him talk about reform for the NHS rather than just the spending trap (though he did allude to that also). This is the sort of thinking he does need to be getting out there. I am still, from his early actions, very unconvinced he has what it takes to really take on some of the vested interests and get meaningful reform through - but at least the topic is on the table.

    The only caveat I would have about NHS reform is that until 2011 or thereabouts we lived in a constant state of reform, and it wasn't good for services or the morale of service providers.
    As a service user now I don't think I want to see a root and breach reform; I want to see the present system properly funded and staffed. And it's not 'just' seeing a GP or consultant; I want to be able to contact a physiotherapist or district nurse without an interminable wait on the phone, and a recorded voice telling me the service is 'experiencing a high volume of calls'.
    Is that possible? A controversial point... The NHS now treats more people in more ways than it ever did.
  • SandyRentoolSandyRentool Posts: 22,161
    Cookie said:

    MAGA is about a fictional hero who will Save America. They project this onto Donald Trump. The actual Donald Trump is almost irrelevant. See the bizarre fan art that portrays him as various types of hero - and even Jesus. These are attempts to reconcile the reality with the myth.

    This is a common feature of these kind of populist leader cults. Any negative is taken as a positive - proof that The Conspiracy will do Anything to stop The Hero.

    What does this mean for the debates? The problem is that it is virtually impossible for Trump to “break” the lock he has on 45% of the electorate. They aren’t voting for him, anyway, they are voting for The Legend.

    If he collapses into complete carehome grade dementia on stage that will become “The Hero was poisoned by Democrats and Ukrainians to steal the election”.

    Trump will get 45% of the vote (more or less). He and Harris are fighting over less than 10%

    So the debates might move the needle a bit - but not much. No matter what actually happens.


    It's worse than that. It all hinges on a percentage point here and there in less than ten swing states.

    Kamala wins the popular vote comfortably, Trump probably wins the College by a whisker.

    I suspect that is what the markets are telling us.
    That may be what the markets are telling us but whether the markets have a clue is another question.
    I try to ignore the market when making betting decisions. No, really.

    I try and work out what the actual odds are. Then look at the market, afterwards, to see if there is value there.

    Political betting is interesting because there are so many people betting with their hearts and not their heads. AKA suckers. Less than there used to be - there was that thing in the U.K. in the early 2000s of politicians and supporters betting to move the market. As if the odds would somehow help them on election day…

    The price in the market is of no use in primary decision making.
    Good morning everyone. BBC says it's raining here; no, it isn't, nor has it been. In fact we've had good sunny spells.

    That's the beauty of coming on here to discuss politics isn't it? People bet with their heads, not their hearts, and, more importantly, discuss their reasons for so doing.
    The BBC weather forecasts say rain pretty much constantly, everywhere. They were always more pessimistic than other forecasts but they have become detached from reality, like some miserable pensioner telling everyone the worst will happen. Ignore.
    Well it has been chucking it down here, but now seems to have eased.

    I have delayed dog walking until a dry interlude.
  • numbertwelvenumbertwelve Posts: 6,916
    Cookie said:

    MAGA is about a fictional hero who will Save America. They project this onto Donald Trump. The actual Donald Trump is almost irrelevant. See the bizarre fan art that portrays him as various types of hero - and even Jesus. These are attempts to reconcile the reality with the myth.

    This is a common feature of these kind of populist leader cults. Any negative is taken as a positive - proof that The Conspiracy will do Anything to stop The Hero.

    What does this mean for the debates? The problem is that it is virtually impossible for Trump to “break” the lock he has on 45% of the electorate. They aren’t voting for him, anyway, they are voting for The Legend.

    If he collapses into complete carehome grade dementia on stage that will become “The Hero was poisoned by Democrats and Ukrainians to steal the election”.

    Trump will get 45% of the vote (more or less). He and Harris are fighting over less than 10%

    So the debates might move the needle a bit - but not much. No matter what actually happens.


    It's worse than that. It all hinges on a percentage point here and there in less than ten swing states.

    Kamala wins the popular vote comfortably, Trump probably wins the College by a whisker.

    I suspect that is what the markets are telling us.
    That may be what the markets are telling us but whether the markets have a clue is another question.
    I try to ignore the market when making betting decisions. No, really.

    I try and work out what the actual odds are. Then look at the market, afterwards, to see if there is value there.

    Political betting is interesting because there are so many people betting with their hearts and not their heads. AKA suckers. Less than there used to be - there was that thing in the U.K. in the early 2000s of politicians and supporters betting to move the market. As if the odds would somehow help them on election day…

    The price in the market is of no use in primary decision making.
    Good morning everyone. BBC says it's raining here; no, it isn't, nor has it been. In fact we've had good sunny spells.

    That's the beauty of coming on here to discuss politics isn't it? People bet with their heads, not their hearts, and, more importantly, discuss their reasons for so doing.
    The BBC weather forecasts say rain pretty much constantly, everywhere. They were always more pessimistic than other forecasts but they have become detached from reality, like some miserable pensioner telling everyone the worst will happen. Ignore.
    If you go off the chance of precipitation it tends to be a little better. For reasons known only to them, they often mark anything with a 25%-or-higher chance with a rain icon for the hourly breakdowns, and even if there is the slight chance of a shower seem to mark their overall daily icon as “rain.”

    Met office is my go to and tends to be a bit more balanced in its descriptions as well (e.g, might be a higher chance of rain but it’s write ups will make clear whether it’s sporadic drizzle or heavy but infrequent showers etc).
  • OldKingColeOldKingCole Posts: 33,694

    Re the Starmer interview - I am a little relieved to hear him talk about reform for the NHS rather than just the spending trap (though he did allude to that also). This is the sort of thinking he does need to be getting out there. I am still, from his early actions, very unconvinced he has what it takes to really take on some of the vested interests and get meaningful reform through - but at least the topic is on the table.

    The only caveat I would have about NHS reform is that until 2011 or thereabouts we lived in a constant state of reform, and it wasn't good for services or the morale of service providers.
    As a service user now I don't think I want to see a root and breach reform; I want to see the present system properly funded and staffed. And it's not 'just' seeing a GP or consultant; I want to be able to contact a physiotherapist or district nurse without an interminable wait on the phone, and a recorded voice telling me the service is 'experiencing a high volume of calls'.
    Is that possible? A controversial point... The NHS now treats more people in more ways than it ever did.
    Well, there are more people in the UK!
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 54,972

    Sandpit said:

    Sandpit said:

    MAGA is about a fictional hero who will Save America. They project this onto Donald Trump. The actual Donald Trump is almost irrelevant. See the bizarre fan art that portrays him as various types of hero - and even Jesus. These are attempts to reconcile the reality with the myth.

    This is a common feature of these kind of populist leader cults. Any negative is taken as a positive - proof that The Conspiracy will do Anything to stop The Hero.

    What does this mean for the debates? The problem is that it is virtually impossible for Trump to “break” the lock he has on 45% of the electorate. They aren’t voting for him, anyway, they are voting for The Legend.

    If he collapses into complete carehome grade dementia on stage that will become “The Hero was poisoned by Democrats and Ukrainians to steal the election”.

    Trump will get 45% of the vote (more or less). He and Harris are fighting over less than 10%

    So the debates might move the needle a bit - but not much. No matter what actually happens.


    It's worse than that. It all hinges on a percentage point here and there in less than ten swing states.

    Kamala wins the popular vote comfortably, Trump probably wins the College by a whisker.

    I suspect that is what the markets are telling us.
    It more than likely all comes down to Pennsylvania, just as it all came down to Florida in 2000,

    Let’s hope it’s a little more decisive, one way or another, than that race.

    Both teams have already spent millions on lawyers, and no doubt will be spending tens of millions more over the next four months.

    What is totally alien to those watching from abroad, is just how much control local political leaders have on the actual process of elections. There are very few Federal rules, so States, counties, and cities all have a huge amount of discretion over how the elections are conducted, and the politicians in charge can and do push the limits of what’s allowed for their own political benefit and that of their party.
    It really is odd. Electoral services officers in uk councils are the least political people you could ever encounter.
    Oh indeed. In the US, the city mayor will be deciding where to put the polling stations, what hours they are open, will they allow early voting stations, where will they be and when will they be open, postal voting eligibility and timescale etc etc. Decisions that are all made for nakedly partisan reasons, trying to make it as easy as possible to get ‘your’ votes but as difficult as possible to get ‘their’ votes. Decisions which of course get challenged by opponents and end up in court for the weeks and months leading up to the election. Don’t forget that judges are either political appointees or directly elected too.

    There’s even lawsuits over the eligibility of candidates themselves, for example the Dems spent a lot of money trying to get RFK Jr off ballots in a number of states, only to then spend a lot more money trying to stop him withdrawing his name when he got behind Trump.

    The UK system of actually running the election is better in every single way.
    Such a simple process. Its clear for everyone, and just non controversial (except top down decisions such as voter id, postal voting regulations etc), ive been consulted in locations of polling stations in the past, but again, just none controversial.
    Amazing how resilient a pencil, piece of paper and an open count in a community centre can be.
    Absolutely.

    I’m usually one who complains about the expanding number of bureaucrats - but when it comes to elections, having them organised by the bureaucracy is infinitely preferable to having them organised by the incumbent politicians themselves.
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 49,112

    Re the Starmer interview - I am a little relieved to hear him talk about reform for the NHS rather than just the spending trap (though he did allude to that also). This is the sort of thinking he does need to be getting out there. I am still, from his early actions, very unconvinced he has what it takes to really take on some of the vested interests and get meaningful reform through - but at least the topic is on the table.

    The only caveat I would have about NHS reform is that until 2011 or thereabouts we lived in a constant state of reform, and it wasn't good for services or the morale of service providers.
    As a service user now I don't think I want to see a root and breach reform; I want to see the present system properly funded and staffed. And it's not 'just' seeing a GP or consultant; I want to be able to contact a physiotherapist or district nurse without an interminable wait on the phone, and a recorded voice telling me the service is 'experiencing a high volume of calls'.
    Is that possible? A controversial point... The NHS now treats more people in more ways than it ever did.
    Well, there are more people in the UK!
    In particular we have 11 million over 65s, up from 9.2 million in 2011. That's where the biggest expansion of the population has been, and also the highest users. These are also people who rightly argue that they have paid in for decades and are entitled to timely treatment.
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 49,112

    Cookie said:

    MAGA is about a fictional hero who will Save America. They project this onto Donald Trump. The actual Donald Trump is almost irrelevant. See the bizarre fan art that portrays him as various types of hero - and even Jesus. These are attempts to reconcile the reality with the myth.

    This is a common feature of these kind of populist leader cults. Any negative is taken as a positive - proof that The Conspiracy will do Anything to stop The Hero.

    What does this mean for the debates? The problem is that it is virtually impossible for Trump to “break” the lock he has on 45% of the electorate. They aren’t voting for him, anyway, they are voting for The Legend.

    If he collapses into complete carehome grade dementia on stage that will become “The Hero was poisoned by Democrats and Ukrainians to steal the election”.

    Trump will get 45% of the vote (more or less). He and Harris are fighting over less than 10%

    So the debates might move the needle a bit - but not much. No matter what actually happens.


    It's worse than that. It all hinges on a percentage point here and there in less than ten swing states.

    Kamala wins the popular vote comfortably, Trump probably wins the College by a whisker.

    I suspect that is what the markets are telling us.
    That may be what the markets are telling us but whether the markets have a clue is another question.
    I try to ignore the market when making betting decisions. No, really.

    I try and work out what the actual odds are. Then look at the market, afterwards, to see if there is value there.

    Political betting is interesting because there are so many people betting with their hearts and not their heads. AKA suckers. Less than there used to be - there was that thing in the U.K. in the early 2000s of politicians and supporters betting to move the market. As if the odds would somehow help them on election day…

    The price in the market is of no use in primary decision making.
    Good morning everyone. BBC says it's raining here; no, it isn't, nor has it been. In fact we've had good sunny spells.

    That's the beauty of coming on here to discuss politics isn't it? People bet with their heads, not their hearts, and, more importantly, discuss their reasons for so doing.
    The BBC weather forecasts say rain pretty much constantly, everywhere. They were always more pessimistic than other forecasts but they have become detached from reality, like some miserable pensioner telling everyone the worst will happen. Ignore.
    Well it has been chucking it down here, but now seems to have eased.

    I have delayed dog walking until a dry interlude.
    For dogwalking I use the "Drops" app. It's only accurate for a couple of hours ahead, but very reliable on days of intermittent showers.
  • TazTaz Posts: 14,972
    Cookie said:

    MAGA is about a fictional hero who will Save America. They project this onto Donald Trump. The actual Donald Trump is almost irrelevant. See the bizarre fan art that portrays him as various types of hero - and even Jesus. These are attempts to reconcile the reality with the myth.

    This is a common feature of these kind of populist leader cults. Any negative is taken as a positive - proof that The Conspiracy will do Anything to stop The Hero.

    What does this mean for the debates? The problem is that it is virtually impossible for Trump to “break” the lock he has on 45% of the electorate. They aren’t voting for him, anyway, they are voting for The Legend.

    If he collapses into complete carehome grade dementia on stage that will become “The Hero was poisoned by Democrats and Ukrainians to steal the election”.

    Trump will get 45% of the vote (more or less). He and Harris are fighting over less than 10%

    So the debates might move the needle a bit - but not much. No matter what actually happens.


    It's worse than that. It all hinges on a percentage point here and there in less than ten swing states.

    Kamala wins the popular vote comfortably, Trump probably wins the College by a whisker.

    I suspect that is what the markets are telling us.
    That may be what the markets are telling us but whether the markets have a clue is another question.
    I try to ignore the market when making betting decisions. No, really.

    I try and work out what the actual odds are. Then look at the market, afterwards, to see if there is value there.

    Political betting is interesting because there are so many people betting with their hearts and not their heads. AKA suckers. Less than there used to be - there was that thing in the U.K. in the early 2000s of politicians and supporters betting to move the market. As if the odds would somehow help them on election day…

    The price in the market is of no use in primary decision making.
    Good morning everyone. BBC says it's raining here; no, it isn't, nor has it been. In fact we've had good sunny spells.

    That's the beauty of coming on here to discuss politics isn't it? People bet with their heads, not their hearts, and, more importantly, discuss their reasons for so doing.
    The BBC weather forecasts say rain pretty much constantly, everywhere. They were always more pessimistic than other forecasts but they have become detached from reality, like some miserable pensioner telling everyone the worst will happen. Ignore.
    We’ve noticed the same. We use other provders now

    Don’t mind a bad forecast just want an accurate one.
  • numbertwelvenumbertwelve Posts: 6,916

    Re the Starmer interview - I am a little relieved to hear him talk about reform for the NHS rather than just the spending trap (though he did allude to that also). This is the sort of thinking he does need to be getting out there. I am still, from his early actions, very unconvinced he has what it takes to really take on some of the vested interests and get meaningful reform through - but at least the topic is on the table.

    The only caveat I would have about NHS reform is that until 2011 or thereabouts we lived in a constant state of reform, and it wasn't good for services or the morale of service providers.
    As a service user now I don't think I want to see a root and breach reform; I want to see the present system properly funded and staffed. And it's not 'just' seeing a GP or consultant; I want to be able to contact a physiotherapist or district nurse without an interminable wait on the phone, and a recorded voice telling me the service is 'experiencing a high volume of calls'.
    The NHS receives vast amounts of funding. It needs to wean itself off the view that money alone will help it. It is a vast bureaucracy with significant inefficiencies. Until we target some of those weak points and think about how we can deliver things better, it will never improve to the level that it should. You are absolutely correct that staffing is one part of that and on that there needs to be more thought put into recruitment and retention - that will be a long term process.
  • TazTaz Posts: 14,972

    Cookie said:

    MAGA is about a fictional hero who will Save America. They project this onto Donald Trump. The actual Donald Trump is almost irrelevant. See the bizarre fan art that portrays him as various types of hero - and even Jesus. These are attempts to reconcile the reality with the myth.

    This is a common feature of these kind of populist leader cults. Any negative is taken as a positive - proof that The Conspiracy will do Anything to stop The Hero.

    What does this mean for the debates? The problem is that it is virtually impossible for Trump to “break” the lock he has on 45% of the electorate. They aren’t voting for him, anyway, they are voting for The Legend.

    If he collapses into complete carehome grade dementia on stage that will become “The Hero was poisoned by Democrats and Ukrainians to steal the election”.

    Trump will get 45% of the vote (more or less). He and Harris are fighting over less than 10%

    So the debates might move the needle a bit - but not much. No matter what actually happens.


    It's worse than that. It all hinges on a percentage point here and there in less than ten swing states.

    Kamala wins the popular vote comfortably, Trump probably wins the College by a whisker.

    I suspect that is what the markets are telling us.
    That may be what the markets are telling us but whether the markets have a clue is another question.
    I try to ignore the market when making betting decisions. No, really.

    I try and work out what the actual odds are. Then look at the market, afterwards, to see if there is value there.

    Political betting is interesting because there are so many people betting with their hearts and not their heads. AKA suckers. Less than there used to be - there was that thing in the U.K. in the early 2000s of politicians and supporters betting to move the market. As if the odds would somehow help them on election day…

    The price in the market is of no use in primary decision making.
    Good morning everyone. BBC says it's raining here; no, it isn't, nor has it been. In fact we've had good sunny spells.

    That's the beauty of coming on here to discuss politics isn't it? People bet with their heads, not their hearts, and, more importantly, discuss their reasons for so doing.
    The BBC weather forecasts say rain pretty much constantly, everywhere. They were always more pessimistic than other forecasts but they have become detached from reality, like some miserable pensioner telling everyone the worst will happen. Ignore.
    Well it has been chucking it down here, but now seems to have eased.

    I have delayed dog walking until a dry interlude.
    Drab and misty in North Durham and forecasts of rain today. At least we got out for a walk yesterday.
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 54,972
    Taz said:

    Cookie said:

    MAGA is about a fictional hero who will Save America. They project this onto Donald Trump. The actual Donald Trump is almost irrelevant. See the bizarre fan art that portrays him as various types of hero - and even Jesus. These are attempts to reconcile the reality with the myth.

    This is a common feature of these kind of populist leader cults. Any negative is taken as a positive - proof that The Conspiracy will do Anything to stop The Hero.

    What does this mean for the debates? The problem is that it is virtually impossible for Trump to “break” the lock he has on 45% of the electorate. They aren’t voting for him, anyway, they are voting for The Legend.

    If he collapses into complete carehome grade dementia on stage that will become “The Hero was poisoned by Democrats and Ukrainians to steal the election”.

    Trump will get 45% of the vote (more or less). He and Harris are fighting over less than 10%

    So the debates might move the needle a bit - but not much. No matter what actually happens.


    It's worse than that. It all hinges on a percentage point here and there in less than ten swing states.

    Kamala wins the popular vote comfortably, Trump probably wins the College by a whisker.

    I suspect that is what the markets are telling us.
    That may be what the markets are telling us but whether the markets have a clue is another question.
    I try to ignore the market when making betting decisions. No, really.

    I try and work out what the actual odds are. Then look at the market, afterwards, to see if there is value there.

    Political betting is interesting because there are so many people betting with their hearts and not their heads. AKA suckers. Less than there used to be - there was that thing in the U.K. in the early 2000s of politicians and supporters betting to move the market. As if the odds would somehow help them on election day…

    The price in the market is of no use in primary decision making.
    Good morning everyone. BBC says it's raining here; no, it isn't, nor has it been. In fact we've had good sunny spells.

    That's the beauty of coming on here to discuss politics isn't it? People bet with their heads, not their hearts, and, more importantly, discuss their reasons for so doing.
    The BBC weather forecasts say rain pretty much constantly, everywhere. They were always more pessimistic than other forecasts but they have become detached from reality, like some miserable pensioner telling everyone the worst will happen. Ignore.
    We’ve noticed the same. We use other provders now

    Don’t mind a bad forecast just want an accurate one.
    The most accurate forecast you’ll get, is from the local airport.
  • OldKingColeOldKingCole Posts: 33,694
    Foxy said:

    Re the Starmer interview - I am a little relieved to hear him talk about reform for the NHS rather than just the spending trap (though he did allude to that also). This is the sort of thinking he does need to be getting out there. I am still, from his early actions, very unconvinced he has what it takes to really take on some of the vested interests and get meaningful reform through - but at least the topic is on the table.

    The only caveat I would have about NHS reform is that until 2011 or thereabouts we lived in a constant state of reform, and it wasn't good for services or the morale of service providers.
    As a service user now I don't think I want to see a root and breach reform; I want to see the present system properly funded and staffed. And it's not 'just' seeing a GP or consultant; I want to be able to contact a physiotherapist or district nurse without an interminable wait on the phone, and a recorded voice telling me the service is 'experiencing a high volume of calls'.
    Is that possible? A controversial point... The NHS now treats more people in more ways than it ever did.
    Well, there are more people in the UK!
    In particular we have 11 million over 65s, up from 9.2 million in 2011. That's where the biggest expansion of the population has been, and also the highest users. These are also people who rightly argue that they have paid in for decades and are entitled to timely treatment.
    I don't think I've ever argued that point with an actual service provider, although sometimes it's tempting. The NHS attracts a proportion of jobsworths, traditionally as GP receptionists, of course, but I must say I haven't encountered one recently.
  • StillWatersStillWaters Posts: 8,443

    TimS said:

    Second, from Brockley

    Wait, I thought Brockley *was* Paradise??
    No, that's Honor Oak Park.
    So that’s why I don’t know how to find it
  • OldKingColeOldKingCole Posts: 33,694
    Taz said:

    Cookie said:

    MAGA is about a fictional hero who will Save America. They project this onto Donald Trump. The actual Donald Trump is almost irrelevant. See the bizarre fan art that portrays him as various types of hero - and even Jesus. These are attempts to reconcile the reality with the myth.

    This is a common feature of these kind of populist leader cults. Any negative is taken as a positive - proof that The Conspiracy will do Anything to stop The Hero.

    What does this mean for the debates? The problem is that it is virtually impossible for Trump to “break” the lock he has on 45% of the electorate. They aren’t voting for him, anyway, they are voting for The Legend.

    If he collapses into complete carehome grade dementia on stage that will become “The Hero was poisoned by Democrats and Ukrainians to steal the election”.

    Trump will get 45% of the vote (more or less). He and Harris are fighting over less than 10%

    So the debates might move the needle a bit - but not much. No matter what actually happens.


    It's worse than that. It all hinges on a percentage point here and there in less than ten swing states.

    Kamala wins the popular vote comfortably, Trump probably wins the College by a whisker.

    I suspect that is what the markets are telling us.
    That may be what the markets are telling us but whether the markets have a clue is another question.
    I try to ignore the market when making betting decisions. No, really.

    I try and work out what the actual odds are. Then look at the market, afterwards, to see if there is value there.

    Political betting is interesting because there are so many people betting with their hearts and not their heads. AKA suckers. Less than there used to be - there was that thing in the U.K. in the early 2000s of politicians and supporters betting to move the market. As if the odds would somehow help them on election day…

    The price in the market is of no use in primary decision making.
    Good morning everyone. BBC says it's raining here; no, it isn't, nor has it been. In fact we've had good sunny spells.

    That's the beauty of coming on here to discuss politics isn't it? People bet with their heads, not their hearts, and, more importantly, discuss their reasons for so doing.
    The BBC weather forecasts say rain pretty much constantly, everywhere. They were always more pessimistic than other forecasts but they have become detached from reality, like some miserable pensioner telling everyone the worst will happen. Ignore.
    Well it has been chucking it down here, but now seems to have eased.

    I have delayed dog walking until a dry interlude.
    Drab and misty in North Durham and forecasts of rain today. At least we got out for a walk yesterday.
    I wish I could go for a walk. I can go out and about, but only on my electric scooter. I get fresh air, but not the exercise.
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 51,082
    a

    Re the Starmer interview - I am a little relieved to hear him talk about reform for the NHS rather than just the spending trap (though he did allude to that also). This is the sort of thinking he does need to be getting out there. I am still, from his early actions, very unconvinced he has what it takes to really take on some of the vested interests and get meaningful reform through - but at least the topic is on the table.

    The only caveat I would have about NHS reform is that until 2011 or thereabouts we lived in a constant state of reform, and it wasn't good for services or the morale of service providers.
    As a service user now I don't think I want to see a root and breach reform; I want to see the present system properly funded and staffed. And it's not 'just' seeing a GP or consultant; I want to be able to contact a physiotherapist or district nurse without an interminable wait on the phone, and a recorded voice telling me the service is 'experiencing a high volume of calls'.
    The NHS receives vast amounts of funding. It needs to wean itself off the view that money alone will help it. It is a vast bureaucracy with significant inefficiencies. Until we target some of those weak points and think about how we can deliver things better, it will never improve to the level that it should. You are absolutely correct that staffing is one part of that and on that there needs to be more thought put into recruitment and retention - that will be a long term process.
    Also conditions of employment. Treat people the way that would have been consider harsh in the 1970s. Don’t be surprised by 1970s style labour relations
  • Re the Starmer interview - I am a little relieved to hear him talk about reform for the NHS rather than just the spending trap (though he did allude to that also). This is the sort of thinking he does need to be getting out there. I am still, from his early actions, very unconvinced he has what it takes to really take on some of the vested interests and get meaningful reform through - but at least the topic is on the table.

    The only caveat I would have about NHS reform is that until 2011 or thereabouts we lived in a constant state of reform, and it wasn't good for services or the morale of service providers.
    As a service user now I don't think I want to see a root and breach reform; I want to see the present system properly funded and staffed. And it's not 'just' seeing a GP or consultant; I want to be able to contact a physiotherapist or district nurse without an interminable wait on the phone, and a recorded voice telling me the service is 'experiencing a high volume of calls'.
    Is that possible? A controversial point... The NHS now treats more people in more ways than it ever did.
    Well, there are more people in the UK!
    Yes, of course that is true, but mostly of young people who make marginal calls on local health services. Sometimes data would be really good, but I suspect the number of procedures, appointments etc are a good 30% to 70% more now than they were fifteen years ago.
  • There was a News Agents podcast recently which was instructive about the US race. They left the DNC festival in Chicago and went a few hours away to a small town to speak to voters.

    They heard the expected broad spread of opinions, but one specific one blew their mind. This guy very enthusiastically told them that Trump won in 2020, that the elite had stolen it from him and were working to destroy America, that various nonsensical conspiracy theories were true etc etc.

    Sopel asked him what evidence he had for these things - as there is vast evidence proving the opposite. He insisted the truth had been masked by DNC lies. And then asked them - very seriously - if Nancy Pelosi had sent them to speak to him to try to paint MAGA in a bad light.

    There appears to be a solid percentage of Americans who have been gaslit to believe things which are demonstrably untrue and patently absurd. Anyone presenting them with facts is thus an enemy of democracy.
  • TimSTimS Posts: 13,213
    Taz said:

    Cookie said:

    MAGA is about a fictional hero who will Save America. They project this onto Donald Trump. The actual Donald Trump is almost irrelevant. See the bizarre fan art that portrays him as various types of hero - and even Jesus. These are attempts to reconcile the reality with the myth.

    This is a common feature of these kind of populist leader cults. Any negative is taken as a positive - proof that The Conspiracy will do Anything to stop The Hero.

    What does this mean for the debates? The problem is that it is virtually impossible for Trump to “break” the lock he has on 45% of the electorate. They aren’t voting for him, anyway, they are voting for The Legend.

    If he collapses into complete carehome grade dementia on stage that will become “The Hero was poisoned by Democrats and Ukrainians to steal the election”.

    Trump will get 45% of the vote (more or less). He and Harris are fighting over less than 10%

    So the debates might move the needle a bit - but not much. No matter what actually happens.


    It's worse than that. It all hinges on a percentage point here and there in less than ten swing states.

    Kamala wins the popular vote comfortably, Trump probably wins the College by a whisker.

    I suspect that is what the markets are telling us.
    That may be what the markets are telling us but whether the markets have a clue is another question.
    I try to ignore the market when making betting decisions. No, really.

    I try and work out what the actual odds are. Then look at the market, afterwards, to see if there is value there.

    Political betting is interesting because there are so many people betting with their hearts and not their heads. AKA suckers. Less than there used to be - there was that thing in the U.K. in the early 2000s of politicians and supporters betting to move the market. As if the odds would somehow help them on election day…

    The price in the market is of no use in primary decision making.
    Good morning everyone. BBC says it's raining here; no, it isn't, nor has it been. In fact we've had good sunny spells.

    That's the beauty of coming on here to discuss politics isn't it? People bet with their heads, not their hearts, and, more importantly, discuss their reasons for so doing.
    The BBC weather forecasts say rain pretty much constantly, everywhere. They were always more pessimistic than other forecasts but they have become detached from reality, like some miserable pensioner telling everyone the worst will happen. Ignore.
    We’ve noticed the same. We use other provders now

    Don’t mind a bad forecast just want an accurate one.
    The most accurate auto generated weather forecasts are on the iPhone weather app. They could improve some of the symbols (eg if it’s windy you just see wind with no idea of it’s raining or blue sky) but they are unusual in using a mixture of different short and medium range models as well as live data.
  • TimSTimS Posts: 13,213
    Sandpit said:

    Cookie said:

    MAGA is about a fictional hero who will Save America. They project this onto Donald Trump. The actual Donald Trump is almost irrelevant. See the bizarre fan art that portrays him as various types of hero - and even Jesus. These are attempts to reconcile the reality with the myth.

    This is a common feature of these kind of populist leader cults. Any negative is taken as a positive - proof that The Conspiracy will do Anything to stop The Hero.

    What does this mean for the debates? The problem is that it is virtually impossible for Trump to “break” the lock he has on 45% of the electorate. They aren’t voting for him, anyway, they are voting for The Legend.

    If he collapses into complete carehome grade dementia on stage that will become “The Hero was poisoned by Democrats and Ukrainians to steal the election”.

    Trump will get 45% of the vote (more or less). He and Harris are fighting over less than 10%

    So the debates might move the needle a bit - but not much. No matter what actually happens.


    It's worse than that. It all hinges on a percentage point here and there in less than ten swing states.

    Kamala wins the popular vote comfortably, Trump probably wins the College by a whisker.

    I suspect that is what the markets are telling us.
    That may be what the markets are telling us but whether the markets have a clue is another question.
    I try to ignore the market when making betting decisions. No, really.

    I try and work out what the actual odds are. Then look at the market, afterwards, to see if there is value there.

    Political betting is interesting because there are so many people betting with their hearts and not their heads. AKA suckers. Less than there used to be - there was that thing in the U.K. in the early 2000s of politicians and supporters betting to move the market. As if the odds would somehow help them on election day…

    The price in the market is of no use in primary decision making.
    Good morning everyone. BBC says it's raining here; no, it isn't, nor has it been. In fact we've had good sunny spells.

    That's the beauty of coming on here to discuss politics isn't it? People bet with their heads, not their hearts, and, more importantly, discuss their reasons for so doing.
    The BBC weather forecasts say rain pretty much constantly, everywhere. They were always more pessimistic than other forecasts but they have become detached from reality, like some miserable pensioner telling everyone the worst will happen. Ignore.
    That’s a shame, he says while sitting on a beach where it’s 38ºC and sipping a cocktail. :sunglasses:
    38C is not paradise.

    Nor is Brockley, admittedly. Except in the narrower Phil Collins sense of not being a homeless girl on the street.
  • On polls, as I understand it there are suggestions of a growing gulf between headline voting intention and reality. There are vast numbers of young voters registering - especially women - which points towards Harris. Plus down ticket races swinging increasingly Dem.

    With the shitkicker party insisting on inserting them into the bedroom to subjugate women and putting it on the ballot, the turnout is going to be huge - and angry. So I expect Harris to win and to win comfortably - angry women, motivated and driven, fighting for basic rights, decency and dignity will swing this.

    As for the debate, if the Harris team get her to simply bat away Trump's abuse then it is going to drive him absolutely crazy. And the crazier he gets, the worse his defeat gets. This is 2024, not 2020, not 2016. His hardcore of conspiracists might like crazy, but general voters seem increasingly sick of it.
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 54,972
    TimS said:

    Sandpit said:

    Cookie said:

    MAGA is about a fictional hero who will Save America. They project this onto Donald Trump. The actual Donald Trump is almost irrelevant. See the bizarre fan art that portrays him as various types of hero - and even Jesus. These are attempts to reconcile the reality with the myth.

    This is a common feature of these kind of populist leader cults. Any negative is taken as a positive - proof that The Conspiracy will do Anything to stop The Hero.

    What does this mean for the debates? The problem is that it is virtually impossible for Trump to “break” the lock he has on 45% of the electorate. They aren’t voting for him, anyway, they are voting for The Legend.

    If he collapses into complete carehome grade dementia on stage that will become “The Hero was poisoned by Democrats and Ukrainians to steal the election”.

    Trump will get 45% of the vote (more or less). He and Harris are fighting over less than 10%

    So the debates might move the needle a bit - but not much. No matter what actually happens.


    It's worse than that. It all hinges on a percentage point here and there in less than ten swing states.

    Kamala wins the popular vote comfortably, Trump probably wins the College by a whisker.

    I suspect that is what the markets are telling us.
    That may be what the markets are telling us but whether the markets have a clue is another question.
    I try to ignore the market when making betting decisions. No, really.

    I try and work out what the actual odds are. Then look at the market, afterwards, to see if there is value there.

    Political betting is interesting because there are so many people betting with their hearts and not their heads. AKA suckers. Less than there used to be - there was that thing in the U.K. in the early 2000s of politicians and supporters betting to move the market. As if the odds would somehow help them on election day…

    The price in the market is of no use in primary decision making.
    Good morning everyone. BBC says it's raining here; no, it isn't, nor has it been. In fact we've had good sunny spells.

    That's the beauty of coming on here to discuss politics isn't it? People bet with their heads, not their hearts, and, more importantly, discuss their reasons for so doing.
    The BBC weather forecasts say rain pretty much constantly, everywhere. They were always more pessimistic than other forecasts but they have become detached from reality, like some miserable pensioner telling everyone the worst will happen. Ignore.
    That’s a shame, he says while sitting on a beach where it’s 38ºC and sipping a cocktail. :sunglasses:
    38C is not paradise.

    Nor is Brockley, admittedly. Except in the narrower Phil Collins sense of not being a homeless girl on the street.
    It is when it’s been an uncomfortable 45°C for the last three months!
  • OldKingColeOldKingCole Posts: 33,694

    There was a News Agents podcast recently which was instructive about the US race. They left the DNC festival in Chicago and went a few hours away to a small town to speak to voters.

    They heard the expected broad spread of opinions, but one specific one blew their mind. This guy very enthusiastically told them that Trump won in 2020, that the elite had stolen it from him and were working to destroy America, that various nonsensical conspiracy theories were true etc etc.

    Sopel asked him what evidence he had for these things - as there is vast evidence proving the opposite. He insisted the truth had been masked by DNC lies. And then asked them - very seriously - if Nancy Pelosi had sent them to speak to him to try to paint MAGA in a bad light.

    There appears to be a solid percentage of Americans who have been gaslit to believe things which are demonstrably untrue and patently absurd. Anyone presenting them with facts is thus an enemy of democracy.

    I recently had an unsolicited phone call from someone trying (I think) to sell me equity release. Did I realise, she asked me, that if didn't arrange some means of covering care home fees that the Government would confiscate my house?
  • MattWMattW Posts: 23,877
    Good morning everyone.

    I'm struggling with the BBC's "make them all look like Bercow" room. My early photo quota.

  • AnneJGPAnneJGP Posts: 3,091
    Sandpit said:

    Foxy said:

    Sandpit said:

    MAGA is about a fictional hero who will Save America. They project this onto Donald Trump. The actual Donald Trump is almost irrelevant. See the bizarre fan art that portrays him as various types of hero - and even Jesus. These are attempts to reconcile the reality with the myth.

    This is a common feature of these kind of populist leader cults. Any negative is taken as a positive - proof that The Conspiracy will do Anything to stop The Hero.

    What does this mean for the debates? The problem is that it is virtually impossible for Trump to “break” the lock he has on 45% of the electorate. They aren’t voting for him, anyway, they are voting for The Legend.

    If he collapses into complete carehome grade dementia on stage that will become “The Hero was poisoned by Democrats and Ukrainians to steal the election”.

    Trump will get 45% of the vote (more or less). He and Harris are fighting over less than 10%

    So the debates might move the needle a bit - but not much. No matter what actually happens.


    It's worse than that. It all hinges on a percentage point here and there in less than ten swing states.

    Kamala wins the popular vote comfortably, Trump probably wins the College by a whisker.

    I suspect that is what the markets are telling us.
    It more than likely all comes down to Pennsylvania, just as it all came down to Florida in 2000,

    Let’s hope it’s a little more decisive, one way or another, than that race.

    Both teams have already spent millions on lawyers, and no doubt will be spending tens of millions more over the next four months.

    What is totally alien to those watching from abroad, is just how much control local political leaders have on the actual process of elections. There are very few Federal rules, so States, counties, and cities all have a huge amount of discretion over how the elections are conducted, and the politicians in charge can and do push the limits of what’s allowed for their own political benefit and that of their party.
    Pennsylvania is key, but elections do tend to provide surprises. Georgia flipping Dem in 2000, Wisconsin and Michigan flipping Republican in 2016.

    I am musing what would be the 2024 surprise flips.
    That’s a good point, are there any reasonably ‘safe’ states that could flip either way, that are not currently on the radar.

    The obvious examples are Texas and Florida, said to be trending Dem for years but never quite getting there. Two states that have had a lot of immigration from California and NY respectively since the last election. Now many will say that those who left the Dem states were Reps who didn’t like Dem policies, but it’s not difficult to imagine a swing there.
    My (very casual & haphazard) viewing of USA YouTube gives me the impression that a lot of the people migrating from those Democratic places are actually Democrats who like the Democrat policies but don't like the outcomes of those policies. So they'll probably still be voting Democrat.
  • FF43FF43 Posts: 17,236

    OT Last day of the Paralympics so the medals table won't change much. We will still be second best under Keir Starmer.

    1. China 94 gold medals
    2. Dear Old Blighty 47
    3. Land of the Free (except healthcare) 36
    4. ex-Holland 26
    5. Pizza and pasta 24
    6. The beautiful game 23
    7. Slava Ukraini 21
    8. Aux Armes (& gilets jaunes) Citoyens 19
    9. Land down under, girt by sea 18
    10. Japan 14

    The sad position being Ukraine. They have so many people who qualify for the Paralympics these days.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 72,172
    Foxy said:

    Sandpit said:

    MAGA is about a fictional hero who will Save America. They project this onto Donald Trump. The actual Donald Trump is almost irrelevant. See the bizarre fan art that portrays him as various types of hero - and even Jesus. These are attempts to reconcile the reality with the myth.

    This is a common feature of these kind of populist leader cults. Any negative is taken as a positive - proof that The Conspiracy will do Anything to stop The Hero.

    What does this mean for the debates? The problem is that it is virtually impossible for Trump to “break” the lock he has on 45% of the electorate. They aren’t voting for him, anyway, they are voting for The Legend.

    If he collapses into complete carehome grade dementia on stage that will become “The Hero was poisoned by Democrats and Ukrainians to steal the election”.

    Trump will get 45% of the vote (more or less). He and Harris are fighting over less than 10%

    So the debates might move the needle a bit - but not much. No matter what actually happens.


    It's worse than that. It all hinges on a percentage point here and there in less than ten swing states.

    Kamala wins the popular vote comfortably, Trump probably wins the College by a whisker.

    I suspect that is what the markets are telling us.
    It more than likely all comes down to Pennsylvania, just as it all came down to Florida in 2000,

    Let’s hope it’s a little more decisive, one way or another, than that race.

    Both teams have already spent millions on lawyers, and no doubt will be spending tens of millions more over the next four months.

    What is totally alien to those watching from abroad, is just how much control local political leaders have on the actual process of elections. There are very few Federal rules, so States, counties, and cities all have a huge amount of discretion over how the elections are conducted, and the politicians in charge can and do push the limits of what’s allowed for their own political benefit and that of their party.
    Pennsylvania is key, but elections do tend to provide surprises. Georgia flipping Dem in 2000, Wisconsin and Michigan flipping Republican in 2016.

    I am musing what would be the 2024 surprise flips.
    Florida or Texas for me.
    Everyone thinks they're just out of reach, so either would qualify as a surprise.

    N Carolina or Georgia wouldn't.
  • CookieCookie Posts: 14,069

    There was a News Agents podcast recently which was instructive about the US race. They left the DNC festival in Chicago and went a few hours away to a small town to speak to voters.

    They heard the expected broad spread of opinions, but one specific one blew their mind. This guy very enthusiastically told them that Trump won in 2020, that the elite had stolen it from him and were working to destroy America, that various nonsensical conspiracy theories were true etc etc.

    Sopel asked him what evidence he had for these things - as there is vast evidence proving the opposite. He insisted the truth had been masked by DNC lies. And then asked them - very seriously - if Nancy Pelosi had sent them to speak to him to try to paint MAGA in a bad light.

    There appears to be a solid percentage of Americans who have been gaslit to believe things which are demonstrably untrue and patently absurd. Anyone presenting them with facts is thus an enemy of democracy.

    Yes, I don't deny these nutters exist - but they are still very much the exception. The 45% who will vote Trump are made up largely of those for whom Dem politics are an anathema, not the outright mad like the fella you cite.
  • OldKingColeOldKingCole Posts: 33,694
    Sandpit said:

    FF43 said:

    OT Last day of the Paralympics so the medals table won't change much. We will still be second best under Keir Starmer.

    1. China 94 gold medals
    2. Dear Old Blighty 47
    3. Land of the Free (except healthcare) 36
    4. ex-Holland 26
    5. Pizza and pasta 24
    6. The beautiful game 23
    7. Slava Ukraini 21
    8. Aux Armes (& gilets jaunes) Citoyens 19
    9. Land down under, girt by sea 18
    10. Japan 14

    The sad position being Ukraine. They have so many people who qualify for the Paralympics these days.
    FF43 said:

    OT Last day of the Paralympics so the medals table won't change much. We will still be second best under Keir Starmer.

    1. China 94 gold medals
    2. Dear Old Blighty 47
    3. Land of the Free (except healthcare) 36
    4. ex-Holland 26
    5. Pizza and pasta 24
    6. The beautiful game 23
    7. Slava Ukraini 21
    8. Aux Armes (& gilets jaunes) Citoyens 19
    9. Land down under, girt by sea 18
    10. Japan 14

    The sad position being Ukraine. They have so many people who qualify for the Paralympics these days.
    Jimmy Carr had a great joke about that in the aftermath of the Iraq War, for which he got a load a crap in the media but a standing ovation when it told it in the veterans’ rehab facility. And then they did exactly that, and went and got a load of Paralympic medals.

    What did he say?
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 72,172
    Probably.

    I wonder if being a semiconductor-producing country will one day be the economic equivalent of being a nuclear power
    https://x.com/kyleichan/status/1832594244382392360

    Europe (and the UK) really ought to be collaborating to rebuild a genuinely competitive manufacturing base. It's not as though they don't have the capability.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 72,172

    There was a News Agents podcast recently which was instructive about the US race. They left the DNC festival in Chicago and went a few hours away to a small town to speak to voters.

    They heard the expected broad spread of opinions, but one specific one blew their mind. This guy very enthusiastically told them that Trump won in 2020, that the elite had stolen it from him and were working to destroy America, that various nonsensical conspiracy theories were true etc etc.

    Sopel asked him what evidence he had for these things - as there is vast evidence proving the opposite. He insisted the truth had been masked by DNC lies. And then asked them - very seriously - if Nancy Pelosi had sent them to speak to him to try to paint MAGA in a bad light.

    There appears to be a solid percentage of Americans who have been gaslit to believe things which are demonstrably untrue and patently absurd. Anyone presenting them with facts is thus an enemy of democracy.

    Will a Harris presidency deprogram some of the cult, when she doesn't actually implement communism ?
  • stjohnstjohn Posts: 1,861

    On polls, as I understand it there are suggestions of a growing gulf between headline voting intention and reality. There are vast numbers of young voters registering - especially women - which points towards Harris. Plus down ticket races swinging increasingly Dem.

    With the shitkicker party insisting on inserting them into the bedroom to subjugate women and putting it on the ballot, the turnout is going to be huge - and angry. So I expect Harris to win and to win comfortably - angry women, motivated and driven, fighting for basic rights, decency and dignity will swing this.

    As for the debate, if the Harris team get her to simply bat away Trump's abuse then it is going to drive him absolutely crazy. And the crazier he gets, the worse his defeat gets. This is 2024, not 2020, not 2016. His hardcore of conspiracists might like crazy, but general voters seem increasingly sick of it.

    That's an interesting point. Can anyone else comment on whether this is likely to be a significant issue. If Harris is piling up new voter registrations in demographic groups that tend to be under represented in actual POTUS elections, could the polls be seriously out and under recognising her support?
  • FF43FF43 Posts: 17,236
    Nigelb said:

    Foxy said:

    Sandpit said:

    MAGA is about a fictional hero who will Save America. They project this onto Donald Trump. The actual Donald Trump is almost irrelevant. See the bizarre fan art that portrays him as various types of hero - and even Jesus. These are attempts to reconcile the reality with the myth.

    This is a common feature of these kind of populist leader cults. Any negative is taken as a positive - proof that The Conspiracy will do Anything to stop The Hero.

    What does this mean for the debates? The problem is that it is virtually impossible for Trump to “break” the lock he has on 45% of the electorate. They aren’t voting for him, anyway, they are voting for The Legend.

    If he collapses into complete carehome grade dementia on stage that will become “The Hero was poisoned by Democrats and Ukrainians to steal the election”.

    Trump will get 45% of the vote (more or less). He and Harris are fighting over less than 10%

    So the debates might move the needle a bit - but not much. No matter what actually happens.


    It's worse than that. It all hinges on a percentage point here and there in less than ten swing states.

    Kamala wins the popular vote comfortably, Trump probably wins the College by a whisker.

    I suspect that is what the markets are telling us.
    It more than likely all comes down to Pennsylvania, just as it all came down to Florida in 2000,

    Let’s hope it’s a little more decisive, one way or another, than that race.

    Both teams have already spent millions on lawyers, and no doubt will be spending tens of millions more over the next four months.

    What is totally alien to those watching from abroad, is just how much control local political leaders have on the actual process of elections. There are very few Federal rules, so States, counties, and cities all have a huge amount of discretion over how the elections are conducted, and the politicians in charge can and do push the limits of what’s allowed for their own political benefit and that of their party.
    Pennsylvania is key, but elections do tend to provide surprises. Georgia flipping Dem in 2000, Wisconsin and Michigan flipping Republican in 2016.

    I am musing what would be the 2024 surprise flips.
    Florida or Texas for me.
    Everyone thinks they're just out of reach, so either would qualify as a surprise.

    N Carolina or Georgia wouldn't.
    Texas would be interesting one for me. It's a young state with a median age below the US average. Florida on the other hand is older than the US average. If Harris is signing up lots of young people that could have an outsized effect in Texas.
  • williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 52,268
    Nigelb said:

    Probably.

    I wonder if being a semiconductor-producing country will one day be the economic equivalent of being a nuclear power
    https://x.com/kyleichan/status/1832594244382392360

    Europe (and the UK) really ought to be collaborating to rebuild a genuinely competitive manufacturing base. It's not as though they don't have the capability.

    Collaboration isn't the way to achieve it. We need to compete with each other.
  • Nigelb said:

    There was a News Agents podcast recently which was instructive about the US race. They left the DNC festival in Chicago and went a few hours away to a small town to speak to voters.

    They heard the expected broad spread of opinions, but one specific one blew their mind. This guy very enthusiastically told them that Trump won in 2020, that the elite had stolen it from him and were working to destroy America, that various nonsensical conspiracy theories were true etc etc.

    Sopel asked him what evidence he had for these things - as there is vast evidence proving the opposite. He insisted the truth had been masked by DNC lies. And then asked them - very seriously - if Nancy Pelosi had sent them to speak to him to try to paint MAGA in a bad light.

    There appears to be a solid percentage of Americans who have been gaslit to believe things which are demonstrably untrue and patently absurd. Anyone presenting them with facts is thus an enemy of democracy.

    Will a Harris presidency deprogram some of the cult, when she doesn't actually implement communism ?
    I was going to give a glib answer, but the broader question is what happens to MAGA with a defeated Trump now aged 107? Are there pretenders waiting in the wings to take over? Or can the GOP rebuild itself back to sanity?
  • Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 28,807

    Nigelb said:

    Probably.

    I wonder if being a semiconductor-producing country will one day be the economic equivalent of being a nuclear power
    https://x.com/kyleichan/status/1832594244382392360

    Europe (and the UK) really ought to be collaborating to rebuild a genuinely competitive manufacturing base. It's not as though they don't have the capability.

    Collaboration isn't the way to achieve it. We need to compete with each other.
    We need to compete full stop. Manufacturing of anything other than food in Britain is not viable, mainly due to the cost of energy, but also the cost of Labour, and taxation. The businesses that are doing it viably are heritage brands where people expect to pay over the odds anyway and want their cartridge bag made in Britain from English leather or their suit from British tweed.
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 63,114
    Damn. Victoria Atkins is backing Jenrick.

    I am so headed to skid row on this one.
  • AnabobazinaAnabobazina Posts: 23,792
    edited September 8
    TimS said:

    Taz said:

    Cookie said:

    MAGA is about a fictional hero who will Save America. They project this onto Donald Trump. The actual Donald Trump is almost irrelevant. See the bizarre fan art that portrays him as various types of hero - and even Jesus. These are attempts to reconcile the reality with the myth.

    This is a common feature of these kind of populist leader cults. Any negative is taken as a positive - proof that The Conspiracy will do Anything to stop The Hero.

    What does this mean for the debates? The problem is that it is virtually impossible for Trump to “break” the lock he has on 45% of the electorate. They aren’t voting for him, anyway, they are voting for The Legend.

    If he collapses into complete carehome grade dementia on stage that will become “The Hero was poisoned by Democrats and Ukrainians to steal the election”.

    Trump will get 45% of the vote (more or less). He and Harris are fighting over less than 10%

    So the debates might move the needle a bit - but not much. No matter what actually happens.


    It's worse than that. It all hinges on a percentage point here and there in less than ten swing states.

    Kamala wins the popular vote comfortably, Trump probably wins the College by a whisker.

    I suspect that is what the markets are telling us.
    That may be what the markets are telling us but whether the markets have a clue is another question.
    I try to ignore the market when making betting decisions. No, really.

    I try and work out what the actual odds are. Then look at the market, afterwards, to see if there is value there.

    Political betting is interesting because there are so many people betting with their hearts and not their heads. AKA suckers. Less than there used to be - there was that thing in the U.K. in the early 2000s of politicians and supporters betting to move the market. As if the odds would somehow help them on election day…

    The price in the market is of no use in primary decision making.
    Good morning everyone. BBC says it's raining here; no, it isn't, nor has it been. In fact we've had good sunny spells.

    That's the beauty of coming on here to discuss politics isn't it? People bet with their heads, not their hearts, and, more importantly, discuss their reasons for so doing.
    The BBC weather forecasts say rain pretty much constantly, everywhere. They were always more pessimistic than other forecasts but they have become detached from reality, like some miserable pensioner telling everyone the worst will happen. Ignore.
    We’ve noticed the same. We use other provders now

    Don’t mind a bad forecast just want an accurate one.
    The most accurate auto generated weather forecasts are on the iPhone weather app. They could improve some of the symbols (eg if it’s windy you just see wind with no idea of it’s raining or blue sky) but they are unusual in using a mixture of different short and medium range models as well as live data.
    Yes, I’ve had an iPhone for years but never used the weather app. Was stunned when I opened it the other day: the live rain maps are superb as is much of the functionality*. And it’s very accurate, often relaying real-time rain forecasts to my watch that are precise to the minute. The BBC app is laughable. Absolutely useless.

    (*I agree with you about the wind quirk on Apple though: who thought that a good idea?)
  • SandyRentoolSandyRentool Posts: 22,161
    FF43 said:

    OT Last day of the Paralympics so the medals table won't change much. We will still be second best under Keir Starmer.

    1. China 94 gold medals
    2. Dear Old Blighty 47
    3. Land of the Free (except healthcare) 36
    4. ex-Holland 26
    5. Pizza and pasta 24
    6. The beautiful game 23
    7. Slava Ukraini 21
    8. Aux Armes (& gilets jaunes) Citoyens 19
    9. Land down under, girt by sea 18
    10. Japan 14

    The sad position being Ukraine. They have so many people who qualify for the Paralympics these days.
    With Taliban IEDs increasing the pool of talent that Team GB and Team USA get to draw from.
  • AnabobazinaAnabobazina Posts: 23,792

    Damn. Victoria Atkins is backing Jenrick.

    I am so headed to skid row on this one.

    JENRICK
  • Nigelb said:

    Probably.

    I wonder if being a semiconductor-producing country will one day be the economic equivalent of being a nuclear power
    https://x.com/kyleichan/status/1832594244382392360

    Europe (and the UK) really ought to be collaborating to rebuild a genuinely competitive manufacturing base. It's not as though they don't have the capability.

    Collaboration isn't the way to achieve it. We need to compete with each other.
    We need to compete full stop. Manufacturing of anything other than food in Britain is not viable, mainly due to the cost of energy, but also the cost of Labour, and taxation. The businesses that are doing it viably are heritage brands where people expect to pay over the odds anyway and want their cartridge bag made in Britain from English leather or their suit from British tweed.
    We have two choices - accept that everything will be made in China, or don't accept it.

    We can't compete with China on costs, so the inference of your post that we pay working people less and tax rich people less doesn't solve the problem. Nor does paying people less help the economy as they then have less money to circulate buing products & services which means businesses close and jobs are lost.
  • williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 52,268

    Damn. Victoria Atkins is backing Jenrick.

    I am so headed to skid row on this one.

    He's promised her the constitutional reform job. We're going to have the Atkins Diet.
  • TheuniondivvieTheuniondivvie Posts: 42,141

    Nigelb said:

    Probably.

    I wonder if being a semiconductor-producing country will one day be the economic equivalent of being a nuclear power
    https://x.com/kyleichan/status/1832594244382392360

    Europe (and the UK) really ought to be collaborating to rebuild a genuinely competitive manufacturing base. It's not as though they don't have the capability.

    Collaboration isn't the way to achieve it. We need to compete with each other.
    We need to compete full stop. Manufacturing of anything other than food in Britain is not viable, mainly due to the cost of energy, but also the cost of Labour, and taxation. The businesses that are doing it viably are heritage brands where people expect to pay over the odds anyway and want their cartridge bag made in Britain from English leather or their suit from British tweed.
    Mind you, many of these heritage brands use smoke and mirrors to cover up their place of origin; Hardy reels manufactured in Korea & China, Belstaff in Romania, Triumphs in Thailand, Loakes in India. Don't even start on the blue passports..

    'Designed in England/UK' is always a killer tell on a label.
  • MattWMattW Posts: 23,877

    Nigelb said:

    There was a News Agents podcast recently which was instructive about the US race. They left the DNC festival in Chicago and went a few hours away to a small town to speak to voters.

    They heard the expected broad spread of opinions, but one specific one blew their mind. This guy very enthusiastically told them that Trump won in 2020, that the elite had stolen it from him and were working to destroy America, that various nonsensical conspiracy theories were true etc etc.

    Sopel asked him what evidence he had for these things - as there is vast evidence proving the opposite. He insisted the truth had been masked by DNC lies. And then asked them - very seriously - if Nancy Pelosi had sent them to speak to him to try to paint MAGA in a bad light.

    There appears to be a solid percentage of Americans who have been gaslit to believe things which are demonstrably untrue and patently absurd. Anyone presenting them with facts is thus an enemy of democracy.

    Will a Harris presidency deprogram some of the cult, when she doesn't actually implement communism ?
    I was going to give a glib answer, but the broader question is what happens to MAGA with a defeated Trump now aged 107? Are there pretenders waiting in the wings to take over? Or can the GOP rebuild itself back to sanity?
    I don't see the Trump family continuing to work to control the Republican Party once he is defeated, whether he is in trials for the next several years, or in a mental hospital, or is locked up, or pops his clogs.

    As I see it the Trump family are in it purely for the money. Melania will walk away with her kid, and I don't see anyone of note otherwise. It's possible several of those could be in legal trouble, too.

    As for the Republicans rebuilding themselves? No idea. I think the structure of US politics is at a hinge point analogous to perhaps only two or three we have seen since 1900.
  • OldKingColeOldKingCole Posts: 33,694

    Damn. Victoria Atkins is backing Jenrick.

    I am so headed to skid row on this one.

    He's promised her the constitutional reform job. We're going to have the Atkins Diet.
    A re-run of the Diet of Wurms? Mention of which has, I'm sure fascinated schoolboys for generations.
  • viewcodeviewcode Posts: 22,378

    Re the Starmer interview - I am a little relieved to hear him talk about reform for the NHS rather than just the spending trap (though he did allude to that also). This is the sort of thinking he does need to be getting out there. I am still, from his early actions, very unconvinced he has what it takes to really take on some of the vested interests and get meaningful reform through - but at least the topic is on the table.

    The only caveat I would have about NHS reform is that until 2011 or thereabouts we lived in a constant state of reform, and it wasn't good for services or the morale of service providers.
    As a service user now I don't think I want to see a root and breach reform; I want to see the present system properly funded and staffed. And it's not 'just' seeing a GP or consultant; I want to be able to contact a physiotherapist or district nurse without an interminable wait on the phone, and a recorded voice telling me the service is 'experiencing a high volume of calls'.
    The NHS receives vast amounts of funding. It needs to wean itself off the view that money alone will help it. It is a vast bureaucracy with significant inefficiencies. Until we target some of those weak points and think about how we can deliver things better, it will never improve to the level that it should. You are absolutely correct that staffing is one part of that and on that there needs to be more thought put into recruitment and retention - that will be a long term process.
    If I may politely disagree. As a rough rule of thumb the UK population has increased by a million people every two years for the last ten years. The stress on the system is down to demand. We need to stop thinking there is some magical NHS reorganisation that will enable us to deliver more for less, because we have been doing that for decades now and it hasn't worked. In short, @OldKingCole is right: increase funding and staffing to run the existing system and stop using agency workers to fill the gap. If you want to decrease NHS spending, calve off categories of conditions to the private sector and stop funding them. My nomination is disorders that we can't fix and don't prevent people from working, but I assume there'll be others.

    On the matter of Starmer, this is one of the reasons why I don't like him. The large bulge of Boomers working thru their final days in the next 15 years will break the system unless it's properly funded. Him talking hard does not help this and in fact makes things worse
  • TazTaz Posts: 14,972
    Nigelb said:

    There was a News Agents podcast recently which was instructive about the US race. They left the DNC festival in Chicago and went a few hours away to a small town to speak to voters.

    They heard the expected broad spread of opinions, but one specific one blew their mind. This guy very enthusiastically told them that Trump won in 2020, that the elite had stolen it from him and were working to destroy America, that various nonsensical conspiracy theories were true etc etc.

    Sopel asked him what evidence he had for these things - as there is vast evidence proving the opposite. He insisted the truth had been masked by DNC lies. And then asked them - very seriously - if Nancy Pelosi had sent them to speak to him to try to paint MAGA in a bad light.

    There appears to be a solid percentage of Americans who have been gaslit to believe things which are demonstrably untrue and patently absurd. Anyone presenting them with facts is thus an enemy of democracy.

    Will a Harris presidency deprogram some of the cult, when she doesn't actually implement communism ?
    Nah, they’ll just do what all politicians and political obsessives do and simply redefine Communism. Quite frankly they already have if they think she’s anywhere near a communist.
  • Fascinating Sunday Mail front page... https://x.com/Sunday_Mail/status/1832675696419749974
  • TazTaz Posts: 14,972

    Taz said:

    Cookie said:

    MAGA is about a fictional hero who will Save America. They project this onto Donald Trump. The actual Donald Trump is almost irrelevant. See the bizarre fan art that portrays him as various types of hero - and even Jesus. These are attempts to reconcile the reality with the myth.

    This is a common feature of these kind of populist leader cults. Any negative is taken as a positive - proof that The Conspiracy will do Anything to stop The Hero.

    What does this mean for the debates? The problem is that it is virtually impossible for Trump to “break” the lock he has on 45% of the electorate. They aren’t voting for him, anyway, they are voting for The Legend.

    If he collapses into complete carehome grade dementia on stage that will become “The Hero was poisoned by Democrats and Ukrainians to steal the election”.

    Trump will get 45% of the vote (more or less). He and Harris are fighting over less than 10%

    So the debates might move the needle a bit - but not much. No matter what actually happens.


    It's worse than that. It all hinges on a percentage point here and there in less than ten swing states.

    Kamala wins the popular vote comfortably, Trump probably wins the College by a whisker.

    I suspect that is what the markets are telling us.
    That may be what the markets are telling us but whether the markets have a clue is another question.
    I try to ignore the market when making betting decisions. No, really.

    I try and work out what the actual odds are. Then look at the market, afterwards, to see if there is value there.

    Political betting is interesting because there are so many people betting with their hearts and not their heads. AKA suckers. Less than there used to be - there was that thing in the U.K. in the early 2000s of politicians and supporters betting to move the market. As if the odds would somehow help them on election day…

    The price in the market is of no use in primary decision making.
    Good morning everyone. BBC says it's raining here; no, it isn't, nor has it been. In fact we've had good sunny spells.

    That's the beauty of coming on here to discuss politics isn't it? People bet with their heads, not their hearts, and, more importantly, discuss their reasons for so doing.
    The BBC weather forecasts say rain pretty much constantly, everywhere. They were always more pessimistic than other forecasts but they have become detached from reality, like some miserable pensioner telling everyone the worst will happen. Ignore.
    Well it has been chucking it down here, but now seems to have eased.

    I have delayed dog walking until a dry interlude.
    Drab and misty in North Durham and forecasts of rain today. At least we got out for a walk yesterday.
    I wish I could go for a walk. I can go out and about, but only on my electric scooter. I get fresh air, but not the exercise.
    I’m slowing down. I’m not even 60. I treasure every cycle ride and walk I go on as I know one day I won’t be able to.

    Hopefully your health issues are behind you.
  • TazTaz Posts: 14,972

    Nigelb said:

    Probably.

    I wonder if being a semiconductor-producing country will one day be the economic equivalent of being a nuclear power
    https://x.com/kyleichan/status/1832594244382392360

    Europe (and the UK) really ought to be collaborating to rebuild a genuinely competitive manufacturing base. It's not as though they don't have the capability.

    Collaboration isn't the way to achieve it. We need to compete with each other.
    We need to compete full stop. Manufacturing of anything other than food in Britain is not viable, mainly due to the cost of energy, but also the cost of Labour, and taxation. The businesses that are doing it viably are heritage brands where people expect to pay over the odds anyway and want their cartridge bag made in Britain from English leather or their suit from British tweed.
    Mind you, many of these heritage brands use smoke and mirrors to cover up their place of origin; Hardy reels manufactured in Korea & China, Belstaff in Romania, Triumphs in Thailand, Loakes in India. Don't even start on the blue passports..

    'Designed in England/UK' is always a killer tell on a label.
    Something JlR were very keen on doing when I was there.
  • ThomasNasheThomasNashe Posts: 5,331
    stjohn said:

    On polls, as I understand it there are suggestions of a growing gulf between headline voting intention and reality. There are vast numbers of young voters registering - especially women - which points towards Harris. Plus down ticket races swinging increasingly Dem.

    With the shitkicker party insisting on inserting them into the bedroom to subjugate women and putting it on the ballot, the turnout is going to be huge - and angry. So I expect Harris to win and to win comfortably - angry women, motivated and driven, fighting for basic rights, decency and dignity will swing this.

    As for the debate, if the Harris team get her to simply bat away Trump's abuse then it is going to drive him absolutely crazy. And the crazier he gets, the worse his defeat gets. This is 2024, not 2020, not 2016. His hardcore of conspiracists might like crazy, but general voters seem increasingly sick of it.

    That's an interesting point. Can anyone else comment on whether this is likely to be a significant issue. If Harris is piling up new voter registrations in demographic groups that tend to be under represented in actual POTUS elections, could the polls be seriously out and under recognising her support?
    The difficulty is the coincidence of what I hope is happening with what I think is happening. I think this lies behind a lot of the reluctance to see Harris as the clear favourite. Natural caution suggests we don’t dare to believe it.

    And yet, I think objectively, this is where the evidence leads: a likely large increase in turnout swamping Trump.
  • pigeonpigeon Posts: 4,839
    Foxy said:

    Re the Starmer interview - I am a little relieved to hear him talk about reform for the NHS rather than just the spending trap (though he did allude to that also). This is the sort of thinking he does need to be getting out there. I am still, from his early actions, very unconvinced he has what it takes to really take on some of the vested interests and get meaningful reform through - but at least the topic is on the table.

    The only caveat I would have about NHS reform is that until 2011 or thereabouts we lived in a constant state of reform, and it wasn't good for services or the morale of service providers.
    As a service user now I don't think I want to see a root and breach reform; I want to see the present system properly funded and staffed. And it's not 'just' seeing a GP or consultant; I want to be able to contact a physiotherapist or district nurse without an interminable wait on the phone, and a recorded voice telling me the service is 'experiencing a high volume of calls'.
    Is that possible? A controversial point... The NHS now treats more people in more ways than it ever did.
    Well, there are more people in the UK!
    In particular we have 11 million over 65s, up from 9.2 million in 2011. That's where the biggest expansion of the population has been, and also the highest users. These are also people who rightly argue that they have paid in for decades and are entitled to timely treatment.
    Of course, the problem with the "But I paid my taxes!" Brigade is that there are more of them than ever, and on average they are richer than ever, expecting all this medical care, social care and endless inflation busting pension hikes to be fully funded by the put upon, tottering base of working age taxpayers.

    The proper funding of immensely expensive healthcare services that are primarily used by the aged is more taxation of the aged, through the soaking of assets (mainly via higher property taxes and death duties.) And up with that the oldies will not put. They've paid their taxes so must now have everything for free. Just look at the burning bales and pitchforks we've had over the partial withdrawal of one small handout.

    The young can't afford to support the old and the old don't want to help support themselves. So on we all go, circling the plughole together.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 72,172
    stjohn said:

    On polls, as I understand it there are suggestions of a growing gulf between headline voting intention and reality. There are vast numbers of young voters registering - especially women - which points towards Harris. Plus down ticket races swinging increasingly Dem.

    With the shitkicker party insisting on inserting them into the bedroom to subjugate women and putting it on the ballot, the turnout is going to be huge - and angry. So I expect Harris to win and to win comfortably - angry women, motivated and driven, fighting for basic rights, decency and dignity will swing this.

    As for the debate, if the Harris team get her to simply bat away Trump's abuse then it is going to drive him absolutely crazy. And the crazier he gets, the worse his defeat gets. This is 2024, not 2020, not 2016. His hardcore of conspiracists might like crazy, but general voters seem increasingly sick of it.

    That's an interesting point. Can anyone else comment on whether this is likely to be a significant issue. If Harris is piling up new voter registrations in demographic groups that tend to be under represented in actual POTUS elections, could the polls be seriously out and under recognising her support?
    They could.

    But there's no good way to quantify the effect; I think we're all guessing between now and November.
    Though it's reasonably likely that an outsize number of new voter registrations among the young will benefit Harris, there's also the unquantified effects of the various efforts to purge voter rolls.
  • EabhalEabhal Posts: 8,942
    viewcode said:

    Re the Starmer interview - I am a little relieved to hear him talk about reform for the NHS rather than just the spending trap (though he did allude to that also). This is the sort of thinking he does need to be getting out there. I am still, from his early actions, very unconvinced he has what it takes to really take on some of the vested interests and get meaningful reform through - but at least the topic is on the table.

    The only caveat I would have about NHS reform is that until 2011 or thereabouts we lived in a constant state of reform, and it wasn't good for services or the morale of service providers.
    As a service user now I don't think I want to see a root and breach reform; I want to see the present system properly funded and staffed. And it's not 'just' seeing a GP or consultant; I want to be able to contact a physiotherapist or district nurse without an interminable wait on the phone, and a recorded voice telling me the service is 'experiencing a high volume of calls'.
    The NHS receives vast amounts of funding. It needs to wean itself off the view that money alone will help it. It is a vast bureaucracy with significant inefficiencies. Until we target some of those weak points and think about how we can deliver things better, it will never improve to the level that it should. You are absolutely correct that staffing is one part of that and on that there needs to be more thought put into recruitment and retention - that will be a long term process.
    If I may politely disagree. As a rough rule of thumb the UK population has increased by a million people every two years for the last ten years. The stress on the system is down to demand. We need to stop thinking there is some magical NHS reorganisation that will enable us to deliver more for less, because we have been doing that for decades now and it hasn't worked. In short, @OldKingCole is right: increase funding and staffing to run the existing system and stop using agency workers to fill the gap. If you want to decrease NHS spending, calve off categories of conditions to the private sector and stop funding them. My nomination is disorders that we can't fix and don't prevent people from working, but I assume there'll be others.

    On the matter of Starmer, this is one of the reasons why I don't like him. The large bulge of Boomers working thru their final days in the next 15 years will break the system unless it's properly funded. Him talking hard does not help this and in fact makes things worse
    The demographic element of pressure on the NHS is completely dwarfed by political decisions to just keep increasing spending. We're not like Japan or South Korea, where they do have demographic issues, simply because of our immigration over the last 20 years.

    You're right that the demographic bulge will be in the 2030s, but it's easy to overstate it. NHS sending is increasing rapidly right now (from a relatively low base) even without that bulge.
  • Richard_TyndallRichard_Tyndall Posts: 32,682
    edited September 8
    viewcode said:

    Re the Starmer interview - I am a little relieved to hear him talk about reform for the NHS rather than just the spending trap (though he did allude to that also). This is the sort of thinking he does need to be getting out there. I am still, from his early actions, very unconvinced he has what it takes to really take on some of the vested interests and get meaningful reform through - but at least the topic is on the table.

    The only caveat I would have about NHS reform is that until 2011 or thereabouts we lived in a constant state of reform, and it wasn't good for services or the morale of service providers.
    As a service user now I don't think I want to see a root and breach reform; I want to see the present system properly funded and staffed. And it's not 'just' seeing a GP or consultant; I want to be able to contact a physiotherapist or district nurse without an interminable wait on the phone, and a recorded voice telling me the service is 'experiencing a high volume of calls'.
    The NHS receives vast amounts of funding. It needs to wean itself off the view that money alone will help it. It is a vast bureaucracy with significant inefficiencies. Until we target some of those weak points and think about how we can deliver things better, it will never improve to the level that it should. You are absolutely correct that staffing is one part of that and on that there needs to be more thought put into recruitment and retention - that will be a long term process.
    If I may politely disagree. As a rough rule of thumb the UK population has increased by a million people every two years for the last ten years. The stress on the system is down to demand. We need to stop thinking there is some magical NHS reorganisation that will enable us to deliver more for less, because we have been doing that for decades now and it hasn't worked. In short, @OldKingCole is right: increase funding and staffing to run the existing system and stop using agency workers to fill the gap. If you want to decrease NHS spending, calve off categories of conditions to the private sector and stop funding them. My nomination is disorders that we can't fix and don't prevent people from working, but I assume there'll be others.

    On the matter of Starmer, this is one of the reasons why I don't like him. The large bulge of Boomers working thru their final days in the next 15 years will break the system unless it's properly funded. Him talking hard does not help this and in fact makes things worse
    I disagree. As I have said many times before we need to look at the way Continental Health systems are organised and how they work so much better than the NHS.

    One anecdotal example (ignoring the slightly hyperbolic headline) but it matches well with my experiences in France, Norway, the Netherlands and Germany, all of which are light years better than the UK when it comes to front end service.

    https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/french-healthcare-makes-the-nhs-look-like-bedlam/
  • Pro_RataPro_Rata Posts: 5,352
    Cookie said:

    MAGA is about a fictional hero who will Save America. They project this onto Donald Trump. The actual Donald Trump is almost irrelevant. See the bizarre fan art that portrays him as various types of hero - and even Jesus. These are attempts to reconcile the reality with the myth.

    This is a common feature of these kind of populist leader cults. Any negative is taken as a positive - proof that The Conspiracy will do Anything to stop The Hero.

    What does this mean for the debates? The problem is that it is virtually impossible for Trump to “break” the lock he has on 45% of the electorate. They aren’t voting for him, anyway, they are voting for The Legend.

    If he collapses into complete carehome grade dementia on stage that will become “The Hero was poisoned by Democrats and Ukrainians to steal the election”.

    Trump will get 45% of the vote (more or less). He and Harris are fighting over less than 10%

    So the debates might move the needle a bit - but not much. No matter what actually happens.


    It's worse than that. It all hinges on a percentage point here and there in less than ten swing states.

    Kamala wins the popular vote comfortably, Trump probably wins the College by a whisker.

    I suspect that is what the markets are telling us.
    That may be what the markets are telling us but whether the markets have a clue is another question.
    I try to ignore the market when making betting decisions. No, really.

    I try and work out what the actual odds are. Then look at the market, afterwards, to see if there is value there.

    Political betting is interesting because there are so many people betting with their hearts and not their heads. AKA suckers. Less than there used to be - there was that thing in the U.K. in the early 2000s of politicians and supporters betting to move the market. As if the odds would somehow help them on election day…

    The price in the market is of no use in primary decision making.
    Good morning everyone. BBC says it's raining here; no, it isn't, nor has it been. In fact we've had good sunny spells.

    That's the beauty of coming on here to discuss politics isn't it? People bet with their heads, not their hearts, and, more importantly, discuss their reasons for so doing.
    The BBC weather forecasts say rain pretty much constantly, everywhere. They were always more pessimistic than other forecasts but they have become detached from reality, like some miserable pensioner telling everyone the worst will happen. Ignore.
    I've stuck with the Met Office, but it is still often the case that the 15 minutes time forecast is very obviously based on a forward projection from a few hours ago and doesn't tally up at all well with an eyeballing of the latest radar.

    So to see whether to put the washing out is a comparative scan of a couple of charts and looking out the window.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 72,172

    Nigelb said:

    Probably.

    I wonder if being a semiconductor-producing country will one day be the economic equivalent of being a nuclear power
    https://x.com/kyleichan/status/1832594244382392360

    Europe (and the UK) really ought to be collaborating to rebuild a genuinely competitive manufacturing base. It's not as though they don't have the capability.

    Collaboration isn't the way to achieve it. We need to compete with each other.
    The UK doesn't have the £200bn or so needed to rebuild the capacity from scratch. A European semiconductor industry to compete with S Korea / Taiwan / US is entirely feasible.
    And after all, Europe still builds some of the essential tools - which we don't.
  • Pro_Rata said:

    Cookie said:

    MAGA is about a fictional hero who will Save America. They project this onto Donald Trump. The actual Donald Trump is almost irrelevant. See the bizarre fan art that portrays him as various types of hero - and even Jesus. These are attempts to reconcile the reality with the myth.

    This is a common feature of these kind of populist leader cults. Any negative is taken as a positive - proof that The Conspiracy will do Anything to stop The Hero.

    What does this mean for the debates? The problem is that it is virtually impossible for Trump to “break” the lock he has on 45% of the electorate. They aren’t voting for him, anyway, they are voting for The Legend.

    If he collapses into complete carehome grade dementia on stage that will become “The Hero was poisoned by Democrats and Ukrainians to steal the election”.

    Trump will get 45% of the vote (more or less). He and Harris are fighting over less than 10%

    So the debates might move the needle a bit - but not much. No matter what actually happens.


    It's worse than that. It all hinges on a percentage point here and there in less than ten swing states.

    Kamala wins the popular vote comfortably, Trump probably wins the College by a whisker.

    I suspect that is what the markets are telling us.
    That may be what the markets are telling us but whether the markets have a clue is another question.
    I try to ignore the market when making betting decisions. No, really.

    I try and work out what the actual odds are. Then look at the market, afterwards, to see if there is value there.

    Political betting is interesting because there are so many people betting with their hearts and not their heads. AKA suckers. Less than there used to be - there was that thing in the U.K. in the early 2000s of politicians and supporters betting to move the market. As if the odds would somehow help them on election day…

    The price in the market is of no use in primary decision making.
    Good morning everyone. BBC says it's raining here; no, it isn't, nor has it been. In fact we've had good sunny spells.

    That's the beauty of coming on here to discuss politics isn't it? People bet with their heads, not their hearts, and, more importantly, discuss their reasons for so doing.
    The BBC weather forecasts say rain pretty much constantly, everywhere. They were always more pessimistic than other forecasts but they have become detached from reality, like some miserable pensioner telling everyone the worst will happen. Ignore.
    I've stuck with the Met Office, but it is still often the case that the 15 minutes time forecast is very obviously based on a forward projection from a few hours ago and doesn't tally up at all well with an eyeballing of the latest radar.

    So to see whether to put the washing out is a comparative scan of a couple of charts and looking out the window.
    We use Metcheck which also includes a rain radar. Genrally works very well for us both in terms of daily/weekly lookahead for planning excavation work and also hourly for washing etc.
  • TazTaz Posts: 14,972

    Nigelb said:

    Probably.

    I wonder if being a semiconductor-producing country will one day be the economic equivalent of being a nuclear power
    https://x.com/kyleichan/status/1832594244382392360

    Europe (and the UK) really ought to be collaborating to rebuild a genuinely competitive manufacturing base. It's not as though they don't have the capability.

    Collaboration isn't the way to achieve it. We need to compete with each other.
    We need to compete full stop. Manufacturing of anything other than food in Britain is not viable, mainly due to the cost of energy, but also the cost of Labour, and taxation. The businesses that are doing it viably are heritage brands where people expect to pay over the odds anyway and want their cartridge bag made in Britain from English leather or their suit from British tweed.
    We have two choices - accept that everything will be made in China, or don't accept it.

    We can't compete with China on costs, so the inference of your post that we pay working people less and tax rich people less doesn't solve the problem. Nor does paying people less help the economy as they then have less money to circulate buing products & services which means businesses close and jobs are lost.
    Obviously everything is not going to be made in China. Neither should it be.

    You cannot manage, for example a project I once managed, a JIT sequenced CPM assembly to line at JLR with dozens of variants, from a Far East supplier. It needs to be done locally. Same goes for many other products.

    China may win on labour costs but any business sourcing in China will incur additional costs in dealing with an extended supply chain as well as remote project management and supplier visits. It just is not worth sourcing low volume product out there in my experience.

    Our corporation is actively moving out of China and moving to MEENA production due to perceived political risk.

    We are still one of the largest manufacturers in the world and have a great, vibrant and diverse manufacturing base. Long May it continue,
This discussion has been closed.