Howdy, Stranger!

It looks like you're new here. Sign in or register to get started.

That way madness lies – politicalbetting.com

1356

Comments

  • DecrepiterJohnLDecrepiterJohnL Posts: 28,096

    HYUFD said:

    MattW said:

    One from my beat, which seems small but is important and strategic.

    National Highways to stop using the word ‘accident’

    National Highways has confirmed it will phase out the use of the word ‘accident’ from its communications, in what is being branded as a ‘significant step forward’ in recognising the preventable nature of road collisions.

    The wider industry already uses ‘crash’ or ‘collision’, largely regarding ‘accident’ as wrongly presuming collisions are unavoidable, and masking accountability for death and injury on the roads.

    https://www.fleetnews.co.uk/news/national-highways-to-stop-using-of-the-word-accident

    As a measure of how stuck in the past this organisation is, it has taken a decade of campaigning by Parliamentarians and road safety organisations to get them to move even this far.

    Twitter thread with more detail from the writer:
    https://x.com/laura_laker/status/1846467700849037402

    If we are going to start blaming drivers for fault while doing legal manoeuvres causing crashes previously considered accidents then we also need to start changing the law to follow suit.

    For example banning u turns and 3 point turns on roads above 30mph limits and halving the speeds on rural roads from 60 mph to 30mph with 20-25mph limits maximum going around all bends and making it an offence to have deflated tyres to avoid incidents like this.
    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13965547/Teen-passed-driving-test-six-months-fatal-crash-killed-four-Snowdonia.html
    Why on earth would we need to change the law? Under the law as it stands today, if a driver causes a crash when carrying out a legal manoeuvre they are held liable for any damage caused. Why would we need to ban u-turns and 3 point turns? If you carry out such a manoeuvre without causing a crash, there is no problem. If you cause a crash, the fact the manoeuvre was legal is irrelevant.
    Since reversing round a corner and the three-point turn were removed from the driving test, and therefore also removed from driving lessons, it is not too surprising younger drivers have problems not only performing them, but even knowing when it is safe to do so.
  • BarnesianBarnesian Posts: 8,657
    edited October 16

    “Harris declined repeated requests for an interview for this story. In contrast, Trump talked about his policy vision with a TIME reporter for 90 minutes across two interviews. Biden spoke to TIME at similar length before dropping out of the race.”

    https://time.com/7081350/kamala-harris-presidential-platform-policies/

    Sounds like Kamala has been captured by the Labour Party's Ming Vase strategists. Say nothing unless you are attacking your own party. Whether 34 per cent of the vote is quite as effective in the American system has yet to be seen.
    Yet she has agreed to be questioned on FOX and Trump has declined.
  • EabhalEabhal Posts: 8,797
    edited October 16

    Eabhal said:

    Barnesian said:

    Telegraph

    The triple lock will raise 100 million next year as some pensioners are drawn into tax

    Utterly daft comment - it will cost many billion

    Indeed, and because the DWP refuses or is unable to deduct ICT in the way every employer and every pension company in the land has too, those spensioners without private pensions will have to complete self-assessments. Often for a few £10s of tax due.

    Utter madness.
    Increase the personal allowance a bit.
    I wouldn't be surprised for Reeves to increase the allowance to sugar the pill of higher taxes and borrowing
    I suspect it will be the return of the age related personal allowance. A little extra for over 66s only to offset the withdrawal of the winter fuel allowance.
    I think if pensioners have high enough incomes that bring them into tax, they should pay it like the rest of us.

    A better offset for WFP would be to expand eligibility for PC a bit.
    So £13,000 pa income for a pensioner is 'like the rest of us' ?
    No, actually.

    Pensioners typically have much lower housing costs (70% own their homes outright, and only 7% privately rent) and fewer dependents, so their equivalised household income after housing costs are, on average, much higher than the rest of the population even with the same income.

    If we were to adjust the personal allowance to take account of these factors, it would be significantly lower, on average, for pensioners.

    Of course, a significant proportion of pensioners are in poverty, which makes the vast wealth and high incomes of other pensioners all the more intolerable when it comes to freebies like WFP. Means testing pensioner benefits, using something like an expanded Pension Credit, is by far the most equitable option.
  • Daveyboy1961Daveyboy1961 Posts: 3,893

    Foxy said:

    Eabhal said:

    Barnesian said:

    Telegraph

    The triple lock will raise 100 million next year as some pensioners are drawn into tax

    Utterly daft comment - it will cost many billion

    Indeed, and because the DWP refuses or is unable to deduct ICT in the way every employer and every pension company in the land has too, those spensioners without private pensions will have to complete self-assessments. Often for a few £10s of tax due.

    Utter madness.
    Increase the personal allowance a bit.
    I wouldn't be surprised for Reeves to increase the allowance to sugar the pill of higher taxes and borrowing
    I suspect it will be the return of the age related personal allowance. A little extra for over 66s only to offset the withdrawal of the winter fuel allowance.
    I think if pensioners have high enough incomes that bring them into tax, they should pay it like the rest of us.

    A better offset for WFP would be to expand eligibility for PC a bit.
    So £13,000 pa income for a pensioner is 'like the rest of us' ?
    Like anyone else on that income, only with no work related expenses such as commuting.
    Foxy said:

    Eabhal said:

    Barnesian said:

    Telegraph

    The triple lock will raise 100 million next year as some pensioners are drawn into tax

    Utterly daft comment - it will cost many billion

    Indeed, and because the DWP refuses or is unable to deduct ICT in the way every employer and every pension company in the land has too, those spensioners without private pensions will have to complete self-assessments. Often for a few £10s of tax due.

    Utter madness.
    Increase the personal allowance a bit.
    I wouldn't be surprised for Reeves to increase the allowance to sugar the pill of higher taxes and borrowing
    I suspect it will be the return of the age related personal allowance. A little extra for over 66s only to offset the withdrawal of the winter fuel allowance.
    I think if pensioners have high enough incomes that bring them into tax, they should pay it like the rest of us.

    A better offset for WFP would be to expand eligibility for PC a bit.
    So £13,000 pa income for a pensioner is 'like the rest of us' ?
    Like anyone else on that income, only with no work related expenses such as commuting.
    As you know many pensioners stay at home, often are widowed, and in poor health

    I have always paid tax on my income but I know widows locally who are terrified of winter and being unable to afford to heat their home

    It is very much discussed on social media and they simply do not understand why they have been penalised
    It's a tricky one. My wife is older than me and had the payment, yet I never had any help with my direct debits at octopus.
  • Daveyboy1961Daveyboy1961 Posts: 3,893

    Foxy said:

    Eabhal said:

    Barnesian said:

    Telegraph

    The triple lock will raise 100 million next year as some pensioners are drawn into tax

    Utterly daft comment - it will cost many billion

    Indeed, and because the DWP refuses or is unable to deduct ICT in the way every employer and every pension company in the land has too, those spensioners without private pensions will have to complete self-assessments. Often for a few £10s of tax due.

    Utter madness.
    Increase the personal allowance a bit.
    I wouldn't be surprised for Reeves to increase the allowance to sugar the pill of higher taxes and borrowing
    I suspect it will be the return of the age related personal allowance. A little extra for over 66s only to offset the withdrawal of the winter fuel allowance.
    I think if pensioners have high enough incomes that bring them into tax, they should pay it like the rest of us.

    A better offset for WFP would be to expand eligibility for PC a bit.
    So £13,000 pa income for a pensioner is 'like the rest of us' ?
    Like anyone else on that income, only with no work related expenses such as commuting.
    Foxy said:

    Eabhal said:

    Barnesian said:

    Telegraph

    The triple lock will raise 100 million next year as some pensioners are drawn into tax

    Utterly daft comment - it will cost many billion

    Indeed, and because the DWP refuses or is unable to deduct ICT in the way every employer and every pension company in the land has too, those spensioners without private pensions will have to complete self-assessments. Often for a few £10s of tax due.

    Utter madness.
    Increase the personal allowance a bit.
    I wouldn't be surprised for Reeves to increase the allowance to sugar the pill of higher taxes and borrowing
    I suspect it will be the return of the age related personal allowance. A little extra for over 66s only to offset the withdrawal of the winter fuel allowance.
    I think if pensioners have high enough incomes that bring them into tax, they should pay it like the rest of us.

    A better offset for WFP would be to expand eligibility for PC a bit.
    So £13,000 pa income for a pensioner is 'like the rest of us' ?
    Like anyone else on that income, only with no work related expenses such as commuting.
    As you know many pensioners stay at home, often are widowed, and in poor health

    I have always paid tax on my income but I know widows locally who are terrified of winter and being unable to afford to heat their home

    It is very much discussed on social media and they simply do not understand why they have been penalised
    It's a tricky one. My wife is older than me and had the payment, yet I never had any help with my direct debits at octopus.
    Smiles
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 42,381
    edited October 16

    The US is surely making a mistake in moving to postal voting on demand. Will only increase peoples' suspicions about the validity of the ballot which Trump can be guaranteed to play on.

    Try telling that to voters in Oregon and Washington. Where EVERY signature on returned ballot envelop, is checked against the voter's signature on file with election authorities (counties and Secretary of State.

    Easy to allege fraud, when your Trump or a MAGA-maniac cultist, because you then believe that ANY ballot cast against you is ipso facto illegitmate.
    Would it be fair to say that MAGA is the world's biggest cult? I can't think of anything on quite the same scale. Certainly not in the West.
  • FrankBoothFrankBooth Posts: 9,879

    The US is surely making a mistake in moving to postal voting on demand. Will only increase peoples' suspicions about the validity of the ballot which Trump can be guaranteed to play on.

    Try telling that to voters in Oregon and Washington. Where EVERY signature on returned ballot envelop, is checked against the voter's signature on file with election authorities (counties and Secretary of State.

    Easy to allege fraud, when your Trump or a MAGA-maniac cultist, because you then believe that ANY ballot cast against you is ipso facto illegitmate.
    Any of the other 48 states? I regard the bigger issue as being the loss of the secret ballot. We used to demand good reason for a postal vote being granted.
  • Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 28,557
    Dopermean said:

    kinabalu said:

    Biden’s legacy:

    https://x.com/mylovanov/status/1846202315524526169

    I am back in Ukraine and the mood is pitch black. Ukraine feels betrayed.

    I'd more be blaming Vladimir Putin.
    Biden has done enough to prevent Ukraine's defeat, but not enough to ensure their victory.

    It's frustrating, particularly as he hasn't pulled any punches rhetorically, but then fails to follow that up with the requisite action.
    I've a friend who lectures in US history, he predicted from almost the beginning that the US would provide enough support for Ukraine to keep going but not enough for them to end the invasion. Keep Russia tied up, grim realpolitik.
    One hardly needs to be a lecturer in American history to have recognised that fact from the beginning.
  • SeaShantyIrish2SeaShantyIrish2 Posts: 17,559

    "I wasn't unhinged" says Trump.

    If you are explaining your losing etc etc...

    "I am not a witch!" - Christine O'Donnell, Republican nominee for US Senate from Deleware

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxJyPsmEask
  • EabhalEabhal Posts: 8,797
    edited October 16
    Foxy said:

    Eabhal said:

    Barnesian said:

    Telegraph

    The triple lock will raise 100 million next year as some pensioners are drawn into tax

    Utterly daft comment - it will cost many billion

    Indeed, and because the DWP refuses or is unable to deduct ICT in the way every employer and every pension company in the land has too, those spensioners without private pensions will have to complete self-assessments. Often for a few £10s of tax due.

    Utter madness.
    Increase the personal allowance a bit.
    I wouldn't be surprised for Reeves to increase the allowance to sugar the pill of higher taxes and borrowing
    I suspect it will be the return of the age related personal allowance. A little extra for over 66s only to offset the withdrawal of the winter fuel allowance.
    I think if pensioners have high enough incomes that bring them into tax, they should pay it like the rest of us.

    A better offset for WFP would be to expand eligibility for PC a bit.
    So £13,000 pa income for a pensioner is 'like the rest of us' ?
    Like anyone else on that income, only with no work related expenses such as commuting.
    Nor housing costs (70% own outright) or dependent children.
  • Daveyboy1961Daveyboy1961 Posts: 3,893
    kinabalu said:

    The US is surely making a mistake in moving to postal voting on demand. Will only increase peoples' suspicions about the validity of the ballot which Trump can be guaranteed to play on.

    Try telling that to voters in Oregon and Washington. Where EVERY signature on returned ballot envelop, is checked against the voter's signature on file with election authorities (counties and Secretary of State.

    Easy to allege fraud, when your Trump or a MAGA-maniac cultist, because you then believe that ANY ballot cast against you is ipso facto illegitmate.
    Would it be fair to say that MAGA is the world's biggest cult? I can't think of anything on quite the same scale. Certainly not in the West.
    As long as the MEGA version in England doesn't spread.
  • Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 28,557
    edited October 16
    I watched Raise The Titanic. Classy film. Alec Guiness. John Barry score. An expensive flop - 'would have been cheaper to lower the sea'. But very good.
  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 51,963
    Foxy said:

    Eabhal said:

    Barnesian said:

    Telegraph

    The triple lock will raise 100 million next year as some pensioners are drawn into tax

    Utterly daft comment - it will cost many billion

    Indeed, and because the DWP refuses or is unable to deduct ICT in the way every employer and every pension company in the land has too, those spensioners without private pensions will have to complete self-assessments. Often for a few £10s of tax due.

    Utter madness.
    Increase the personal allowance a bit.
    I wouldn't be surprised for Reeves to increase the allowance to sugar the pill of higher taxes and borrowing
    I suspect it will be the return of the age related personal allowance. A little extra for over 66s only to offset the withdrawal of the winter fuel allowance.
    I think if pensioners have high enough incomes that bring them into tax, they should pay it like the rest of us.

    A better offset for WFP would be to expand eligibility for PC a bit.
    So £13,000 pa income for a pensioner is 'like the rest of us' ?
    Like anyone else on that income, only with no work related expenses such as commuting.
    Some people still WFH.
  • AnabobazinaAnabobazina Posts: 23,618

    I hear that revenues on the first part of the Bee Bus network in Manchester to be nationalised are 15% higher than forecast in the first 6months, the routes are costing a third less to operate than before and the average age of the buses has nearly halved.

    The number of fully electric buses has risen ten fold.

    https://democracy.greatermanchester-ca.gov.uk/documents/s34344/BNC 20241024 Delivering the Bee Network.pdf

    Regulated bus services are sex on stilts.
  • Daveyboy1961Daveyboy1961 Posts: 3,893
    Eabhal said:

    Foxy said:

    Eabhal said:

    Barnesian said:

    Telegraph

    The triple lock will raise 100 million next year as some pensioners are drawn into tax

    Utterly daft comment - it will cost many billion

    Indeed, and because the DWP refuses or is unable to deduct ICT in the way every employer and every pension company in the land has too, those spensioners without private pensions will have to complete self-assessments. Often for a few £10s of tax due.

    Utter madness.
    Increase the personal allowance a bit.
    I wouldn't be surprised for Reeves to increase the allowance to sugar the pill of higher taxes and borrowing
    I suspect it will be the return of the age related personal allowance. A little extra for over 66s only to offset the withdrawal of the winter fuel allowance.
    I think if pensioners have high enough incomes that bring them into tax, they should pay it like the rest of us.

    A better offset for WFP would be to expand eligibility for PC a bit.
    So £13,000 pa income for a pensioner is 'like the rest of us' ?
    Like anyone else on that income, only with no work related expenses such as commuting.
    Nor housing costs (70% own outright) or dependent children.
    Poll tax?
  • EabhalEabhal Posts: 8,797

    HYUFD said:

    MattW said:

    One from my beat, which seems small but is important and strategic.

    National Highways to stop using the word ‘accident’

    National Highways has confirmed it will phase out the use of the word ‘accident’ from its communications, in what is being branded as a ‘significant step forward’ in recognising the preventable nature of road collisions.

    The wider industry already uses ‘crash’ or ‘collision’, largely regarding ‘accident’ as wrongly presuming collisions are unavoidable, and masking accountability for death and injury on the roads.

    https://www.fleetnews.co.uk/news/national-highways-to-stop-using-of-the-word-accident

    As a measure of how stuck in the past this organisation is, it has taken a decade of campaigning by Parliamentarians and road safety organisations to get them to move even this far.

    Twitter thread with more detail from the writer:
    https://x.com/laura_laker/status/1846467700849037402

    If we are going to start blaming drivers for fault while doing legal manoeuvres causing crashes previously considered accidents then we also need to start changing the law to follow suit.

    For example banning u turns and 3 point turns on roads above 30mph limits and halving the speeds on rural roads from 60 mph to 30mph with 20-25mph limits maximum going around all bends and making it an offence to have deflated tyres to avoid incidents like this.
    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13965547/Teen-passed-driving-test-six-months-fatal-crash-killed-four-Snowdonia.html
    Why on earth would we need to change the law? Under the law as it stands today, if a driver causes a crash when carrying out a legal manoeuvre they are held liable for any damage caused. Why would we need to ban u-turns and 3 point turns? If you carry out such a manoeuvre without causing a crash, there is no problem. If you cause a crash, the fact the manoeuvre was legal is irrelevant.
    Since reversing round a corner and the three-point turn were removed from the driving test, and therefore also removed from driving lessons, it is not too surprising younger drivers have problems not only performing them, but even knowing when it is safe to do so.
    Came across a man in his 60s doing a three-pointer on a bend on the A82 last weekend.
  • SeaShantyIrish2SeaShantyIrish2 Posts: 17,559

    The US is surely making a mistake in moving to postal voting on demand. Will only increase peoples' suspicions about the validity of the ballot which Trump can be guaranteed to play on.

    Try telling that to voters in Oregon and Washington. Where EVERY signature on returned ballot envelop, is checked against the voter's signature on file with election authorities (counties and Secretary of State.

    Easy to allege fraud, when your Trump or a MAGA-maniac cultist, because you then believe that ANY ballot cast against you is ipso facto illegitmate.
    Any of the other 48 states? I regard the bigger issue as being the loss of the secret ballot. We used to demand good reason for a postal vote being granted.
    I have NOT lost MY secret ballot.

    There's lose talk about how family members coerce other family members, but that's frankly speculative BS.

    Don't have list of all vote-by-mail states, though think Alaska is one of them.

    Note that in WA State, one of the reasons why we went to all VBM, was because the majority of voters were already requesting absentee ballots for EVERY election.

    Further note that, before Trump started frothing, it was REPUBLICANS who were most likely to request absentees.
  • JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 42,975

    I watched Raise The Titanic. Classy film. Alec Guiness. John Barry score. An expensive flop - 'would have been cheaper to lower the sea'. But very good.

    I loved that film. Partly because it features an old sailor in Mousehole; and on a couple of occasions my dad took us to visit an elderly friend of his in Mousehole.
  • FairlieredFairliered Posts: 4,970

    Telegraph

    The triple lock will raise 100 million next year as some pensioners are drawn into tax

    Utterly daft comment - it will cost many billion

    Indeed, and because the DWP refuses or is unable to deduct ICT in the way every employer and every pension company in the land has too, those spensioners without private pensions will have to complete self-assessments. Often for a few £10s of tax due.

    Utter madness.
    No. Pensioners need to be reminded how generous the triple lock is, and start being bloody grateful.
    If the basic state pension was set to the equivalent of the aggregate of a single person’s universal credit (£393.45 p.m) plus the additional allowance for people with limited capability for work £416.19 p.m.), that would equal a total of £9,715.68 p.a. As the basic state pension is £169.50 p.w., which is £8,814 p.a., there would need to be an increase in the BSP of 10.23% to compensate. If this were done, there would be a reasonable argument to then only increase the BSP by CPI.
  • StuartinromfordStuartinromford Posts: 17,308

    I hear that revenues on the first part of the Bee Bus network in Manchester to be nationalised are 15% higher than forecast in the first 6months, the routes are costing a third less to operate than before and the average age of the buses has nearly halved.

    The number of fully electric buses has risen ten fold.

    https://democracy.greatermanchester-ca.gov.uk/documents/s34344/BNC 20241024 Delivering the Bee Network.pdf

    Regulated bus services are sex on stilts.
    That sounds uncomfortable, inefffective and possibly illegal.

    Maybe I've been doing it wrong.
  • FairlieredFairliered Posts: 4,970
    Eabhal said:

    HYUFD said:

    MattW said:

    One from my beat, which seems small but is important and strategic.

    National Highways to stop using the word ‘accident’

    National Highways has confirmed it will phase out the use of the word ‘accident’ from its communications, in what is being branded as a ‘significant step forward’ in recognising the preventable nature of road collisions.

    The wider industry already uses ‘crash’ or ‘collision’, largely regarding ‘accident’ as wrongly presuming collisions are unavoidable, and masking accountability for death and injury on the roads.

    https://www.fleetnews.co.uk/news/national-highways-to-stop-using-of-the-word-accident

    As a measure of how stuck in the past this organisation is, it has taken a decade of campaigning by Parliamentarians and road safety organisations to get them to move even this far.

    Twitter thread with more detail from the writer:
    https://x.com/laura_laker/status/1846467700849037402

    If we are going to start blaming drivers for fault while doing legal manoeuvres causing crashes previously considered accidents then we also need to start changing the law to follow suit.

    For example banning u turns and 3 point turns on roads above 30mph limits and halving the speeds on rural roads from 60 mph to 30mph with 20-25mph limits maximum going around all bends and making it an offence to have deflated tyres to avoid incidents like this.
    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13965547/Teen-passed-driving-test-six-months-fatal-crash-killed-four-Snowdonia.html
    Why on earth would we need to change the law? Under the law as it stands today, if a driver causes a crash when carrying out a legal manoeuvre they are held liable for any damage caused. Why would we need to ban u-turns and 3 point turns? If you carry out such a manoeuvre without causing a crash, there is no problem. If you cause a crash, the fact the manoeuvre was legal is irrelevant.
    Since reversing round a corner and the three-point turn were removed from the driving test, and therefore also removed from driving lessons, it is not too surprising younger drivers have problems not only performing them, but even knowing when it is safe to do so.
    Came across a man in his 60s doing a three-pointer on a bend on the A82 last weekend.
    Hopefully not the section between Tarbet and Ardlui!
  • SeaShantyIrish2SeaShantyIrish2 Posts: 17,559
    Yet another Communist working to elect Donald Trump

    Seattle Times - At Seattle rally, Sawant says Harris deserves to lose ‘1,000 times’

    SSI - Note that Kshama Sawant is former Seattle city councilmember and leading light in Socialist Alternative, which is the lovechild of . . . wait for it . . . Militant Tendency.

    She was campaigning with Jill Stein, Green Party candidate for POTUS and notorious shill for Mad Vlad.
  • OmniumOmnium Posts: 10,819
    Eabhal said:

    HYUFD said:

    MattW said:

    One from my beat, which seems small but is important and strategic.

    National Highways to stop using the word ‘accident’

    National Highways has confirmed it will phase out the use of the word ‘accident’ from its communications, in what is being branded as a ‘significant step forward’ in recognising the preventable nature of road collisions.

    The wider industry already uses ‘crash’ or ‘collision’, largely regarding ‘accident’ as wrongly presuming collisions are unavoidable, and masking accountability for death and injury on the roads.

    https://www.fleetnews.co.uk/news/national-highways-to-stop-using-of-the-word-accident

    As a measure of how stuck in the past this organisation is, it has taken a decade of campaigning by Parliamentarians and road safety organisations to get them to move even this far.

    Twitter thread with more detail from the writer:
    https://x.com/laura_laker/status/1846467700849037402

    If we are going to start blaming drivers for fault while doing legal manoeuvres causing crashes previously considered accidents then we also need to start changing the law to follow suit.

    For example banning u turns and 3 point turns on roads above 30mph limits and halving the speeds on rural roads from 60 mph to 30mph with 20-25mph limits maximum going around all bends and making it an offence to have deflated tyres to avoid incidents like this.
    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13965547/Teen-passed-driving-test-six-months-fatal-crash-killed-four-Snowdonia.html
    Why on earth would we need to change the law? Under the law as it stands today, if a driver causes a crash when carrying out a legal manoeuvre they are held liable for any damage caused. Why would we need to ban u-turns and 3 point turns? If you carry out such a manoeuvre without causing a crash, there is no problem. If you cause a crash, the fact the manoeuvre was legal is irrelevant.
    Since reversing round a corner and the three-point turn were removed from the driving test, and therefore also removed from driving lessons, it is not too surprising younger drivers have problems not only performing them, but even knowing when it is safe to do so.
    Came across a man in his 60s doing a three-pointer on a bend on the A82 last weekend.
    A sensible conversation about driving and you turn it in to one about casual sex. I dunno, posters these days.
  • FairlieredFairliered Posts: 4,970

    I hear that revenues on the first part of the Bee Bus network in Manchester to be nationalised are 15% higher than forecast in the first 6months, the routes are costing a third less to operate than before and the average age of the buses has nearly halved.

    The number of fully electric buses has risen ten fold.

    https://democracy.greatermanchester-ca.gov.uk/documents/s34344/BNC 20241024 Delivering the Bee Network.pdf

    Regulated bus services are sex on stilts.
    That sounds uncomfortable, inefffective and possibly illegal.

    Maybe I've been doing it wrong.
    It’s one way of getting a high.
  • maxhmaxh Posts: 1,242

    I watched Raise The Titanic. Classy film. Alec Guiness. John Barry score. An expensive flop - 'would have been cheaper to lower the sea'. But very good.

    I loved that film. Partly because it features an old sailor in Mousehole; and on a couple of occasions my dad took us to visit an elderly friend of his in Mousehole.
    I love the name Mousehole. Also that it's actually Mouzle. Excellent Christmas lights too. Could it be in the top ten place names in the whole of UK do you think?

    What beats it?
  • SeaShantyIrish2SeaShantyIrish2 Posts: 17,559

    kinabalu said:

    The US is surely making a mistake in moving to postal voting on demand. Will only increase peoples' suspicions about the validity of the ballot which Trump can be guaranteed to play on.

    Try telling that to voters in Oregon and Washington. Where EVERY signature on returned ballot envelop, is checked against the voter's signature on file with election authorities (counties and Secretary of State.

    Easy to allege fraud, when your Trump or a MAGA-maniac cultist, because you then believe that ANY ballot cast against you is ipso facto illegitmate.
    Would it be fair to say that MAGA is the world's biggest cult? I can't think of anything on quite the same scale. Certainly not in the West.
    As long as the MEGA version in England doesn't spread.
    Even Nigel Farange MP (sorta) can make England greater than American re: population OR acreage.
  • StuartinromfordStuartinromford Posts: 17,308

    Foxy said:

    Eabhal said:

    Barnesian said:

    Telegraph

    The triple lock will raise 100 million next year as some pensioners are drawn into tax

    Utterly daft comment - it will cost many billion

    Indeed, and because the DWP refuses or is unable to deduct ICT in the way every employer and every pension company in the land has too, those spensioners without private pensions will have to complete self-assessments. Often for a few £10s of tax due.

    Utter madness.
    Increase the personal allowance a bit.
    I wouldn't be surprised for Reeves to increase the allowance to sugar the pill of higher taxes and borrowing
    I suspect it will be the return of the age related personal allowance. A little extra for over 66s only to offset the withdrawal of the winter fuel allowance.
    I think if pensioners have high enough incomes that bring them into tax, they should pay it like the rest of us.

    A better offset for WFP would be to expand eligibility for PC a bit.
    So £13,000 pa income for a pensioner is 'like the rest of us' ?
    Like anyone else on that income, only with no work related expenses such as commuting.
    Foxy said:

    Eabhal said:

    Barnesian said:

    Telegraph

    The triple lock will raise 100 million next year as some pensioners are drawn into tax

    Utterly daft comment - it will cost many billion

    Indeed, and because the DWP refuses or is unable to deduct ICT in the way every employer and every pension company in the land has too, those spensioners without private pensions will have to complete self-assessments. Often for a few £10s of tax due.

    Utter madness.
    Increase the personal allowance a bit.
    I wouldn't be surprised for Reeves to increase the allowance to sugar the pill of higher taxes and borrowing
    I suspect it will be the return of the age related personal allowance. A little extra for over 66s only to offset the withdrawal of the winter fuel allowance.
    I think if pensioners have high enough incomes that bring them into tax, they should pay it like the rest of us.

    A better offset for WFP would be to expand eligibility for PC a bit.
    So £13,000 pa income for a pensioner is 'like the rest of us' ?
    Like anyone else on that income, only with no work related expenses such as commuting.
    As you know many pensioners stay at home, often are widowed, and in poor health

    I have always paid tax on my income but I know widows locally who are terrified of winter and being unable to afford to heat their home

    It is very much discussed on social media and they simply do not understand why they have been penalised
    Trouble is...

    by any realistic standard, pensioners haven't been penalised.

    I've been boring on this before, but because of a quirk in the Triple Lock rules, the basic pension has risen much faster than prices, much faster than wages, much faster than other benefits, over the last couple of years. Means testing the winter fuel payment claws some of that back, but leaves pensioners well ahead of the game the rest of the country is playing. And enoromously ahead of where state pensioners were in the late 1990s.

    (And yes, it would be good if basic pensions were more generous. We probably do need to raise them some more so that people decide that it's worth saving for their retirement, because it won't all be means tested away. It would be good to have a grown-up debate on where that is.)

    Trouble is, that's not the perception. And of course, Conservative politicians are going to oppose this as much as they can- it's their job. Similarly, the right wing press is going to shout as loudly as they can- it's what they do. And pensioner lobbyists wouldn't be doing their job if they didn't aruge for giving more money to the retired. And the government explanation of the change was terrible.

    But if one is not a partisan hack, there's no need to repeat the semi-truths and untruths. Is there?
  • BenpointerBenpointer Posts: 34,760

    The US is surely making a mistake in moving to postal voting on demand. Will only increase peoples' suspicions about the validity of the ballot which Trump can be guaranteed to play on.

    We have postal voting on demand in the UK, without any rigorous checks.
  • TimTTimT Posts: 6,468
    maxh said:

    I watched Raise The Titanic. Classy film. Alec Guiness. John Barry score. An expensive flop - 'would have been cheaper to lower the sea'. But very good.

    I loved that film. Partly because it features an old sailor in Mousehole; and on a couple of occasions my dad took us to visit an elderly friend of his in Mousehole.
    I love the name Mousehole. Also that it's actually Mouzle. Excellent Christmas lights too. Could it be in the top ten place names in the whole of UK do you think?

    What beats it?
    Cornwall abounds in wonderful place names, and also in names not pronounced as written. St Austell (Snozzle).
  • dixiedeandixiedean Posts: 29,423
    kinabalu said:

    The US is surely making a mistake in moving to postal voting on demand. Will only increase peoples' suspicions about the validity of the ballot which Trump can be guaranteed to play on.

    Try telling that to voters in Oregon and Washington. Where EVERY signature on returned ballot envelop, is checked against the voter's signature on file with election authorities (counties and Secretary of State.

    Easy to allege fraud, when your Trump or a MAGA-maniac cultist, because you then believe that ANY ballot cast against you is ipso facto illegitmate.
    Would it be fair to say that MAGA is the world's biggest cult? I can't think of anything on quite the same scale. Certainly not in the West.
    maxh said:

    I watched Raise The Titanic. Classy film. Alec Guiness. John Barry score. An expensive flop - 'would have been cheaper to lower the sea'. But very good.

    I loved that film. Partly because it features an old sailor in Mousehole; and on a couple of occasions my dad took us to visit an elderly friend of his in Mousehole.
    I love the name Mousehole. Also that it's actually Mouzle. Excellent Christmas lights too. Could it be in the top ten place names in the whole of UK do you think?

    What beats it?
    Oswaldtwistle.
  • williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 51,889
    kinabalu said:

    The US is surely making a mistake in moving to postal voting on demand. Will only increase peoples' suspicions about the validity of the ballot which Trump can be guaranteed to play on.

    Try telling that to voters in Oregon and Washington. Where EVERY signature on returned ballot envelop, is checked against the voter's signature on file with election authorities (counties and Secretary of State.

    Easy to allege fraud, when your Trump or a MAGA-maniac cultist, because you then believe that ANY ballot cast against you is ipso facto illegitmate.
    Would it be fair to say that MAGA is the world's biggest cult? I can't think of anything on quite the same scale. Certainly not in the West.
    The NHS?
  • Foxy said:

    Eabhal said:

    Barnesian said:

    Telegraph

    The triple lock will raise 100 million next year as some pensioners are drawn into tax

    Utterly daft comment - it will cost many billion

    Indeed, and because the DWP refuses or is unable to deduct ICT in the way every employer and every pension company in the land has too, those spensioners without private pensions will have to complete self-assessments. Often for a few £10s of tax due.

    Utter madness.
    Increase the personal allowance a bit.
    I wouldn't be surprised for Reeves to increase the allowance to sugar the pill of higher taxes and borrowing
    I suspect it will be the return of the age related personal allowance. A little extra for over 66s only to offset the withdrawal of the winter fuel allowance.
    I think if pensioners have high enough incomes that bring them into tax, they should pay it like the rest of us.

    A better offset for WFP would be to expand eligibility for PC a bit.
    So £13,000 pa income for a pensioner is 'like the rest of us' ?
    Like anyone else on that income, only with no work related expenses such as commuting.
    Foxy said:

    Eabhal said:

    Barnesian said:

    Telegraph

    The triple lock will raise 100 million next year as some pensioners are drawn into tax

    Utterly daft comment - it will cost many billion

    Indeed, and because the DWP refuses or is unable to deduct ICT in the way every employer and every pension company in the land has too, those spensioners without private pensions will have to complete self-assessments. Often for a few £10s of tax due.

    Utter madness.
    Increase the personal allowance a bit.
    I wouldn't be surprised for Reeves to increase the allowance to sugar the pill of higher taxes and borrowing
    I suspect it will be the return of the age related personal allowance. A little extra for over 66s only to offset the withdrawal of the winter fuel allowance.
    I think if pensioners have high enough incomes that bring them into tax, they should pay it like the rest of us.

    A better offset for WFP would be to expand eligibility for PC a bit.
    So £13,000 pa income for a pensioner is 'like the rest of us' ?
    Like anyone else on that income, only with no work related expenses such as commuting.
    As you know many pensioners stay at home, often are widowed, and in poor health

    I have always paid tax on my income but I know widows locally who are terrified of winter and being unable to afford to heat their home

    It is very much discussed on social media and they simply do not understand why they have been penalised
    Trouble is...

    by any realistic standard, pensioners haven't been penalised.

    I've been boring on this before, but because of a quirk in the Triple Lock rules, the basic pension has risen much faster than prices, much faster than wages, much faster than other benefits, over the last couple of years. Means testing the winter fuel payment claws some of that back, but leaves pensioners well ahead of the game the rest of the country is playing. And enoromously ahead of where state pensioners were in the late 1990s.

    (And yes, it would be good if basic pensions were more generous. We probably do need to raise them some more so that people decide that it's worth saving for their retirement, because it won't all be means tested away. It would be good to have a grown-up debate on where that is.)

    Trouble is, that's not the perception. And of course, Conservative politicians are going to oppose this as much as they can- it's their job. Similarly, the right wing press is going to shout as loudly as they can- it's what they do. And pensioner lobbyists wouldn't be doing their job if they didn't aruge for giving more money to the retired. And the government explanation of the change was terrible.

    But if one is not a partisan hack, there's no need to repeat the semi-truths and untruths. Is there?
    I would just make the point it is opposed across the political divide including some labour mps, the unions, age UK, and others and it is inaccurate to think it is just conservative politicians, nothing could be further from the truth
  • BenpointerBenpointer Posts: 34,760

    Telegraph

    The triple lock will raise 100 million next year as some pensioners are drawn into tax

    Utterly daft comment - it will cost many billion

    Indeed, and because the DWP refuses or is unable to deduct ICT in the way every employer and every pension company in the land has too, those spensioners without private pensions will have to complete self-assessments. Often for a few £10s of tax due.

    Utter madness.
    That's not right. They will just be sent a tax bill at the end of the year. Hasn't been that way for at least 5 years.
    Yes, you're right - my mistake, sorry.

    I did see a couple people at CAB last year who were rather spooked by receiving bills, thought it was a scam maybe.
  • BenpointerBenpointer Posts: 34,760
    maxh said:

    I watched Raise The Titanic. Classy film. Alec Guiness. John Barry score. An expensive flop - 'would have been cheaper to lower the sea'. But very good.

    I loved that film. Partly because it features an old sailor in Mousehole; and on a couple of occasions my dad took us to visit an elderly friend of his in Mousehole.
    I love the name Mousehole. Also that it's actually Mouzle. Excellent Christmas lights too. Could it be in the top ten place names in the whole of UK do you think?

    What beats it?
    Little Snoring is pretty cool.
  • Scott_xPScott_xP Posts: 36,039
    @VoteHubUS

    Pennsylvania 🚂
    Mail and absentee voting update
    Total: 631,725 (+95,513 since Oct 15)

    Democratic 65.9% | 416,239 votes (+57,536)
    Republican 25.1% | 158,486 votes (+28,410)
    Other 9 % | 57,000 votes (+9,567)

    https://x.com/VoteHubUS/status/1846557684343980080
  • williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 51,889
    Scott_xP said:

    @archer_rs

    Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha
    Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha

    (takes breath)

    Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha


    You know that that guy's schtick is making fun of credulous Remainers?

    https://www.fnac.com/a20724712/Boris-Johnson-Indomptable
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 50,576
    Foxy said:

    The US is surely making a mistake in moving to postal voting on demand. Will only increase peoples' suspicions about the validity of the ballot which Trump can be guaranteed to play on.

    In the Georgia counties (mostly Atlanta I see) it's early in person voting.
    When I become UnDictator, elections will take 2 weeks. Bribery of the electorate will be strictly forbidden. Except in the case of alcohol - which will be mandatory.
  • StuartinromfordStuartinromford Posts: 17,308
    Scott_xP said:

    @archer_rs

    Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha
    Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha

    (takes breath)

    Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha


    To be boring, there's more to the story than that;

    The staffer added that British books take around a week longer to reach the EU market as a result of extra checks at the border that were introduced after Brexit.

    https://www.politico.eu/article/eurocrats-boris-johnson-memoir-brexit/

    Brexit as a slow puncture rather than an explosion.

    And in any case, the chances of BoJo earning more royalites than his advance aren't great. So the people who lose out (if anyone does) are News Corp.

    (Checks who owns News Corp.)

    oh dear how sad never mind
  • RobDRobD Posts: 59,970
    Scott_xP said:

    @archer_rs

    Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha
    Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha

    (takes breath)

    Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha


    About two seconds of googling is all you need to see that it's not true.
  • OmniumOmnium Posts: 10,819

    Foxy said:

    The US is surely making a mistake in moving to postal voting on demand. Will only increase peoples' suspicions about the validity of the ballot which Trump can be guaranteed to play on.

    In the Georgia counties (mostly Atlanta I see) it's early in person voting.
    When I become UnDictator, elections will take 2 weeks. Bribery of the electorate will be strictly forbidden. Except in the case of alcohol - which will be mandatory.
    A good pub lock-in and whoever emerges the winner will already be very qualified - I like it!

    You'd need a good few days for the transition period though.
  • Tim_in_RuislipTim_in_Ruislip Posts: 435
    edited October 16
    Interesting, if grim analysis of the current domestic dynamic in Israel on the LRB’s podcast “Inside Israel” episode.

    Particularly the 10 mins or so from 35mins in, but the whole hour is worth listening to, imo.

    https://www.lrb.co.uk/podcasts-and-videos/podcasts
  • JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 42,975
    maxh said:

    I watched Raise The Titanic. Classy film. Alec Guiness. John Barry score. An expensive flop - 'would have been cheaper to lower the sea'. But very good.

    I loved that film. Partly because it features an old sailor in Mousehole; and on a couple of occasions my dad took us to visit an elderly friend of his in Mousehole.
    I love the name Mousehole. Also that it's actually Mouzle. Excellent Christmas lights too. Could it be in the top ten place names in the whole of UK do you think?

    What beats it?
    I've always quite liked Water-cum-Jolly Dale. Well, more accurately, I'd always snigger about it as a kid. Although it is beautiful.
  • CookieCookie Posts: 13,911
    This week's report from Victoria Station: it is absolutely heaving with men and women dressed vaguely as cowboys.
    As you may or may not know, Victoria Station abuts the Manchester Arena. Further research reveals Chris Stapleton is playing. If you had heard of this character you were ahead of me. But apparently he can sell out the Arena. Amazing what huge niches that go unnoticed.
  • viewcodeviewcode Posts: 22,196
    edited October 16

    “Harris declined repeated requests for an interview for this story. In contrast, Trump talked about his policy vision with a TIME reporter for 90 minutes across two interviews. Biden spoke to TIME at similar length before dropping out of the race.”

    https://time.com/7081350/kamala-harris-presidential-platform-policies/

    Sounds like Kamala has been captured by the Labour Party's Ming Vase strategists. Say nothing unless you are attacking your own party. Whether 34 per cent of the vote is quite as effective in the American system has yet to be seen.
    As ever, we must seek wisdom from @StatsForLefties

    Stats for Lefties @LeftieStats Oct 10 I can pinpoint the exact moment that they adopted this losing strategy
    https://nitter.poast.org/LeftieStats/status/1844444624238280840#m
    https://labourlist.org/2024/08/2024-presidential-election-jonathan-ashworth-labour-together-kamala-harris-chicago/
  • AnabobazinaAnabobazina Posts: 23,618
    edited October 16
    I have said repeatedly on here that Kemi Badenoch is a garden-variety coward, as shown during her times as a minister, when she disappeared as soon as the going got tough.

    Now, as if any more evidence were required, Sophy Ridge has a large segment on Kemi “running scared” from any media appearances.

    Nick Ferrari is not happy with her disappearing act.

    Of course, anyone paying attention would know that a leopardess doesn’t change her spots.
  • StuartinromfordStuartinromford Posts: 17,308

    I have said repeatedly on here that Kemi Badenoch is a garden-variety coward, as shown during her times as a minister, when she disappeared as soon as the going got tough.

    Now, as if any more evidence were required, Sophy Ridge has a large segment on Kemi “running scared” from any media appearances.

    Nick Ferrari is not happy with her disappearing act.

    Of course, anyone paying attention would know that a leopardess doesn’t change her spots.

    Cowardice might be harsh. But one of the things that a Leader of the Opposition has to be is an attention whore, prepared to slum it for a photo on page 5. We're in a strange time at the moment, when some key political journalists are still working their old contacts book (Laura Shipman, for example.) But that won't last forever- government is fundamentally more newsworthy.

    I don't know why, it might be that she takes herself too seriously rather than outright fear, but I don't see Kemi B doing that well.

    (But, for all that she will do the job badly, she's still a better choice than the alternative.)
  • AnabobazinaAnabobazina Posts: 23,618

    HYUFD said:

    MattW said:

    One from my beat, which seems small but is important and strategic.

    National Highways to stop using the word ‘accident’

    National Highways has confirmed it will phase out the use of the word ‘accident’ from its communications, in what is being branded as a ‘significant step forward’ in recognising the preventable nature of road collisions.

    The wider industry already uses ‘crash’ or ‘collision’, largely regarding ‘accident’ as wrongly presuming collisions are unavoidable, and masking accountability for death and injury on the roads.

    https://www.fleetnews.co.uk/news/national-highways-to-stop-using-of-the-word-accident

    As a measure of how stuck in the past this organisation is, it has taken a decade of campaigning by Parliamentarians and road safety organisations to get them to move even this far.

    Twitter thread with more detail from the writer:
    https://x.com/laura_laker/status/1846467700849037402

    If we are going to start blaming drivers for fault while doing legal manoeuvres causing crashes previously considered accidents then we also need to start changing the law to follow suit.

    For example banning u turns and 3 point turns on roads above 30mph limits and halving the speeds on rural roads from 60 mph to 30mph with 20-25mph limits maximum going around all bends and making it an offence to have deflated tyres to avoid incidents like this.
    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13965547/Teen-passed-driving-test-six-months-fatal-crash-killed-four-Snowdonia.html
    Why on earth would we need to change the law? Under the law as it stands today, if a driver causes a crash when carrying out a legal manoeuvre they are held liable for any damage caused. Why would we need to ban u-turns and 3 point turns? If you carry out such a manoeuvre without causing a crash, there is no problem. If you cause a crash, the fact the manoeuvre was legal is irrelevant.
    Since reversing round a corner and the three-point turn were removed from the driving test, and therefore also removed from driving lessons, it is not too surprising younger drivers have problems not only performing them, but even knowing when it is safe to do so.
    Rare is the time it is ever really safe to reverse around a corner which is a manoeuvre that can almost always be substituted for a safer one.

    That said a three point turn is useful. I had no idea that both had been removed from the test.
  • JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 42,975
    "Today, the Guardian, alongside @hopenothate , today publish an in depth undercover investigation into the efforts of a network of far right race and IQ obsessives, who have been trying to influence discourse about race science."

    https://x.com/AdamRutherford/status/1846537873761116295

    It's a good job we don't have a race and IQ obsessive on here...
  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 51,963
    maxh said:

    I watched Raise The Titanic. Classy film. Alec Guiness. John Barry score. An expensive flop - 'would have been cheaper to lower the sea'. But very good.

    I loved that film. Partly because it features an old sailor in Mousehole; and on a couple of occasions my dad took us to visit an elderly friend of his in Mousehole.
    I love the name Mousehole. Also that it's actually Mouzle. Excellent Christmas lights too. Could it be in the top ten place names in the whole of UK do you think?

    What beats it?
    Pratt's Bottom.
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 42,381
    Cookie said:

    This week's report from Victoria Station: it is absolutely heaving with men and women dressed vaguely as cowboys.
    As you may or may not know, Victoria Station abuts the Manchester Arena. Further research reveals Chris Stapleton is playing. If you had heard of this character you were ahead of me. But apparently he can sell out the Arena. Amazing what huge niches that go unnoticed.

    Country music is an enormous seller.
  • viewcodeviewcode Posts: 22,196
    Would it be unbearably nostalgic if I pointed out that Blue Peter covered Mousehole in 1981 and again in 1984?

    https://bluepetertv.fandom.com/wiki/Blue_Peter_Book_18
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOFdT_rWTbg
  • JohnLilburneJohnLilburne Posts: 6,263
    maxh said:

    I watched Raise The Titanic. Classy film. Alec Guiness. John Barry score. An expensive flop - 'would have been cheaper to lower the sea'. But very good.

    I loved that film. Partly because it features an old sailor in Mousehole; and on a couple of occasions my dad took us to visit an elderly friend of his in Mousehole.
    I love the name Mousehole. Also that it's actually Mouzle. Excellent Christmas lights too. Could it be in the top ten place names in the whole of UK do you think?

    What beats it?
    Co Durham has No Place and Pity Me
  • OmniumOmnium Posts: 10,819

    I have said repeatedly on here that Kemi Badenoch is a garden-variety coward, as shown during her times as a minister, when she disappeared as soon as the going got tough.

    Now, as if any more evidence were required, Sophy Ridge has a large segment on Kemi “running scared” from any media appearances.

    Nick Ferrari is not happy with her disappearing act.

    Of course, anyone paying attention would know that a leopardess doesn’t change her spots.

    It's long struck me that some of the candidates to be PM, or LOTO, are wildly presumptuous.

    At least in the US their possible leaders have something on their CVs. Some are world leaders - if I want an orange accordion player there's nowhere else to look.
  • Daveyboy1961Daveyboy1961 Posts: 3,893

    maxh said:

    I watched Raise The Titanic. Classy film. Alec Guiness. John Barry score. An expensive flop - 'would have been cheaper to lower the sea'. But very good.

    I loved that film. Partly because it features an old sailor in Mousehole; and on a couple of occasions my dad took us to visit an elderly friend of his in Mousehole.
    I love the name Mousehole. Also that it's actually Mouzle. Excellent Christmas lights too. Could it be in the top ten place names in the whole of UK do you think?

    What beats it?
    Co Durham has No Place and Pity Me
    There's a place in Staffordshire called loggerheads.
  • Daveyboy1961Daveyboy1961 Posts: 3,893

    maxh said:

    I watched Raise The Titanic. Classy film. Alec Guiness. John Barry score. An expensive flop - 'would have been cheaper to lower the sea'. But very good.

    I loved that film. Partly because it features an old sailor in Mousehole; and on a couple of occasions my dad took us to visit an elderly friend of his in Mousehole.
    I love the name Mousehole. Also that it's actually Mouzle. Excellent Christmas lights too. Could it be in the top ten place names in the whole of UK do you think?

    What beats it?
    Co Durham has No Place and Pity Me
    There's a place in Staffordshire called loggerheads.
    ..and Bethlehem is near us in Carmarthenshire
  • Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 28,557

    I watched Raise The Titanic. Classy film. Alec Guiness. John Barry score. An expensive flop - 'would have been cheaper to lower the sea'. But very good.

    I loved that film. Partly because it features an old sailor in Mousehole; and on a couple of occasions my dad took us to visit an elderly friend of his in Mousehole.
    I've never been there - I didn't know that's where they filmed it. It looked a bit like Looe to me.
  • Big_G_NorthWalesBig_G_NorthWales Posts: 63,288
    edited October 16
    Report tonight that a car was being driven the wrong way on the M6 causing the terrible fatal crash

    The driver apparently died along with 4 others

    https://news.sky.com/story/two-children-among-five-dead-in-m6-crash-13234386
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 50,576
    Omnium said:

    Foxy said:

    The US is surely making a mistake in moving to postal voting on demand. Will only increase peoples' suspicions about the validity of the ballot which Trump can be guaranteed to play on.

    In the Georgia counties (mostly Atlanta I see) it's early in person voting.
    When I become UnDictator, elections will take 2 weeks. Bribery of the electorate will be strictly forbidden. Except in the case of alcohol - which will be mandatory.
    A good pub lock-in and whoever emerges the winner will already be very qualified - I like it!

    You'd need a good few days for the transition period though.
    Forgot to mention - the 2 weeks will be an official bank holiday.

    As the man who gave the country a 2 week holiday of free booze, I am expecting not more than 126% of the votes cast.
  • JohnLilburneJohnLilburne Posts: 6,263
    We could do with early voting in person in the UK. I now have a postal vote, which is convenient (I was away for the last GE) but despite the envelope having my council's geographical address on it, for some reason I am not allowed to pop it through the letterbox. Which would be convenient, as it happens to be next to my local. Instead, I have to post it long enough in advance to trust Royal Mail to be able to deliver it on time
  • On topic - but in hurricane season you probably want to bank those votes in GA and NC when you can. The GA record could well be due to the recent efforts to make voting less easy. Perople are making sure they get the job done with plenty of time to spare. What we can say from early voting compared to last time is that three groups appear to be seeing higher early turn-out.

    1) Black voters, 2) Young voters and - to the greatest degree - 3) Women voters.

    It may turn out to mean nothing but those are not groups that are huge fans of the Donald. Trum's support is among the middle-aged, the white and the male.
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 50,576

    "Today, the Guardian, alongside @hopenothate , today publish an in depth undercover investigation into the efforts of a network of far right race and IQ obsessives, who have been trying to influence discourse about race science."

    https://x.com/AdamRutherford/status/1846537873761116295

    It's a good job we don't have a race and IQ obsessive on here...

    I thought you were a race obsessive?

    How many marathons* this week?

    *Bloody Greek immigrants, importing their races to Blighty….
  • StuartinromfordStuartinromford Posts: 17,308

    On topic - but in hurricane season you probably want to bank those votes in GA and NC when you can. The GA record could well be due to the recent efforts to make voting less easy. Perople are making sure they get the job done with plenty of time to spare. What we can say from early voting compared to last time is that three groups appear to be seeing higher early turn-out.

    1) Black voters, 2) Young voters and - to the greatest degree - 3) Women voters.

    It may turn out to mean nothing but those are not groups that are huge fans of the Donald. Trum's support is among the middle-aged, the white and the male.

    Question is- are they votes that would have happened anyway, just shifted forwards in time? (Even that says a bit about enthusiasm/determination.) Or are they votes that normally wouldn't have happened?
  • We could do with early voting in person in the UK. I now have a postal vote, which is convenient (I was away for the last GE) but despite the envelope having my council's geographical address on it, for some reason I am not allowed to pop it through the letterbox. Which would be convenient, as it happens to be next to my local. Instead, I have to post it long enough in advance to trust Royal Mail to be able to deliver it on time

    Yes this is quite a new security measure, you could always hand them in at a polling station in the day, but now needs to be accompanied with a signed and witnessed form.
  • JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 42,975

    "Today, the Guardian, alongside @hopenothate , today publish an in depth undercover investigation into the efforts of a network of far right race and IQ obsessives, who have been trying to influence discourse about race science."

    https://x.com/AdamRutherford/status/1846537873761116295

    It's a good job we don't have a race and IQ obsessive on here...

    I thought you were a race obsessive?

    How many marathons* this week?

    *Bloody Greek immigrants, importing their races to Blighty….
    No marathons this year. I did a half a couple of weeks ago though. I'm manly concentrating on triathlon* training this year and next.

    Bloody San Diegans, importing their races to Blighty...
  • JohnLilburneJohnLilburne Posts: 6,263

    "Today, the Guardian, alongside @hopenothate , today publish an in depth undercover investigation into the efforts of a network of far right race and IQ obsessives, who have been trying to influence discourse about race science."

    https://x.com/AdamRutherford/status/1846537873761116295

    It's a good job we don't have a race and IQ obsessive on here...

    I thought you were a race obsessive?

    How many marathons* this week?

    *Bloody Greek immigrants, importing their races to Blighty….
    I'm exporting mine to Amsterdam next Sunday, currently preparing by eating huge amounts of pork and drinking Altbier in Düsseldorf
  • TimTTimT Posts: 6,468
    edited October 16
    Allred has a tweet out claiming that they have a poll putting him at +1 against Ted Cruz. Seismic if true.
  • turbotubbsturbotubbs Posts: 17,515
    kinabalu said:

    The US is surely making a mistake in moving to postal voting on demand. Will only increase peoples' suspicions about the validity of the ballot which Trump can be guaranteed to play on.

    Try telling that to voters in Oregon and Washington. Where EVERY signature on returned ballot envelop, is checked against the voter's signature on file with election authorities (counties and Secretary of State.

    Easy to allege fraud, when your Trump or a MAGA-maniac cultist, because you then believe that ANY ballot cast against you is ipso facto illegitmate.
    Would it be fair to say that MAGA is the world's biggest cult? I can't think of anything on quite the same scale. Certainly not in the West.
    Islam, Christianity, Budhism, etc all wave at this point…
  • JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 42,975

    I watched Raise The Titanic. Classy film. Alec Guiness. John Barry score. An expensive flop - 'would have been cheaper to lower the sea'. But very good.

    I loved that film. Partly because it features an old sailor in Mousehole; and on a couple of occasions my dad took us to visit an elderly friend of his in Mousehole.
    I've never been there - I didn't know that's where they filmed it. It looked a bit like Looe to me.
    I've just checked, and you're partially correct - it was filmed in St Ives, not Mousehole. But they say it's Mousehole in the film (AFAICR... (*))), and I was too young to know the difference.

    (*) Or was that the book?
  • A very interesting poll out today in the US.

    The 7 pollsters with the best track record since 2008 have all been putting a Dem lead at 2-3%. We now have a pollster breaking that trend. Marist put the Dems up by 5%. If that gets backed up by other pollsters then that would be significant.

    The previous day's polls saw over 60% of reported polls coming from Rep Pty-linked concerns. I'm doing a litle work on the consequences of that. They tend to give the Reps 1-2% compared to other pollsters. They also have the Trump'vote within 0.5% in each of the seven battleground states. That would be very surprising.
  • TimSTimS Posts: 13,069

    maxh said:

    I watched Raise The Titanic. Classy film. Alec Guiness. John Barry score. An expensive flop - 'would have been cheaper to lower the sea'. But very good.

    I loved that film. Partly because it features an old sailor in Mousehole; and on a couple of occasions my dad took us to visit an elderly friend of his in Mousehole.
    I love the name Mousehole. Also that it's actually Mouzle. Excellent Christmas lights too. Could it be in the top ten place names in the whole of UK do you think?

    What beats it?
    Pratt's Bottom.
    My vineyard is in Pett Bottom. Or more specifically the small hamlet of Lynsore Bottom in the Pett Bottom valley. Lynsore bottom sounds too much like a topical ointment so I tend to stick with the naughty sounding Pett Bottom.
  • kyf_100kyf_100 Posts: 4,951

    Scrap the triple lock. Starmer and Reeves are prats.

    The UK throughout my life has been defined by making the lives of people older than me better.

    In my 20s, it was cheap credit and cheap housing that let people in their 40s become BTL millionaires.

    By the time I hit that age... houses were too expensive and Osborne's reforms mean you get taxed on income, not profit. Also, you're screwed if you're a renter as a result of that, because lack of housebuilding means Mr Osborne's tax reforms get passed on to you.

    Now pensioners wealth has to be protected at all costs. Despite the fact that many are sitting on hundreds of thousands of tax free gains in their property, and even those that aren't are guaranteed a pay rise when millions of us are not.

    My father owns a string of houses with a net value of at least three million (lucky him) and uses his winter fuel allowance to keep the damp out of the one spare house he doesn't rent out but pops back to when he's occasionally back in the UK in the summer. The WFA should be means tested and if we're really saying it can't be done then it's scary that the state can't distinguish a millionaire pensioner from one on 10k a year.
  • malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 43,413
    Eabhal said:

    Eabhal said:

    Barnesian said:

    Telegraph

    The triple lock will raise 100 million next year as some pensioners are drawn into tax

    Utterly daft comment - it will cost many billion

    Indeed, and because the DWP refuses or is unable to deduct ICT in the way every employer and every pension company in the land has too, those spensioners without private pensions will have to complete self-assessments. Often for a few £10s of tax due.

    Utter madness.
    Increase the personal allowance a bit.
    I wouldn't be surprised for Reeves to increase the allowance to sugar the pill of higher taxes and borrowing
    I suspect it will be the return of the age related personal allowance. A little extra for over 66s only to offset the withdrawal of the winter fuel allowance.
    I think if pensioners have high enough incomes that bring them into tax, they should pay it like the rest of us.

    A better offset for WFP would be to expand eligibility for PC a bit.
    So £13,000 pa income for a pensioner is 'like the rest of us' ?
    No, actually.

    Pensioners typically have much lower housing costs (70% own their homes outright, and only 7% privately rent) and fewer dependents, so their equivalised household income after housing costs are, on average, much higher than the rest of the population even with the same income.

    If we were to adjust the personal allowance to take account of these factors, it would be significantly lower, on average, for pensioners.

    Of course, a significant proportion of pensioners are in poverty, which makes the vast wealth and high incomes of other pensioners all the more intolerable when it comes to freebies like WFP. Means testing pensioner benefits, using something like an expanded Pension Credit, is by far the most equitable option.
    do you have evidence that 70% own their homes outright, sounds bollox to me. I can see you at forefront of pensioner culling as well, some crazy thing against pensioners whilst being loaded, pretty shabby to say the least. Hopefully you have feck all when you are a pensioner.
  • CookieCookie Posts: 13,911
    kinabalu said:

    Cookie said:

    This week's report from Victoria Station: it is absolutely heaving with men and women dressed vaguely as cowboys.
    As you may or may not know, Victoria Station abuts the Manchester Arena. Further research reveals Chris Stapleton is playing. If you had heard of this character you were ahead of me. But apparently he can sell out the Arena. Amazing what huge niches that go unnoticed.

    Country music is an enormous seller.
    Yet most of us remain completely unaware. It's even more below the radar than heavy metal.
  • turbotubbsturbotubbs Posts: 17,515

    maxh said:

    I watched Raise The Titanic. Classy film. Alec Guiness. John Barry score. An expensive flop - 'would have been cheaper to lower the sea'. But very good.

    I loved that film. Partly because it features an old sailor in Mousehole; and on a couple of occasions my dad took us to visit an elderly friend of his in Mousehole.
    I love the name Mousehole. Also that it's actually Mouzle. Excellent Christmas lights too. Could it be in the top ten place names in the whole of UK do you think?

    What beats it?
    Co Durham has No Place and Pity Me
    Rest and be thankful (Scotland, after Loch Lomand on the way to Loch Fyne.)
  • FrankBoothFrankBooth Posts: 9,879

    I have said repeatedly on here that Kemi Badenoch is a garden-variety coward, as shown during her times as a minister, when she disappeared as soon as the going got tough.

    Now, as if any more evidence were required, Sophy Ridge has a large segment on Kemi “running scared” from any media appearances.

    Nick Ferrari is not happy with her disappearing act.

    Of course, anyone paying attention would know that a leopardess doesn’t change her spots.

    Cowardice might be harsh. But one of the things that a Leader of the Opposition has to be is an attention whore, prepared to slum it for a photo on page 5. We're in a strange time at the moment, when some key political journalists are still working their old contacts book (Laura Shipman, for example.) But that won't last forever- government is fundamentally more newsworthy.

    I don't know why, it might be that she takes herself too seriously rather than outright fear, but I don't see Kemi B doing that well.

    (But, for all that she will do the job badly, she's still a better choice than the alternative.)
    It might again be the Ming Vase strategy. The favourite not wanting to take risks. We will have to see.
  • malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 43,413

    Report tonight that a car was being driven the wrong way on the M6 causing the terrible fatal crash

    The driver apparently died along with 4 others

    https://news.sky.com/story/two-children-among-five-dead-in-m6-crash-13234386

    How the feck do you get on a motorway the wrong way
  • BenpointerBenpointer Posts: 34,760
    TimS said:

    maxh said:

    I watched Raise The Titanic. Classy film. Alec Guiness. John Barry score. An expensive flop - 'would have been cheaper to lower the sea'. But very good.

    I loved that film. Partly because it features an old sailor in Mousehole; and on a couple of occasions my dad took us to visit an elderly friend of his in Mousehole.
    I love the name Mousehole. Also that it's actually Mouzle. Excellent Christmas lights too. Could it be in the top ten place names in the whole of UK do you think?

    What beats it?
    Pratt's Bottom.
    My vineyard is in Pett Bottom. Or more specifically the small hamlet of Lynsore Bottom in the Pett Bottom valley. Lynsore bottom sounds too much like a topical ointment so I tend to stick with the naughty sounding Pett Bottom.
    You'll like Titty Hill in West Sussex then.
  • viewcodeviewcode Posts: 22,196
    TimT said:

    Allred has a tweet out claiming that they have a poll putting him at +1 against Ted Cruz. Seismic if true.

    Indeed

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_United_States_Senate_election_in_Texas
    https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/polls/senate/2024/texas/
  • TimTTimT Posts: 6,468

    A very interesting poll out today in the US.

    The 7 pollsters with the best track record since 2008 have all been putting a Dem lead at 2-3%. We now have a pollster breaking that trend. Marist put the Dems up by 5%. If that gets backed up by other pollsters then that would be significant.

    The previous day's polls saw over 60% of reported polls coming from Rep Pty-linked concerns. I'm doing a litle work on the consequences of that. They tend to give the Reps 1-2% compared to other pollsters. They also have the Trump'vote within 0.5% in each of the seven battleground states. That would be very surprising.

    They are clearly gaming the system. Why is a very important question. The fear is that they intend to argue that Trump ‘winning’ the polling averages ‘proves’ the results (when Harris wins) are fraudulent.
  • ohnotnowohnotnow Posts: 3,854
    RobD said:

    Scott_xP said:

    @archer_rs

    Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha
    Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha

    (takes breath)

    Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha


    About two seconds of googling is all you need to see that it's not true.
    Could you provide an unlinked possible tweet (possible mastadon, possible FB, who knows) to prove it though? Two seconds is an awful lot of effort for some.
  • turbotubbsturbotubbs Posts: 17,515
    malcolmg said:

    Report tonight that a car was being driven the wrong way on the M6 causing the terrible fatal crash

    The driver apparently died along with 4 others

    https://news.sky.com/story/two-children-among-five-dead-in-m6-crash-13234386

    How the feck do you get on a motorway the wrong way
    malcolmg said:

    Report tonight that a car was being driven the wrong way on the M6 causing the terrible fatal crash

    The driver apparently died along with 4 others

    https://news.sky.com/story/two-children-among-five-dead-in-m6-crash-13234386

    How the feck do you get on a motorway the wrong way
    Confusion? Miss a turn off and try to get back to it? Come off a junction round a bout and turn down the wrong road (the motorway exit, rather than the way on).
  • malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 43,413
    Eabhal said:

    Foxy said:

    Eabhal said:

    Barnesian said:

    Telegraph

    The triple lock will raise 100 million next year as some pensioners are drawn into tax

    Utterly daft comment - it will cost many billion

    Indeed, and because the DWP refuses or is unable to deduct ICT in the way every employer and every pension company in the land has too, those spensioners without private pensions will have to complete self-assessments. Often for a few £10s of tax due.

    Utter madness.
    Increase the personal allowance a bit.
    I wouldn't be surprised for Reeves to increase the allowance to sugar the pill of higher taxes and borrowing
    I suspect it will be the return of the age related personal allowance. A little extra for over 66s only to offset the withdrawal of the winter fuel allowance.
    I think if pensioners have high enough incomes that bring them into tax, they should pay it like the rest of us.

    A better offset for WFP would be to expand eligibility for PC a bit.
    So £13,000 pa income for a pensioner is 'like the rest of us' ?
    Like anyone else on that income, only with no work related expenses such as commuting.
    Nor housing costs (70% own outright) or dependent children.
    bollox
  • StuartinromfordStuartinromford Posts: 17,308
    malcolmg said:

    Eabhal said:

    Eabhal said:

    Barnesian said:

    Telegraph

    The triple lock will raise 100 million next year as some pensioners are drawn into tax

    Utterly daft comment - it will cost many billion

    Indeed, and because the DWP refuses or is unable to deduct ICT in the way every employer and every pension company in the land has too, those spensioners without private pensions will have to complete self-assessments. Often for a few £10s of tax due.

    Utter madness.
    Increase the personal allowance a bit.
    I wouldn't be surprised for Reeves to increase the allowance to sugar the pill of higher taxes and borrowing
    I suspect it will be the return of the age related personal allowance. A little extra for over 66s only to offset the withdrawal of the winter fuel allowance.
    I think if pensioners have high enough incomes that bring them into tax, they should pay it like the rest of us.

    A better offset for WFP would be to expand eligibility for PC a bit.
    So £13,000 pa income for a pensioner is 'like the rest of us' ?
    No, actually.

    Pensioners typically have much lower housing costs (70% own their homes outright, and only 7% privately rent) and fewer dependents, so their equivalised household income after housing costs are, on average, much higher than the rest of the population even with the same income.

    If we were to adjust the personal allowance to take account of these factors, it would be significantly lower, on average, for pensioners.

    Of course, a significant proportion of pensioners are in poverty, which makes the vast wealth and high incomes of other pensioners all the more intolerable when it comes to freebies like WFP. Means testing pensioner benefits, using something like an expanded Pension Credit, is by far the most equitable option.
    do you have evidence that 70% own their homes outright, sounds bollox to me. I can see you at forefront of pensioner culling as well, some crazy thing against pensioners whilst being loaded, pretty shabby to say the least. Hopefully you have feck all when you are a pensioner.
    https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/62c5a14bd3bf7f3001198577/EHS_Older_people_s_housing_2020-21.pdf

    In 2020-21, 5% of all older households were mortgagors, 6% were private renters and 15% were social renters (down from 19% in 2010-2011). The remaining 75% of older households were outright owners (up from 71%).

    Can't find more recent numbers, though they may be out there.
  • SeaShantyIrish2SeaShantyIrish2 Posts: 17,559

    On topic - but in hurricane season you probably want to bank those votes in GA and NC when you can. The GA record could well be due to the recent efforts to make voting less easy. Perople are making sure they get the job done with plenty of time to spare. What we can say from early voting compared to last time is that three groups appear to be seeing higher early turn-out.

    1) Black voters, 2) Young voters and - to the greatest degree - 3) Women voters.

    It may turn out to mean nothing but those are not groups that are huge fans of the Donald. Trum's support is among the middle-aged, the white and the male.

    Question is- are they votes that would have happened anyway, just shifted forwards in time? (Even that says a bit about enthusiasm/determination.) Or are they votes that normally wouldn't have happened?
    Yes and No. Also No and Yes.

    In every election, there are voters who, based on demographic in general and previous voting participation in particular, who appear virtually certain to vote . . . who do NOT.

    AND infrequent-to-never voters who actually DO cast a ballot.

    So we're dealing in probabilities NOT certainties.

    However, early & absentee voting DOES help voters of all kinds exercise their franchise, especially in situations where due to variety of reasons (work, illness, whathave you) they might NOT be able to vote on Election Day, even IF that's what they were orginally planning to do.

    Back in 2000 by landlady had a baby a few days before EDay, a Caesarian so it was scheduled, thus she thought she'd have no problem voting in person on the day. HOWEVER, the baby developed jaundice (pretty common I think) and she spent EDay in the hospital.

    Suchlike is one reason why sensible political parties urge supporters to vote early if not often.

    Except IF your a MAGA GOPer of course:

    4 Voters Charged With Intentionally Voting Twice in Michigan Primary Election
    Michigan authorities say four people in suburban Detroit intentionally voted twice in the state's August primary election

    https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2024-10-04/4-voters-charged-with-intentionally-voting-twice-in-michigan-primary-election
  • turbotubbsturbotubbs Posts: 17,515

    malcolmg said:

    Eabhal said:

    Eabhal said:

    Barnesian said:

    Telegraph

    The triple lock will raise 100 million next year as some pensioners are drawn into tax

    Utterly daft comment - it will cost many billion

    Indeed, and because the DWP refuses or is unable to deduct ICT in the way every employer and every pension company in the land has too, those spensioners without private pensions will have to complete self-assessments. Often for a few £10s of tax due.

    Utter madness.
    Increase the personal allowance a bit.
    I wouldn't be surprised for Reeves to increase the allowance to sugar the pill of higher taxes and borrowing
    I suspect it will be the return of the age related personal allowance. A little extra for over 66s only to offset the withdrawal of the winter fuel allowance.
    I think if pensioners have high enough incomes that bring them into tax, they should pay it like the rest of us.

    A better offset for WFP would be to expand eligibility for PC a bit.
    So £13,000 pa income for a pensioner is 'like the rest of us' ?
    No, actually.

    Pensioners typically have much lower housing costs (70% own their homes outright, and only 7% privately rent) and fewer dependents, so their equivalised household income after housing costs are, on average, much higher than the rest of the population even with the same income.

    If we were to adjust the personal allowance to take account of these factors, it would be significantly lower, on average, for pensioners.

    Of course, a significant proportion of pensioners are in poverty, which makes the vast wealth and high incomes of other pensioners all the more intolerable when it comes to freebies like WFP. Means testing pensioner benefits, using something like an expanded Pension Credit, is by far the most equitable option.
    do you have evidence that 70% own their homes outright, sounds bollox to me. I can see you at forefront of pensioner culling as well, some crazy thing against pensioners whilst being loaded, pretty shabby to say the least. Hopefully you have feck all when you are a pensioner.
    https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/62c5a14bd3bf7f3001198577/EHS_Older_people_s_housing_2020-21.pdf

    In 2020-21, 5% of all older households were mortgagors, 6% were private renters and 15% were social renters (down from 19% in 2010-2011). The remaining 75% of older households were outright owners (up from 71%).

    Can't find more recent numbers, though they may be out there.
    How dare you bring facts to a gut feel argument! 😀
  • TimSTimS Posts: 13,069
    malcolmg said:

    Eabhal said:

    Eabhal said:

    Barnesian said:

    Telegraph

    The triple lock will raise 100 million next year as some pensioners are drawn into tax

    Utterly daft comment - it will cost many billion

    Indeed, and because the DWP refuses or is unable to deduct ICT in the way every employer and every pension company in the land has too, those spensioners without private pensions will have to complete self-assessments. Often for a few £10s of tax due.

    Utter madness.
    Increase the personal allowance a bit.
    I wouldn't be surprised for Reeves to increase the allowance to sugar the pill of higher taxes and borrowing
    I suspect it will be the return of the age related personal allowance. A little extra for over 66s only to offset the withdrawal of the winter fuel allowance.
    I think if pensioners have high enough incomes that bring them into tax, they should pay it like the rest of us.

    A better offset for WFP would be to expand eligibility for PC a bit.
    So £13,000 pa income for a pensioner is 'like the rest of us' ?
    No, actually.

    Pensioners typically have much lower housing costs (70% own their homes outright, and only 7% privately rent) and fewer dependents, so their equivalised household income after housing costs are, on average, much higher than the rest of the population even with the same income.

    If we were to adjust the personal allowance to take account of these factors, it would be significantly lower, on average, for pensioners.

    Of course, a significant proportion of pensioners are in poverty, which makes the vast wealth and high incomes of other pensioners all the more intolerable when it comes to freebies like WFP. Means testing pensioner benefits, using something like an expanded Pension Credit, is by far the most equitable option.
    do you have evidence that 70% own their homes outright, sounds bollox to me. I can see you at forefront of pensioner culling as well, some crazy thing against pensioners whilst being loaded, pretty shabby to say the least. Hopefully you have feck all when you are a pensioner.
    I think it’s a big higher than 70%. The latest ONS stats I can find say: “Almost three-quarters (74%) of people aged 65 years and over owned their homes outright in England in 2017, up from 56% in 1993”.

    I assume that trend has continued since 2017 so might be nudging 80% now.

    It makes sense. I certainly don’t wish to have mortgage debt outstanding when I’m 65. Most mortgages are predicated on a certain level of employment income and are timed to be paid off at or before the borrower’s employment stops. You don’t get many people taking out a new 25 year mortgage in their 40s, though I expect more millennials are now having to do this.
  • viewcodeviewcode Posts: 22,196
    TimT said:

    A very interesting poll out today in the US.

    The 7 pollsters with the best track record since 2008 have all been putting a Dem lead at 2-3%. We now have a pollster breaking that trend. Marist put the Dems up by 5%. If that gets backed up by other pollsters then that would be significant.

    The previous day's polls saw over 60% of reported polls coming from Rep Pty-linked concerns. I'm doing a litle work on the consequences of that. They tend to give the Reps 1-2% compared to other pollsters. They also have the Trump'vote within 0.5% in each of the seven battleground states. That would be very surprising.

    They are clearly gaming the system. Why is a very important question. The fear is that they intend to argue that Trump ‘winning’ the polling averages ‘proves’ the results (when Harris wins) are fraudulent.
    How do you identify which are the good polls and the bad polls? Which of the pollsters in this are bad?

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nationwide_opinion_polling_for_the_2024_United_States_presidential_election
  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 51,963

    malcolmg said:

    Report tonight that a car was being driven the wrong way on the M6 causing the terrible fatal crash

    The driver apparently died along with 4 others

    https://news.sky.com/story/two-children-among-five-dead-in-m6-crash-13234386

    How the feck do you get on a motorway the wrong way
    malcolmg said:

    Report tonight that a car was being driven the wrong way on the M6 causing the terrible fatal crash

    The driver apparently died along with 4 others

    https://news.sky.com/story/two-children-among-five-dead-in-m6-crash-13234386

    How the feck do you get on a motorway the wrong way
    Confusion? Miss a turn off and try to get back to it? Come off a junction round a bout and turn down the wrong road (the motorway exit, rather than the way on).
    "You're going the wrong way!"
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0M0FfQzSngM&t=1s
  • Daveyboy1961Daveyboy1961 Posts: 3,893

    malcolmg said:

    Report tonight that a car was being driven the wrong way on the M6 causing the terrible fatal crash

    The driver apparently died along with 4 others

    https://news.sky.com/story/two-children-among-five-dead-in-m6-crash-13234386

    How the feck do you get on a motorway the wrong way
    malcolmg said:

    Report tonight that a car was being driven the wrong way on the M6 causing the terrible fatal crash

    The driver apparently died along with 4 others

    https://news.sky.com/story/two-children-among-five-dead-in-m6-crash-13234386

    How the feck do you get on a motorway the wrong way
    Confusion? Miss a turn off and try to get back to it? Come off a junction round a bout and turn down the wrong road (the motorway exit, rather than the way on).
    Not sure if it's relevant but the m6 carriageways are hidden from each other there.
  • ohnotnowohnotnow Posts: 3,854

    maxh said:

    I watched Raise The Titanic. Classy film. Alec Guiness. John Barry score. An expensive flop - 'would have been cheaper to lower the sea'. But very good.

    I loved that film. Partly because it features an old sailor in Mousehole; and on a couple of occasions my dad took us to visit an elderly friend of his in Mousehole.
    I love the name Mousehole. Also that it's actually Mouzle. Excellent Christmas lights too. Could it be in the top ten place names in the whole of UK do you think?

    What beats it?
    Co Durham has No Place and Pity Me
    Rest and be thankful (Scotland, after Loch Lomand on the way to Loch Fyne.)
    The classic car race through there is well worth a watch. Can be quite something (weather allowing!) to see those beautiful cars roar their way through the old glen roads.
  • EabhalEabhal Posts: 8,797
    malcolmg said:

    Eabhal said:

    Eabhal said:

    Barnesian said:

    Telegraph

    The triple lock will raise 100 million next year as some pensioners are drawn into tax

    Utterly daft comment - it will cost many billion

    Indeed, and because the DWP refuses or is unable to deduct ICT in the way every employer and every pension company in the land has too, those spensioners without private pensions will have to complete self-assessments. Often for a few £10s of tax due.

    Utter madness.
    Increase the personal allowance a bit.
    I wouldn't be surprised for Reeves to increase the allowance to sugar the pill of higher taxes and borrowing
    I suspect it will be the return of the age related personal allowance. A little extra for over 66s only to offset the withdrawal of the winter fuel allowance.
    I think if pensioners have high enough incomes that bring them into tax, they should pay it like the rest of us.

    A better offset for WFP would be to expand eligibility for PC a bit.
    So £13,000 pa income for a pensioner is 'like the rest of us' ?
    No, actually.

    Pensioners typically have much lower housing costs (70% own their homes outright, and only 7% privately rent) and fewer dependents, so their equivalised household income after housing costs are, on average, much higher than the rest of the population even with the same income.

    If we were to adjust the personal allowance to take account of these factors, it would be significantly lower, on average, for pensioners.

    Of course, a significant proportion of pensioners are in poverty, which makes the vast wealth and high incomes of other pensioners all the more intolerable when it comes to freebies like WFP. Means testing pensioner benefits, using something like an expanded Pension Credit, is by far the most equitable option.
    do you have evidence that 70% own their homes outright, sounds bollox to me. I can see you at forefront of pensioner culling as well, some crazy thing against pensioners whilst being loaded, pretty shabby to say the least. Hopefully you have feck all when you are a pensioner.
    England and Wales, admittedly. I'll fish the stats for Scotland out for you.

    https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/housing/articles/householdcharacteristicsbytenureenglandandwales/census2021
  • Daveyboy1961Daveyboy1961 Posts: 3,893

    malcolmg said:

    Report tonight that a car was being driven the wrong way on the M6 causing the terrible fatal crash

    The driver apparently died along with 4 others

    https://news.sky.com/story/two-children-among-five-dead-in-m6-crash-13234386

    How the feck do you get on a motorway the wrong way
    malcolmg said:

    Report tonight that a car was being driven the wrong way on the M6 causing the terrible fatal crash

    The driver apparently died along with 4 others

    https://news.sky.com/story/two-children-among-five-dead-in-m6-crash-13234386

    How the feck do you get on a motorway the wrong way
    Confusion? Miss a turn off and try to get back to it? Come off a junction round a bout and turn down the wrong road (the motorway exit, rather than the way on).
    Not sure if it's relevant but the m6 carriageways are hidden from each other there.
    I also remember there being the odd linking road between them, possibly for police etc.
  • EabhalEabhal Posts: 8,797

    malcolmg said:

    Report tonight that a car was being driven the wrong way on the M6 causing the terrible fatal crash

    The driver apparently died along with 4 others

    https://news.sky.com/story/two-children-among-five-dead-in-m6-crash-13234386

    How the feck do you get on a motorway the wrong way
    malcolmg said:

    Report tonight that a car was being driven the wrong way on the M6 causing the terrible fatal crash

    The driver apparently died along with 4 others

    https://news.sky.com/story/two-children-among-five-dead-in-m6-crash-13234386

    How the feck do you get on a motorway the wrong way
    Confusion? Miss a turn off and try to get back to it? Come off a junction round a bout and turn down the wrong road (the motorway exit, rather than the way on).
    What's weird is that the police were already on their way to intercept the driver, and there was a post on social media saying that the signs on the motorway were warning people that there was a car coming the other way.
  • FrankBoothFrankBooth Posts: 9,879

    "Today, the Guardian, alongside @hopenothate , today publish an in depth undercover investigation into the efforts of a network of far right race and IQ obsessives, who have been trying to influence discourse about race science."

    https://x.com/AdamRutherford/status/1846537873761116295

    It's a good job we don't have a race and IQ obsessive on here...

    Rutherford and Hope Not Hate are aggressive activists. I'd take anything they say with a pinch of salt.
  • SeaShantyIrish2SeaShantyIrish2 Posts: 17,559
    TimS said:

    maxh said:

    I watched Raise The Titanic. Classy film. Alec Guiness. John Barry score. An expensive flop - 'would have been cheaper to lower the sea'. But very good.

    I loved that film. Partly because it features an old sailor in Mousehole; and on a couple of occasions my dad took us to visit an elderly friend of his in Mousehole.
    I love the name Mousehole. Also that it's actually Mouzle. Excellent Christmas lights too. Could it be in the top ten place names in the whole of UK do you think?

    What beats it?
    Pratt's Bottom.
    My vineyard is in Pett Bottom. Or more specifically the small hamlet of Lynsore Bottom in the Pett Bottom valley. Lynsore bottom sounds too much like a topical ointment so I tend to stick with the naughty sounding Pett Bottom.
    Back in the day of the great "Car Talk" radio show on NPR hosted by Tom & Ray Magliozzi (aka Click & Clack) which was officially (?) conducted (?) under the aegis that fine old enterprise, Dewey, Cheetam & Howe, "Pat McCann" was listed as "Sexual Harrassment Intervention Counselor".

    For full staff list:
    https://jfi.uchicago.edu/~tten/Funny things/Car Talk- Credits.html
  • EabhalEabhal Posts: 8,797
    Eabhal said:

    malcolmg said:

    Eabhal said:

    Eabhal said:

    Barnesian said:

    Telegraph

    The triple lock will raise 100 million next year as some pensioners are drawn into tax

    Utterly daft comment - it will cost many billion

    Indeed, and because the DWP refuses or is unable to deduct ICT in the way every employer and every pension company in the land has too, those spensioners without private pensions will have to complete self-assessments. Often for a few £10s of tax due.

    Utter madness.
    Increase the personal allowance a bit.
    I wouldn't be surprised for Reeves to increase the allowance to sugar the pill of higher taxes and borrowing
    I suspect it will be the return of the age related personal allowance. A little extra for over 66s only to offset the withdrawal of the winter fuel allowance.
    I think if pensioners have high enough incomes that bring them into tax, they should pay it like the rest of us.

    A better offset for WFP would be to expand eligibility for PC a bit.
    So £13,000 pa income for a pensioner is 'like the rest of us' ?
    No, actually.

    Pensioners typically have much lower housing costs (70% own their homes outright, and only 7% privately rent) and fewer dependents, so their equivalised household income after housing costs are, on average, much higher than the rest of the population even with the same income.

    If we were to adjust the personal allowance to take account of these factors, it would be significantly lower, on average, for pensioners.

    Of course, a significant proportion of pensioners are in poverty, which makes the vast wealth and high incomes of other pensioners all the more intolerable when it comes to freebies like WFP. Means testing pensioner benefits, using something like an expanded Pension Credit, is by far the most equitable option.
    do you have evidence that 70% own their homes outright, sounds bollox to me. I can see you at forefront of pensioner culling as well, some crazy thing against pensioners whilst being loaded, pretty shabby to say the least. Hopefully you have feck all when you are a pensioner.
    England and Wales, admittedly. I'll fish the stats for Scotland out for you.

    https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/housing/articles/householdcharacteristicsbytenureenglandandwales/census2021
    68% in Scotland:

    At the bottom of this: https://www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk/search-the-census#/topics/list?topic=Housing&categoryId=3
  • TimSTimS Posts: 13,069

    TimS said:

    maxh said:

    I watched Raise The Titanic. Classy film. Alec Guiness. John Barry score. An expensive flop - 'would have been cheaper to lower the sea'. But very good.

    I loved that film. Partly because it features an old sailor in Mousehole; and on a couple of occasions my dad took us to visit an elderly friend of his in Mousehole.
    I love the name Mousehole. Also that it's actually Mouzle. Excellent Christmas lights too. Could it be in the top ten place names in the whole of UK do you think?

    What beats it?
    Pratt's Bottom.
    My vineyard is in Pett Bottom. Or more specifically the small hamlet of Lynsore Bottom in the Pett Bottom valley. Lynsore bottom sounds too much like a topical ointment so I tend to stick with the naughty sounding Pett Bottom.
    Back in the day of the great "Car Talk" radio show on NPR hosted by Tom & Ray Magliozzi (aka Click & Clack) which was officially (?) conducted (?) under the aegis that fine old enterprise, Dewey, Cheetam & Howe, "Pat McCann" was listed as "Sexual Harrassment Intervention Counselor".

    For full staff list:
    https://jfi.uchicago.edu/~tten/Funny things/Car Talk- Credits.html
    Nominative determinism is always great to see. My favourite of the famous ones is Mark de Man, the Belgian footballer.
This discussion has been closed.