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Jenrick puts some epic spin on a poll showing him as a loser – politicalbetting.com

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  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 43,036
    Leon said:

    So I’ve been obsessively reading about Shinto. The ancient animist religion of Japan and its “foundation” in Ise. A massive shrine complex in remote Mie Prefecture east of Osaka

    Ise is, in myth and legend and religious fact, where the sun goddess Amaterasu came down and started Japan - and where she became the great grandmother of the first Japanese emperor

    More cogently: “The Ise Shrine, known as Ise Jingū, is the most important Shinto shrine in Japan and has a deep historical connection with the Japanese imperial family. Its significance stems from being dedicated to Amaterasu-Omikami, the Sun Goddess, who is considered the mythical ancestor of the Japanese imperial line.


    Amaterasu is believed to be the direct progenitor of the imperial family, with the first emperor, Emperor Jimmu, considered her descendant. According to Shinto beliefs, the emperor of Japan is a living deity with divine ancestry tracing back to Amaterasu. This connection has been a cornerstone of the legitimacy of the imperial line throughout Japan’s history….

    The Ise Shrine has been the spiritual center of Japan since ancient times, with its establishment traditionally attributed to the 4th century. The shrine is rebuilt every 20 years in a ceremony called shikinen sengu, which symbolizes the renewal of life and the continuity of the imperial family’s divine legacy

    Members of the imperial family, particularly the emperor or his designated representatives, perform rituals at the Ise Shrine to honor Amaterasu…”

    So I was just thinking WOW this is all amazing I’m basically visiting the sacred cradle of all Japan still embodied in its imperial family descended from the goddess who came here in about 6AD

    And then the police politely said stop here and step aside for a procession and I saw this….

    I saw the imperial princess - and appointed royal shamaness of Ise - and the only other person apart from the emperor who is allowed to gaze upon Amataseru’s holy mirror (the imperial regalia kept at use) walking from the shrine where she had just done the sacred rice offering ceremony - the most important ceremony of the year

    She actually looks like Emperor Hirohito. Her grandfather



    LOOK AT HER SHOES

    Were you the only person taking photos? I am not sure I would do it for KCIII in Westminster Abbey on Maundy Thursday ...
  • LeonLeon Posts: 55,771
    viewcode said:

    Leon said:

    So I’ve been obsessively reading about Shinto. The ancient animist religion of Japan and its “foundation” in Ise. A massive shrine complex in remote Mie Prefecture east of Osaka

    Ise is, in myth and legend and religious fact, where the sun goddess Amaterasu came down and started Japan - and where she became the great grandmother of the first Japanese emperor

    More cogently: “The Ise Shrine, known as Ise Jingū, is the most important Shinto shrine in Japan and has a deep historical connection with the Japanese imperial family. Its significance stems from being dedicated to Amaterasu-Omikami, the Sun Goddess, who is considered the mythical ancestor of the Japanese imperial line.


    Amaterasu is believed to be the direct progenitor of the imperial family, with the first emperor, Emperor Jimmu, considered her descendant. According to Shinto beliefs, the emperor of Japan is a living deity with divine ancestry tracing back to Amaterasu. This connection has been a cornerstone of the legitimacy of the imperial line throughout Japan’s history….

    The Ise Shrine has been the spiritual center of Japan since ancient times, with its establishment traditionally attributed to the 4th century. The shrine is rebuilt every 20 years in a ceremony called shikinen sengu, which symbolizes the renewal of life and the continuity of the imperial family’s divine legacy

    Members of the imperial family, particularly the emperor or his designated representatives, perform rituals at the Ise Shrine to honor Amaterasu…”

    So I was just thinking WOW this is all amazing I’m basically visiting the sacred cradle of all Japan still embodied in its imperial family descended from the goddess who came here in about 6AD

    And then the police politely said stop here and step aside for a procession and I saw this….

    I saw the imperial princess - and appointed royal shamaness of Ise - and the only other person apart from the emperor who is allowed to gaze upon Amataseru’s holy mirror (the imperial regalia kept at use) walking from the shrine where she had just done the sacred rice offering ceremony - the most important ceremony of the year

    She actually looks like Emperor Hirohito. Her grandfather



    LOOK AT HER SHOES

    Pause

    Okay, that is impressive.
    It is isn’t it? Even my guide - who lives in Ise! - was seriously wowed. To come to Ise and see that was a one in a billion chance. She said “you must have very good luck!” A minute before or a minute after -
    too late

    Also, right afterwards we went for steamed oysters and cold beer
  • JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 42,975
    Sandpit said:

    OT our new linked smoke alarms work and for the second time in two days, next door has burnt the toast.

    I once lived 20 floors up in a building with that problem - and the security were rubbish at reacting quickly enough to alarms, so every couple of weeks we’d end up with the system escalating to full evacuation.

    Inevitably, having walked down 20 flights of stairs while still half asleep at 5am, you’d arrive at the bottom to be told the alarm was cancelled. Grr…
    Over thirty years ago I lived as a first-year in a Halls of Residence tower block in South Woodford. every so often, someone would set the fire alarm off, and everyone would trudge out. Including the girls who were staying over in the boys-only block. I think a few cheaters were caught that way.

    AFAIAA we never once had a fire; it was always people deliberately setting them off. In the end the uni had to give a stern warning that anyone caught doing it would be thrown out.

    And then, in our blo, we had the Phantom Shi**er of Old London Town. But that's another story...
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 123,404

    HYUFD said:

    Spin or not this Electoral Calculus poll for Jenrick showing him gaining an extra 27 more Tory seats at the next general election than Badenoch would is great for him given ballot papers are arriving on Tory members doorsteps this week and it was published in Tory house journal the Daily Telegraph.

    Indeed given a Yougov Tory members poll earlier this month had Badenoch now leading Jenrick just 52% to 48% it could be very close indeed
    https://yougov.co.uk/politics/articles/50624-conservative-members-and-the-2024-leadership-contest

    Except that even for someone right of centre such as me it feels like the maxim of "nobody cares" needs to be applied. Essentially it is a choice between two very poor candidates, rather like when the GE was a choice between PM Johnson or PM Corbyn. Dumb or even dumber?
    That would be the PM Johnson who won the biggest Conservative majority since Thatcher in 2019 when you were voting LD?

    I believe you did vote for Rishi and Hunt in July though, the sensible and sound choices who just had the misfortune to lead the Tories to their worst defeat for over a century. So a change to the populist right again is inevitable
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 54,674
    DavidL said:

    Sandpit said:

    Whoops, that’s impressive.

    Now why can’t Pakistan do the same?
    Not sure that I would want to be chasing more than 250 on that wicket. England need some more wickets and fast. The game is edging towards Pakistan at the moment.
    Yep, absolutely. I’d like to think I called it yesterday morning, that our bowlers taking a hundred runs to get the last four wickets was going to be pivotal in the course of the match.
  • CookieCookie Posts: 13,913
    Leon said:

    So I’ve been obsessively reading about Shinto. The ancient animist religion of Japan and its “foundation” in Ise. A massive shrine complex in remote Mie Prefecture east of Osaka

    Ise is, in myth and legend and religious fact, where the sun goddess Amaterasu came down and started Japan - and where she became the great grandmother of the first Japanese emperor

    More cogently: “The Ise Shrine, known as Ise Jingū, is the most important Shinto shrine in Japan and has a deep historical connection with the Japanese imperial family. Its significance stems from being dedicated to Amaterasu-Omikami, the Sun Goddess, who is considered the mythical ancestor of the Japanese imperial line.


    Amaterasu is believed to be the direct progenitor of the imperial family, with the first emperor, Emperor Jimmu, considered her descendant. According to Shinto beliefs, the emperor of Japan is a living deity with divine ancestry tracing back to Amaterasu. This connection has been a cornerstone of the legitimacy of the imperial line throughout Japan’s history….

    The Ise Shrine has been the spiritual center of Japan since ancient times, with its establishment traditionally attributed to the 4th century. The shrine is rebuilt every 20 years in a ceremony called shikinen sengu, which symbolizes the renewal of life and the continuity of the imperial family’s divine legacy

    Members of the imperial family, particularly the emperor or his designated representatives, perform rituals at the Ise Shrine to honor Amaterasu…”

    So I was just thinking WOW this is all amazing I’m basically visiting the sacred cradle of all Japan still embodied in its imperial family descended from the goddess who came here in about 6AD

    And then the police politely said stop here and step aside for a procession and I saw this….

    I saw the imperial princess - and appointed royal shamaness of Ise - and the only other person apart from the emperor who is allowed to gaze upon Amataseru’s holy mirror (the imperial regalia kept at use) walking from the shrine where she had just done the sacred rice offering ceremony - the most important ceremony of the year

    She actually looks like Emperor Hirohito. Her grandfather



    LOOK AT HER SHOES

    My reaction to that
    is this:

    How do they stay on her feet?!


    Shoes which appear to be held on by sheer willpower (many women's shoes fall into this category, but also so do slippers) discomfit me disproportionately. I worry that should the person reverse, the shoes will stay where they are. And should the person need to break into a run, the shoes will fall off.

    I cannot get past this basic facet of what I am seeing. Unless they are held on by string or something that I can't see. Even then - I don't like the shoes at all.

  • LostPasswordLostPassword Posts: 18,632

    Something odd there, according to this chap:

    The numbers don’t work. Supposedly under Jenrick
    LAB - 311 (-101)
    CON - 178 (+57)
    RUK - 24 (+19)
    LD - 58 (-14)
    Notice how there are 39 more losses than gains, which could only possibly be explained by a massive SNP revival. But these figures look way off.


    https://x.com/AtakinMarcus/status/1846652174077489270

    So, why are the Telegraph running with this?

    I don't think a large SNP revival is that unlikely given the way Labour have dropped since the election.
    Suspect that means finding a leader with the talent of Salmond or Sturgeon.
    Hardly. If Labour support drops like a stone then the SNP are still second in most of the Scottish seats. Who else will win them?

    Obviously this particular poll is optimistic about the SNP's prospects, but I don't think the conclusion is that it invalidates the poll, as implied.
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 42,382
    I have a nice all green book (small amounts only) on this based on doing Jenners @ 14 a few months ago. I'm leaving it alone now but my hunch is he will end up winning.
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 54,674
    DavidL said:

    Sandpit said:

    Whoops, that’s impressive.

    Now why can’t Pakistan do the same?
    Not sure that I would want to be chasing more than 250 on that wicket. England need some more wickets and fast. The game is edging towards Pakistan at the moment.
    Yep, absolutely. I’d like to think I called it yesterday morning, that our bowlers conceding a hundred runs to get the last four wickets was going to be pivotal in the course of the match.
  • TheuniondivvieTheuniondivvie Posts: 42,053
    viewcode said:

    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    I had am absolutely incredible travel experience today

    On the subject of travel, while you have been swanning around suburban Japan to tell us what we can see on YouTube, back home in London, last night the Elizabeth Line won the Stirling Prize.
    You didn’t see what I saw today
    Leon saw the most exquisitely beautiful Japanese Geisha, her kimono flapping in the breeze as she sipped her Matcha tea, and the great canopy of forest flowers crowned her gaze.

    Behind, in the mountains, a vast fire-breathing dragon emerged to extend its shadow over the tidal lagoons.
    Even better! Even more Japanese!! What’s the single most Japanese thing a person could ever see??
    Somebody committing seppuku on the summit of mount Fuji, with those little bells tinkling as the chrysanthemum petals fall, wrapped in the rays of the setting sun to a Phillip Glass soundtrack? (Any "Mishima" fans in the audience?)
    Me, for one.
    Mishima's death was of course botched, sordid and ugly.
    Reality meets Hakagure with a resounding bang.
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 82,311
    Sandpit said:

    DavidL said:

    Sandpit said:

    Whoops, that’s impressive.

    Now why can’t Pakistan do the same?
    Not sure that I would want to be chasing more than 250 on that wicket. England need some more wickets and fast. The game is edging towards Pakistan at the moment.
    Yep, absolutely. I’d like to think I called it yesterday morning, that our bowlers taking a hundred runs to get the last four wickets was going to be pivotal in the course of the match.
    This is a long standing weakness with England, that they really struggle to blow the tail away. In comparison, Australia with likes of Starc excel at this.
  • OldKingColeOldKingCole Posts: 33,545
    edited October 17

    Sandpit said:

    OT our new linked smoke alarms work and for the second time in two days, next door has burnt the toast.

    I once lived 20 floors up in a building with that problem - and the security were rubbish at reacting quickly enough to alarms, so every couple of weeks we’d end up with the system escalating to full evacuation.

    Inevitably, having walked down 20 flights of stairs while still half asleep at 5am, you’d arrive at the bottom to be told the alarm was cancelled. Grr…
    As somebody who stays in hotels a lot I am in favour of the death penalty for people who smoke in non smoking hotels which sets off the fire alarm at 3am and you have to go outside and stand in the cold and rain in your PJs.
    Friend of mine said that regularly happened in her Uni hostel. Could be quite informative, seeing who came out with who!
  • Scott_xPScott_xP Posts: 36,039
    TimS said:

    Dopermean said:

    DavidL said:

    Nigelb said:

    Nigelb said:

    Trump also had a moment last night, in front of an audience who aren't in the tank for him.
    How do we think it went ?
    https://x.com/Acyn/status/1846745434607571457

    On Jan 6th - "we didn't have guns..."

    The audience reaction is priceless.
    An ad made by the Lincoln Project couldn't improve on that.
    In the meantime Harris was very much holding her own on Fox. Her recent performances have been a remarkable step up on what she used to do. She's a fast learner and a serious figure. Personally, I think she is looking more Presidential every day.

    https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/10/16/2277315/-Kamala-Harris-stands-her-ground-during-tense-Fox-News-interview?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=top_news_slot_1&pm_medium=web
    Doesn't look like a car crash from those clips.
    Trump's got a pretty sour face while he's listening to the question, not exactly endearing. "Ashli Babbitt was killed... nobody was killed" and he still blames Pence.
    He just doesn't look appealing in the slightest. I can (sort of) see the appeal to people of Farage in that bloke down the pub way, or Boris as the bumbling bon viveur and raconteur, or someone like Putin as the steely, Gus Fring sort who you have to respect. But Trump just looks like a fat slob, he appears always to be plastered in weird face makeup and lacks any sort of obvious interpersonal charm.
    This why people vote for fascists


  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 71,524

    Leon said:

    So I’ve been obsessively reading about Shinto. The ancient animist religion of Japan and its “foundation” in Ise. A massive shrine complex in remote Mie Prefecture east of Osaka

    Ise is, in myth and legend and religious fact, where the sun goddess Amaterasu came down and started Japan - and where she became the great grandmother of the first Japanese emperor

    More cogently: “The Ise Shrine, known as Ise Jingū, is the most important Shinto shrine in Japan and has a deep historical connection with the Japanese imperial family. Its significance stems from being dedicated to Amaterasu-Omikami, the Sun Goddess, who is considered the mythical ancestor of the Japanese imperial line.


    Amaterasu is believed to be the direct progenitor of the imperial family, with the first emperor, Emperor Jimmu, considered her descendant. According to Shinto beliefs, the emperor of Japan is a living deity with divine ancestry tracing back to Amaterasu. This connection has been a cornerstone of the legitimacy of the imperial line throughout Japan’s history….

    The Ise Shrine has been the spiritual center of Japan since ancient times, with its establishment traditionally attributed to the 4th century. The shrine is rebuilt every 20 years in a ceremony called shikinen sengu, which symbolizes the renewal of life and the continuity of the imperial family’s divine legacy

    Members of the imperial family, particularly the emperor or his designated representatives, perform rituals at the Ise Shrine to honor Amaterasu…”

    So I was just thinking WOW this is all amazing I’m basically visiting the sacred cradle of all Japan still embodied in its imperial family descended from the goddess who came here in about 6AD

    And then the police politely said stop here and step aside for a procession and I saw this….

    I saw the imperial princess - and appointed royal shamaness of Ise - and the only other person apart from the emperor who is allowed to gaze upon Amataseru’s holy mirror (the imperial regalia kept at use) walking from the shrine where she had just done the sacred rice offering ceremony - the most important ceremony of the year

    She actually looks like Emperor Hirohito. Her grandfather



    LOOK AT HER SHOES

    I used to an own a similar pair of footwear.
    Did you eBay them to the princess ?
  • LeonLeon Posts: 55,771
    Cookie said:

    Leon said:

    So I’ve been obsessively reading about Shinto. The ancient animist religion of Japan and its “foundation” in Ise. A massive shrine complex in remote Mie Prefecture east of Osaka

    Ise is, in myth and legend and religious fact, where the sun goddess Amaterasu came down and started Japan - and where she became the great grandmother of the first Japanese emperor

    More cogently: “The Ise Shrine, known as Ise Jingū, is the most important Shinto shrine in Japan and has a deep historical connection with the Japanese imperial family. Its significance stems from being dedicated to Amaterasu-Omikami, the Sun Goddess, who is considered the mythical ancestor of the Japanese imperial line.


    Amaterasu is believed to be the direct progenitor of the imperial family, with the first emperor, Emperor Jimmu, considered her descendant. According to Shinto beliefs, the emperor of Japan is a living deity with divine ancestry tracing back to Amaterasu. This connection has been a cornerstone of the legitimacy of the imperial line throughout Japan’s history….

    The Ise Shrine has been the spiritual center of Japan since ancient times, with its establishment traditionally attributed to the 4th century. The shrine is rebuilt every 20 years in a ceremony called shikinen sengu, which symbolizes the renewal of life and the continuity of the imperial family’s divine legacy

    Members of the imperial family, particularly the emperor or his designated representatives, perform rituals at the Ise Shrine to honor Amaterasu…”

    So I was just thinking WOW this is all amazing I’m basically visiting the sacred cradle of all Japan still embodied in its imperial family descended from the goddess who came here in about 6AD

    And then the police politely said stop here and step aside for a procession and I saw this….

    I saw the imperial princess - and appointed royal shamaness of Ise - and the only other person apart from the emperor who is allowed to gaze upon Amataseru’s holy mirror (the imperial regalia kept at use) walking from the shrine where she had just done the sacred rice offering ceremony - the most important ceremony of the year

    She actually looks like Emperor Hirohito. Her grandfather



    LOOK AT HER SHOES

    My reaction to that
    is this:

    How do they stay on her feet?!


    Shoes which appear to be held on by sheer willpower (many women's shoes fall into this category, but also so do slippers) discomfit me disproportionately. I worry that should the person reverse, the shoes will stay where they are. And should the person need to break into a run, the shoes will fall off.

    I cannot get past this basic facet of what I am seeing. Unless they are held on by string or something that I can't see. Even then - I don't like the shoes at all.

    I imagine they are meant to be utterly impractical - to show her status or something

    Huge antique orange velvet sort-of-clogs for her imperial highness the Shamaness-Princess of the immortal shrine of Amataseru the sun goddess and keeper of the sacred mirror of Nippon

    I mean, you’re not gonna wear crocs, are you
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 42,382
    Leon said:

    Easy peasy squeeze me Japan-eezy

    The Japanese are very into CATS.
  • ThomasNasheThomasNashe Posts: 5,331
    kinabalu said:

    Leon said:

    Easy peasy squeeze me Japan-eezy

    The Japanese are very into CATS.
    Get that avatar changed back! Harris hasn't won yet.
  • Sandpit said:

    DavidL said:

    Sandpit said:

    Whoops, that’s impressive.

    Now why can’t Pakistan do the same?
    Not sure that I would want to be chasing more than 250 on that wicket. England need some more wickets and fast. The game is edging towards Pakistan at the moment.
    Yep, absolutely. I’d like to think I called it yesterday morning, that our bowlers taking a hundred runs to get the last four wickets was going to be pivotal in the course of the match.
    This is a long standing weakness with England, that they really struggle to blow the tail away. In comparison, Australia with likes of Starc excel at this.
    This is where we miss Jofra Archer and Mark Wood.
  • TheuniondivvieTheuniondivvie Posts: 42,053
    edited October 17
    Leon said:

    Cookie said:

    Leon said:

    So I’ve been obsessively reading about Shinto. The ancient animist religion of Japan and its “foundation” in Ise. A massive shrine complex in remote Mie Prefecture east of Osaka

    Ise is, in myth and legend and religious fact, where the sun goddess Amaterasu came down and started Japan - and where she became the great grandmother of the first Japanese emperor

    More cogently: “The Ise Shrine, known as Ise Jingū, is the most important Shinto shrine in Japan and has a deep historical connection with the Japanese imperial family. Its significance stems from being dedicated to Amaterasu-Omikami, the Sun Goddess, who is considered the mythical ancestor of the Japanese imperial line.


    Amaterasu is believed to be the direct progenitor of the imperial family, with the first emperor, Emperor Jimmu, considered her descendant. According to Shinto beliefs, the emperor of Japan is a living deity with divine ancestry tracing back to Amaterasu. This connection has been a cornerstone of the legitimacy of the imperial line throughout Japan’s history….

    The Ise Shrine has been the spiritual center of Japan since ancient times, with its establishment traditionally attributed to the 4th century. The shrine is rebuilt every 20 years in a ceremony called shikinen sengu, which symbolizes the renewal of life and the continuity of the imperial family’s divine legacy

    Members of the imperial family, particularly the emperor or his designated representatives, perform rituals at the Ise Shrine to honor Amaterasu…”

    So I was just thinking WOW this is all amazing I’m basically visiting the sacred cradle of all Japan still embodied in its imperial family descended from the goddess who came here in about 6AD

    And then the police politely said stop here and step aside for a procession and I saw this….

    I saw the imperial princess - and appointed royal shamaness of Ise - and the only other person apart from the emperor who is allowed to gaze upon Amataseru’s holy mirror (the imperial regalia kept at use) walking from the shrine where she had just done the sacred rice offering ceremony - the most important ceremony of the year

    She actually looks like Emperor Hirohito. Her grandfather



    LOOK AT HER SHOES

    My reaction to that
    is this:

    How do they stay on her feet?!


    Shoes which appear to be held on by sheer willpower (many women's shoes fall into this category, but also so do slippers) discomfit me disproportionately. I worry that should the person reverse, the shoes will stay where they are. And should the person need to break into a run, the shoes will fall off.

    I cannot get past this basic facet of what I am seeing. Unless they are held on by string or something that I can't see. Even then - I don't like the shoes at all.

    I imagine they are meant to be utterly impractical - to show her status or something

    Huge antique orange velvet sort-of-clogs for her imperial highness the Shamaness-Princess of the immortal shrine of Amataseru the sun goddess and keeper of the sacred mirror of Nippon

    I mean, you’re not gonna wear crocs, are you
    However one should always remember that shoes like these are based on streets in them golden olden days being rivers of shit.
  • Nigelb said:

    Leon said:

    So I’ve been obsessively reading about Shinto. The ancient animist religion of Japan and its “foundation” in Ise. A massive shrine complex in remote Mie Prefecture east of Osaka

    Ise is, in myth and legend and religious fact, where the sun goddess Amaterasu came down and started Japan - and where she became the great grandmother of the first Japanese emperor

    More cogently: “The Ise Shrine, known as Ise Jingū, is the most important Shinto shrine in Japan and has a deep historical connection with the Japanese imperial family. Its significance stems from being dedicated to Amaterasu-Omikami, the Sun Goddess, who is considered the mythical ancestor of the Japanese imperial line.


    Amaterasu is believed to be the direct progenitor of the imperial family, with the first emperor, Emperor Jimmu, considered her descendant. According to Shinto beliefs, the emperor of Japan is a living deity with divine ancestry tracing back to Amaterasu. This connection has been a cornerstone of the legitimacy of the imperial line throughout Japan’s history….

    The Ise Shrine has been the spiritual center of Japan since ancient times, with its establishment traditionally attributed to the 4th century. The shrine is rebuilt every 20 years in a ceremony called shikinen sengu, which symbolizes the renewal of life and the continuity of the imperial family’s divine legacy

    Members of the imperial family, particularly the emperor or his designated representatives, perform rituals at the Ise Shrine to honor Amaterasu…”

    So I was just thinking WOW this is all amazing I’m basically visiting the sacred cradle of all Japan still embodied in its imperial family descended from the goddess who came here in about 6AD

    And then the police politely said stop here and step aside for a procession and I saw this….

    I saw the imperial princess - and appointed royal shamaness of Ise - and the only other person apart from the emperor who is allowed to gaze upon Amataseru’s holy mirror (the imperial regalia kept at use) walking from the shrine where she had just done the sacred rice offering ceremony - the most important ceremony of the year

    She actually looks like Emperor Hirohito. Her grandfather



    LOOK AT HER SHOES

    I used to an own a similar pair of footwear.
    Did you eBay them to the princess ?
    Nah, I lost them on holiday.
  • nico679nico679 Posts: 6,277
    Trump said “ nothing was done wrong “ on January 6th and it was a “ day of love”.

  • Sandpit said:

    OT our new linked smoke alarms work and for the second time in two days, next door has burnt the toast.

    I once lived 20 floors up in a building with that problem - and the security were rubbish at reacting quickly enough to alarms, so every couple of weeks we’d end up with the system escalating to full evacuation.

    Inevitably, having walked down 20 flights of stairs while still half asleep at 5am, you’d arrive at the bottom to be told the alarm was cancelled. Grr…
    As somebody who stays in hotels a lot I am in favour of the death penalty for people who smoke in non smoking hotels which sets off the fire alarm at 3am and you have to go outside and stand in the cold and rain in your PJs.
    Friend of mine said that regularly happened in her Uni hostel. Could be quite informative, seeing who came out with who!
    Indeed, especially when you had to overnight for work reasons.
  • kinabalu said:

    Leon said:

    Easy peasy squeeze me Japan-eezy

    The Japanese are very into CATS.
    The musical?
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 82,311
    edited October 17

    Sandpit said:

    DavidL said:

    Sandpit said:

    Whoops, that’s impressive.

    Now why can’t Pakistan do the same?
    Not sure that I would want to be chasing more than 250 on that wicket. England need some more wickets and fast. The game is edging towards Pakistan at the moment.
    Yep, absolutely. I’d like to think I called it yesterday morning, that our bowlers taking a hundred runs to get the last four wickets was going to be pivotal in the course of the match.
    This is a long standing weakness with England, that they really struggle to blow the tail away. In comparison, Australia with likes of Starc excel at this.
    This is where we miss Jofra Archer and Mark Wood.
    I don't know the stats, but I never think Wood is that effective at this given the way he bowls from wider and falls away. Archer yes, he is very skilled at consistently bowling wicket to wicket making the batsman play.
  • AnabobazinaAnabobazina Posts: 23,622
    Badenoch is a cowardly version of TRUSS.

    There was an entire segment on Sophy Ridge last night of how she was running scared of the media.

    Those of us who were paying attention were unsurprised. She was invisible as a minister, just staged a disappearing act when the going got tough.
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 82,311
    edited October 17
    I still don't understand the selection of Potts.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 55,771
    Also the food in Osaka really ROCKS

    Someone told me the food in Japan has declined. It absolutely hasn’t - it’s still brilliant and surprising

    The rest of the country may be a bit fucked but for intense ancient sacred royal experiences and really good octopus doughnuts it is the business
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 54,674
    Looks like the American SMR project might be back on again. Their first customer - Amazon, who are putting $500m into development of the technology.

    https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/24/10/16/144210/amazon-joins-push-for-nuclear-power-to-meet-data-center-demand

    Are the Brits really going to let this idea fall through, and hand the initiative to the two existing superpowers?

    If the Americans get theirs working and delivered, the unit price drops very quickly and any new entrants face huge barriers to entry.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 71,524

    Nigelb said:

    Leon said:

    So I’ve been obsessively reading about Shinto. The ancient animist religion of Japan and its “foundation” in Ise. A massive shrine complex in remote Mie Prefecture east of Osaka

    Ise is, in myth and legend and religious fact, where the sun goddess Amaterasu came down and started Japan - and where she became the great grandmother of the first Japanese emperor

    More cogently: “The Ise Shrine, known as Ise Jingū, is the most important Shinto shrine in Japan and has a deep historical connection with the Japanese imperial family. Its significance stems from being dedicated to Amaterasu-Omikami, the Sun Goddess, who is considered the mythical ancestor of the Japanese imperial line.


    Amaterasu is believed to be the direct progenitor of the imperial family, with the first emperor, Emperor Jimmu, considered her descendant. According to Shinto beliefs, the emperor of Japan is a living deity with divine ancestry tracing back to Amaterasu. This connection has been a cornerstone of the legitimacy of the imperial line throughout Japan’s history….

    The Ise Shrine has been the spiritual center of Japan since ancient times, with its establishment traditionally attributed to the 4th century. The shrine is rebuilt every 20 years in a ceremony called shikinen sengu, which symbolizes the renewal of life and the continuity of the imperial family’s divine legacy

    Members of the imperial family, particularly the emperor or his designated representatives, perform rituals at the Ise Shrine to honor Amaterasu…”

    So I was just thinking WOW this is all amazing I’m basically visiting the sacred cradle of all Japan still embodied in its imperial family descended from the goddess who came here in about 6AD

    And then the police politely said stop here and step aside for a procession and I saw this….

    I saw the imperial princess - and appointed royal shamaness of Ise - and the only other person apart from the emperor who is allowed to gaze upon Amataseru’s holy mirror (the imperial regalia kept at use) walking from the shrine where she had just done the sacred rice offering ceremony - the most important ceremony of the year

    She actually looks like Emperor Hirohito. Her grandfather



    LOOK AT HER SHOES

    I used to an own a similar pair of footwear.
    Did you eBay them to the princess ?
    Nah, I lost them on holiday.
    You were playing strip poker with the princess ???
  • Morris_DancerMorris_Dancer Posts: 61,854
    Mr. Sandpit, SMR?
  • CookieCookie Posts: 13,913
    Leon said:

    Cookie said:

    Leon said:

    So I’ve been obsessively reading about Shinto. The ancient animist religion of Japan and its “foundation” in Ise. A massive shrine complex in remote Mie Prefecture east of Osaka

    Ise is, in myth and legend and religious fact, where the sun goddess Amaterasu came down and started Japan - and where she became the great grandmother of the first Japanese emperor

    More cogently: “The Ise Shrine, known as Ise Jingū, is the most important Shinto shrine in Japan and has a deep historical connection with the Japanese imperial family. Its significance stems from being dedicated to Amaterasu-Omikami, the Sun Goddess, who is considered the mythical ancestor of the Japanese imperial line.


    Amaterasu is believed to be the direct progenitor of the imperial family, with the first emperor, Emperor Jimmu, considered her descendant. According to Shinto beliefs, the emperor of Japan is a living deity with divine ancestry tracing back to Amaterasu. This connection has been a cornerstone of the legitimacy of the imperial line throughout Japan’s history….

    The Ise Shrine has been the spiritual center of Japan since ancient times, with its establishment traditionally attributed to the 4th century. The shrine is rebuilt every 20 years in a ceremony called shikinen sengu, which symbolizes the renewal of life and the continuity of the imperial family’s divine legacy

    Members of the imperial family, particularly the emperor or his designated representatives, perform rituals at the Ise Shrine to honor Amaterasu…”

    So I was just thinking WOW this is all amazing I’m basically visiting the sacred cradle of all Japan still embodied in its imperial family descended from the goddess who came here in about 6AD

    And then the police politely said stop here and step aside for a procession and I saw this….

    I saw the imperial princess - and appointed royal shamaness of Ise - and the only other person apart from the emperor who is allowed to gaze upon Amataseru’s holy mirror (the imperial regalia kept at use) walking from the shrine where she had just done the sacred rice offering ceremony - the most important ceremony of the year

    She actually looks like Emperor Hirohito. Her grandfather



    LOOK AT HER SHOES

    My reaction to that
    is this:

    How do they stay on her feet?!


    Shoes which appear to be held on by sheer willpower (many women's shoes fall into this category, but also so do slippers) discomfit me disproportionately. I worry that should the person reverse, the shoes will stay where they are. And should the person need to break into a run, the shoes will fall off.

    I cannot get past this basic facet of what I am seeing. Unless they are held on by string or something that I can't see. Even then - I don't like the shoes at all.

    I imagine they are meant to be utterly impractical - to show her status or something

    Huge antique orange velvet sort-of-clogs for her imperial highness the Shamaness-Princess of the immortal shrine of Amataseru the sun goddess and keeper of the sacred mirror of Nippon

    I mean, you’re not gonna wear crocs, are you
    No, that's fair enough. Though crocs also fall into the category of shoes which discomfit me slightly, certainly when worn without the strap behind the heel. I am not so much criticising the shoes as much as reflecting on the personal oddity that shoes which look as if they are about to fall off make me feel distinctly uncomfortable.
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 54,674
    Yes, Rizwan gone. Bowlers need to step up here, target is already 190.
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 54,674

    Mr. Sandpit, SMR?

    Small Modular Reactor.

    Mini nuclear power plant, based on naval technology.
  • CookieCookie Posts: 13,913

    Sandpit said:

    DavidL said:

    Sandpit said:

    Whoops, that’s impressive.

    Now why can’t Pakistan do the same?
    Not sure that I would want to be chasing more than 250 on that wicket. England need some more wickets and fast. The game is edging towards Pakistan at the moment.
    Yep, absolutely. I’d like to think I called it yesterday morning, that our bowlers taking a hundred runs to get the last four wickets was going to be pivotal in the course of the match.
    This is a long standing weakness with England, that they really struggle to blow the tail away. In comparison, Australia with likes of Starc excel at this.
    This is where we miss Jofra Archer and Mark Wood.
    I don't know the stats, but I never think Wood is that effective at this given the way he bowls from wider and falls away. Archer yes, he is very skilled at consistently bowling wicket to wicket making the batsman play.
    The problem with Archer and Wood is that you don't get very long spells for them. If you think the innings is going to be over in one day, you can carry that, but with the potential for very long inningses in the subcontinent, you need bowlers who can bowl for a long time.

    I rate Potts. He's not outstanding, but he's worth his place in the squad.
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 82,311
    Crocs...the Mrs Brown Boys of shoes....mystifying at continued popularity.
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 123,404
    'Former President Trump is ahead of Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential contest 50%-48%, according to a new Fox News national survey. That’s a reversal from last month, when Harris had a narrow advantage.

    Harris, however, is ahead by 6 points among voters from the seven key battleground states, and the candidates are tied at 49% each among voters in close counties (where the Biden-Trump 2020 margin was less than 10 points). Trump’s advantage comes from a larger share in counties he won by more than 10 points in 2020 (64%-35%) than Harris has in counties Biden won by more than 10 points (58%-39%).

    That raises the question of whether the Democrat could win the Electoral College while losing the national popular vote. In 2000 and 2016, it was the GOP candidate who lost the popular vote but won the Electoral College'

    https://www.foxnews.com/official-polls/fox-news-poll-trump-ahead-harris-2-points-nationally
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 82,311
    edited October 17
    Cookie said:

    Sandpit said:

    DavidL said:

    Sandpit said:

    Whoops, that’s impressive.

    Now why can’t Pakistan do the same?
    Not sure that I would want to be chasing more than 250 on that wicket. England need some more wickets and fast. The game is edging towards Pakistan at the moment.
    Yep, absolutely. I’d like to think I called it yesterday morning, that our bowlers taking a hundred runs to get the last four wickets was going to be pivotal in the course of the match.
    This is a long standing weakness with England, that they really struggle to blow the tail away. In comparison, Australia with likes of Starc excel at this.
    This is where we miss Jofra Archer and Mark Wood.
    I don't know the stats, but I never think Wood is that effective at this given the way he bowls from wider and falls away. Archer yes, he is very skilled at consistently bowling wicket to wicket making the batsman play.
    The problem with Archer and Wood is that you don't get very long spells for them. If you think the innings is going to be over in one day, you can carry that, but with the potential for very long inningses in the subcontinent, you need bowlers who can bowl for a long time.

    I rate Potts. He's not outstanding, but he's worth his place in the squad.
    I just don't see it with Potts, he is in that weird middle of not quite fast enough nor an Anderson (or even a Robinson) who make it bend like a banana, plus he is a rabbit with the bat. He reminds me of when England tried and tried with Craig Overton. We have learned that with Woakes abroad those kind of bowlers don't really work that well, but at least with Woakes he is a very good batter. The likes of Carse give you more pace and can bat a little bit.
  • PhilPhil Posts: 2,320
    HYUFD said:

    'Former President Trump is ahead of Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential contest 50%-48%, according to a new Fox News national survey. That’s a reversal from last month, when Harris had a narrow advantage.

    Harris, however, is ahead by 6 points among voters from the seven key battleground states, and the candidates are tied at 49% each among voters in close counties (where the Biden-Trump 2020 margin was less than 10 points). Trump’s advantage comes from a larger share in counties he won by more than 10 points in 2020 (64%-35%) than Harris has in counties Biden won by more than 10 points (58%-39%).

    That raises the question of whether the Democrat could win the Electoral College while losing the national popular vote. In 2000 and 2016, it was the GOP candidate who lost the popular vote but won the Electoral College'

    https://www.foxnews.com/official-polls/fox-news-poll-trump-ahead-harris-2-points-nationally

    It’s going to be amusing if Trump wins the largest number of votes but Harris still wins the electoral college.

    I predict outrage from Trumpists who will have conveniently forgetten about 2016 entirely.
  • CookieCookie Posts: 13,913

    Crocs...the Mrs Brown Boys of shoes....mystifying at continued popularity.

    I think they do well with the following groups:
    - people for whom having to tie laces or affix the shoe in some other way to the foot is a high cost - i.e. children
    - people for whom uncomfortable shoes are the norm and for whom a comfortable shoe is a weird and wonderful exception - i.e. women
    - people who value wipe clean footwear - i.e. people who work in hospitals

  • PulpstarPulpstar Posts: 78,244
    Lol what on earth has gone on at Bengalaru
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 82,311
    edited October 17
    Cookie said:

    Crocs...the Mrs Brown Boys of shoes....mystifying at continued popularity.

    I think they do well with the following groups:
    - people for whom having to tie laces or affix the shoe in some other way to the foot is a high cost - i.e. children
    - people for whom uncomfortable shoes are the norm and for whom a comfortable shoe is a weird and wonderful exception - i.e. women
    - people who value wipe clean footwear - i.e. people who work in hospitals

    I get the 3rd group. The first group, the likes of sketchers make shows that you can step into by pressing down the heel.
  • MaxPBMaxPB Posts: 38,885
    Sandpit said:

    Looks like the American SMR project might be back on again. Their first customer - Amazon, who are putting $500m into development of the technology.

    https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/24/10/16/144210/amazon-joins-push-for-nuclear-power-to-meet-data-center-demand

    Are the Brits really going to let this idea fall through, and hand the initiative to the two existing superpowers?

    If the Americans get theirs working and delivered, the unit price drops very quickly and any new entrants face huge barriers to entry.

    Don't worry, Labour are spending £22bn in carbon capture.
  • MaxPBMaxPB Posts: 38,885

    Rather than the unnecessary law on cables, this is an easy win for the UK government if they want some good PR....

    The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has adopted a 'click to cancel' rule, which aims to make it easier for people to end subscriptions. It will force companies to make subscription sign-ups and cancellations equally straightforward. Businesses, including retailers and gyms, will also have to get consent from customers before renewing subscriptions or converting free trials into paid memberships.

    https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c07nlvmyl05o

    The last government already introduced a similar law IIRC, click to cancel and emails 7 days before the cancellation deadline are already the law here.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 71,524
    edited October 17
    Sandpit said:

    Mr. Sandpit, SMR?

    Small Modular Reactor.

    Mini nuclear power plant, based on naval technology.
    I think the US one is a new design - the Kairos Power molten salt reactor (UK's Moltex is also trying to develop this, as are several other US companies). There have been experimental builds over the years, but it's never been used commercially or for the military.

    I suspect there will be a big first mover advantage.

    (edit) That's the company that Google signed a deal with last week.

    The Amazon deal isn't a confirmed order.
    It's also a new (different) design:
    https://x-energy.com/fuel/triso-x
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 82,311
    MaxPB said:

    Sandpit said:

    Looks like the American SMR project might be back on again. Their first customer - Amazon, who are putting $500m into development of the technology.

    https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/24/10/16/144210/amazon-joins-push-for-nuclear-power-to-meet-data-center-demand

    Are the Brits really going to let this idea fall through, and hand the initiative to the two existing superpowers?

    If the Americans get theirs working and delivered, the unit price drops very quickly and any new entrants face huge barriers to entry.

    Don't worry, Labour are spending £22bn in carbon capture.
    The reports are the budget will fudge the debt reporting and allow Reeves to announce a load of infrastructure building. Be interesting to see what they use this magic money for.
  • Crocs...the Mrs Brown Boys of shoes....mystifying at continued popularity.

    Scariest part of my surgery this year was the surgeon was wearing crocs as he assessed me.
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 82,311
    Oh FFS, simplest opportunity dropped.
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 82,311
    And another one....
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 82,311
    That is how you lose a test match.
  • Oh FFS, simplest opportunity dropped.

    What does Joe Root bring to this team?
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 50,581
    Sandpit said:

    Mr. Sandpit, SMR?

    Small Modular Reactor.

    Mini nuclear power plant, based on naval technology.
    Not all of them are based on naval technology - X-energy is doing something quite different. A variant on pebble reactors. https://x-energy.com
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 82,311
    I am not sure Root in slips is a great move. How many has he dropped over the past 1-2 years?
  • Crocs...the Mrs Brown Boys of shoes....mystifying at continued popularity.

    Crocs are fantastic for anyone doing outdoor stuff. I mountain bike and run a lot, and crocs are perfect for when you kick off your muddy shoes before you get in the van but still have stuff to do outside like cleaning the bikes off and putting your kit away. Same as the much maligned Dryrobe.
  • BurgessianBurgessian Posts: 2,772

    Badenoch is a cowardly version of TRUSS.

    There was an entire segment on Sophy Ridge last night of how she was running scared of the media.

    Those of us who were paying attention were unsurprised. She was invisible as a minister, just staged a disappearing act when the going got tough.

    If by more cowardly than Truss, you judge that she may think twice before blowing up the economy, then maybe that's not such a bad thing?
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 82,311
    edited October 17

    Crocs...the Mrs Brown Boys of shoes....mystifying at continued popularity.

    Crocs are fantastic for anyone doing outdoor stuff. I mountain bike and run a lot, and crocs are perfect for when you kick off your muddy shoes before you get in the van but still have stuff to do outside like cleaning the bikes off and putting your kit away. Same as the much maligned Dryrobe.
    Crocs and a DryRobe, I feel like you are ready for confessing to liking pineapple on pizza ;-)

    In all seriousness, I do get crocs for that sort of thing.
  • FeersumEnjineeyaFeersumEnjineeya Posts: 4,461
    edited October 17

    Crocs...the Mrs Brown Boys of shoes....mystifying at continued popularity.

    Scariest part of my surgery this year was the surgeon was wearing crocs as he assessed me.
    According to a my step-daughter's friend, a trainee doctor, the surgeons all wear crocs because it's easy to wash blood and other bodily fluids off them.
  • EabhalEabhal Posts: 8,797
    edited October 17
    Eabhal said:

    Sandpit said:

    Looks like the American SMR project might be back on again. Their first customer - Amazon, who are putting $500m into development of the technology.

    https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/24/10/16/144210/amazon-joins-push-for-nuclear-power-to-meet-data-center-demand

    Are the Brits really going to let this idea fall through, and hand the initiative to the two existing superpowers?

    If the Americans get theirs working and delivered, the unit price drops very quickly and any new entrants face huge barriers to entry.

    Sigh. I'd guess that the chance of successful SMR rollout would be higher than effective CCS. And a larger and quicker reduction in emissions.

    £22 billion. The list of things that would be a better use of the money grows - 22,000 miles of cycle lane. Tidal lagoons. Most of HS2 to Manchester. Half of Northern Powerhouse Rail. Perhaps 5MW of offshore wind.
    GW* actually quite hard to find a robust figure for the cost of an offshore wind farm, probably because the fixed transmission costs are so high. Economies of scale etc etc
  • LostPasswordLostPassword Posts: 18,632
    MaxPB said:

    Sandpit said:

    Looks like the American SMR project might be back on again. Their first customer - Amazon, who are putting $500m into development of the technology.

    https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/24/10/16/144210/amazon-joins-push-for-nuclear-power-to-meet-data-center-demand

    Are the Brits really going to let this idea fall through, and hand the initiative to the two existing superpowers?

    If the Americans get theirs working and delivered, the unit price drops very quickly and any new entrants face huge barriers to entry.

    Don't worry, Labour are spending £22bn in carbon capture.
    sobs quietly
  • Crocs...the Mrs Brown Boys of shoes....mystifying at continued popularity.

    Crocs are fantastic for anyone doing outdoor stuff. I mountain bike and run a lot, and crocs are perfect for when you kick off your muddy shoes before you get in the van but still have stuff to do outside like cleaning the bikes off and putting your kit away. Same as the much maligned Dryrobe.
    There’s still time for you to edit your post and remove the worst confession in the history of PB if not the internet.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 71,524
    How billionaires do politics.

    Wanted to clear something up. I have donated to both the Harris and Trump campaigns. Roughly equal amounts. It allowed my wife and me to meet both candidates and make a more informed decision. I have come to the conclusion that both candidates have their hearts in the right place, and while they would set different paths for America, I am optimistic that either path will be a positive step. I am endorsing both candidates.
    https://x.com/TimDraper/status/1846667443323994226

    Some decisiveness, there.
  • DavidLDavidL Posts: 53,939

    That is how you lose a test match.

    2 drops in one over may very well be the match.
  • TheScreamingEaglesTheScreamingEagles Posts: 119,783
    edited October 17

    MaxPB said:

    Sandpit said:

    Looks like the American SMR project might be back on again. Their first customer - Amazon, who are putting $500m into development of the technology.

    https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/24/10/16/144210/amazon-joins-push-for-nuclear-power-to-meet-data-center-demand

    Are the Brits really going to let this idea fall through, and hand the initiative to the two existing superpowers?

    If the Americans get theirs working and delivered, the unit price drops very quickly and any new entrants face huge barriers to entry.

    Don't worry, Labour are spending £22bn in carbon capture.
    sobs quietly
    The other day I spoke to a friend who works in the energy industry and is quite a lefty and he was scathing about Ed Miliband.

    The competence of Chris Grayling and the ideological entrenchment of Jeremy Corbyn was how he was described.
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 82,311

    MaxPB said:

    Sandpit said:

    Looks like the American SMR project might be back on again. Their first customer - Amazon, who are putting $500m into development of the technology.

    https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/24/10/16/144210/amazon-joins-push-for-nuclear-power-to-meet-data-center-demand

    Are the Brits really going to let this idea fall through, and hand the initiative to the two existing superpowers?

    If the Americans get theirs working and delivered, the unit price drops very quickly and any new entrants face huge barriers to entry.

    Don't worry, Labour are spending £22bn in carbon capture.
    sobs quietly
    The other day I spoke to a friend who works in the energy industry and is quite a lefty and he was scathing about Ed Miliband.

    The competence of Chris Grayling and the ideological entrenchment of Jeremy Corbyn was how he was described.
    Christ, its worse than I imagined.
  • CiceroCicero Posts: 3,090
    Nigelb said:

    How billionaires do politics.

    Wanted to clear something up. I have donated to both the Harris and Trump campaigns. Roughly equal amounts. It allowed my wife and me to meet both candidates and make a more informed decision. I have come to the conclusion that both candidates have their hearts in the right place, and while they would set different paths for America, I am optimistic that either path will be a positive step. I am endorsing both candidates.
    https://x.com/TimDraper/status/1846667443323994226

    Some decisiveness, there.

    If yiu think Trump's heart is in the right place, then you can only be a surgeon.
  • FishingFishing Posts: 5,084

    HYUFD said:

    Spin or not this Electoral Calculus poll for Jenrick showing him gaining an extra 27 more Tory seats at the next general election than Badenoch would is great for him given ballot papers are arriving on Tory members doorsteps this week and it was published in Tory house journal the Daily Telegraph.

    Indeed given a Yougov Tory members poll earlier this month had Badenoch now leading Jenrick just 52% to 48% it could be very close indeed
    https://yougov.co.uk/politics/articles/50624-conservative-members-and-the-2024-leadership-contest

    Except that even for someone right of centre such as me it feels like the maxim of "nobody cares" needs to be applied. Essentially it is a choice between two very poor candidates, rather like when the GE was a choice between PM Johnson or PM Corbyn. Dumb or even dumber?
    At least the last three general elections (May vs Corbyn, Johnson vs Corbyn, Sunak vs Starmer) have been between fairly or very poor candidates.

    The question is, at what point do we say that the problem isn't with individual parties or politicians, it's the whole arrogant, entitled, cynical, incompetent political class?
  • CookieCookie Posts: 13,913

    Crocs...the Mrs Brown Boys of shoes....mystifying at continued popularity.

    Crocs are fantastic for anyone doing outdoor stuff. I mountain bike and run a lot, and crocs are perfect for when you kick off your muddy shoes before you get in the van but still have stuff to do outside like cleaning the bikes off and putting your kit away. Same as the much maligned Dryrobe.
    Crocs and a DryRobe, I feel like you are ready for confessing to liking pineapple on pizza ;-)

    In all seriousness, I do get crocs for that sort of thing.
    Do you drive in crocs? If not, you're surely just adding an unnecessary intermediate stage between specialist sport shoes and whatever footwear you're driving in?

    I get the dryrobe in some circumstances (and have never maligned it) though I am often surprised by how often it is worn by schoolmums for dropoff.
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 82,311
    Cookie said:

    Crocs...the Mrs Brown Boys of shoes....mystifying at continued popularity.

    Crocs are fantastic for anyone doing outdoor stuff. I mountain bike and run a lot, and crocs are perfect for when you kick off your muddy shoes before you get in the van but still have stuff to do outside like cleaning the bikes off and putting your kit away. Same as the much maligned Dryrobe.
    Crocs and a DryRobe, I feel like you are ready for confessing to liking pineapple on pizza ;-)

    In all seriousness, I do get crocs for that sort of thing.
    Do you drive in crocs? If not, you're surely just adding an unnecessary intermediate stage between specialist sport shoes and whatever footwear you're driving in?

    I get the dryrobe in some circumstances (and have never maligned it) though I am often surprised by how often it is worn by schoolmums for dropoff.
    Plus chavs....
  • MaxPBMaxPB Posts: 38,885

    MaxPB said:

    Sandpit said:

    Looks like the American SMR project might be back on again. Their first customer - Amazon, who are putting $500m into development of the technology.

    https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/24/10/16/144210/amazon-joins-push-for-nuclear-power-to-meet-data-center-demand

    Are the Brits really going to let this idea fall through, and hand the initiative to the two existing superpowers?

    If the Americans get theirs working and delivered, the unit price drops very quickly and any new entrants face huge barriers to entry.

    Don't worry, Labour are spending £22bn in carbon capture.
    sobs quietly
    The other day I spoke to a friend who works in the energy industry and is quite a lefty and he was scathing about Ed Miliband.

    The competence of Chris Grayling and the ideological entrenchment of Jeremy Corbyn was how he was described.
    Yup, he's a disaster, the guy I met in energy at the industry AI conference last week was scathing. He said he thinks the government will spend £50bn+ and we'll still get blackouts in the 2030s based on the new plan.
  • TheuniondivvieTheuniondivvie Posts: 42,053

    Crocs...the Mrs Brown Boys of shoes....mystifying at continued popularity.

    Crocs are fantastic for anyone doing outdoor stuff. I mountain bike and run a lot, and crocs are perfect for when you kick off your muddy shoes before you get in the van but still have stuff to do outside like cleaning the bikes off and putting your kit away. Same as the much maligned Dryrobe.
    There’s still time for you to edit your post and remove the worst confession in the history of PB if not the internet.
    Otoh I have started looking longingly at Birkenstocks. Never too late to change..
  • EabhalEabhal Posts: 8,797
    edited October 17

    Crocs...the Mrs Brown Boys of shoes....mystifying at continued popularity.

    Crocs are fantastic for anyone doing outdoor stuff. I mountain bike and run a lot, and crocs are perfect for when you kick off your muddy shoes before you get in the van but still have stuff to do outside like cleaning the bikes off and putting your kit away. Same as the much maligned Dryrobe.
    Yep, dominate market share in the wilder parts of Scotland. I wear Keen Newports though - much better for dodgy river crossings.
  • theProletheProle Posts: 1,211

    MaxPB said:

    Sandpit said:

    Looks like the American SMR project might be back on again. Their first customer - Amazon, who are putting $500m into development of the technology.

    https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/24/10/16/144210/amazon-joins-push-for-nuclear-power-to-meet-data-center-demand

    Are the Brits really going to let this idea fall through, and hand the initiative to the two existing superpowers?

    If the Americans get theirs working and delivered, the unit price drops very quickly and any new entrants face huge barriers to entry.

    Don't worry, Labour are spending £22bn in carbon capture.
    sobs quietly
    The other day I spoke to a friend who works in the energy industry and is quite a lefty and he was scathing about Ed Miliband.

    The competence of Chris Grayling and the ideological entrenchment of Jeremy Corbyn was how he was described.
    That's mildly reassuring, the most dangerous option is that he's competently ideological, in which case we'll be back to the stone age by the end of this parliament.
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 82,311
    edited October 17
    Eabhal said:

    Crocs...the Mrs Brown Boys of shoes....mystifying at continued popularity.

    Crocs are fantastic for anyone doing outdoor stuff. I mountain bike and run a lot, and crocs are perfect for when you kick off your muddy shoes before you get in the van but still have stuff to do outside like cleaning the bikes off and putting your kit away. Same as the much maligned Dryrobe.
    Yep, dominate market share in the wilder parts of Scotland. I wear Keen Newports though - much better for dodgy river crossings.
    I thought Keen as a brand had gone down the tubes in terms of quality. They used to make great hiking boots, then went all cost engineer the hell out of them.
  • Crocs...the Mrs Brown Boys of shoes....mystifying at continued popularity.

    Crocs are fantastic for anyone doing outdoor stuff. I mountain bike and run a lot, and crocs are perfect for when you kick off your muddy shoes before you get in the van but still have stuff to do outside like cleaning the bikes off and putting your kit away. Same as the much maligned Dryrobe.
    There’s still time for you to edit your post and remove the worst confession in the history of PB if not the internet.
    As FrancisUrquhart noted, I like pineapple on pizza. I'm not keen on Radiohead, though. I vote Green, have long floppy hair and wear clothes like a teenage skateboarder. I'm also vegan. WTF am I doing on PB.com?
  • FishingFishing Posts: 5,084

    MaxPB said:

    Sandpit said:

    Looks like the American SMR project might be back on again. Their first customer - Amazon, who are putting $500m into development of the technology.

    https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/24/10/16/144210/amazon-joins-push-for-nuclear-power-to-meet-data-center-demand

    Are the Brits really going to let this idea fall through, and hand the initiative to the two existing superpowers?

    If the Americans get theirs working and delivered, the unit price drops very quickly and any new entrants face huge barriers to entry.

    Don't worry, Labour are spending £22bn in carbon capture.
    sobs quietly
    The other day I spoke to a friend who works in the energy industry and is quite a lefty and he was scathing about Ed Miliband.

    The competence of Chris Grayling and the ideological entrenchment of Jeremy Corbyn was how he was described.
    I worked at DECC in 2009-10 when he was the SofS. "Ideological entitlement" is putting it politely.

    "Swivel-eyed fanaticism of Ayatollah Khomeini" might be more accurate.
  • EabhalEabhal Posts: 8,797
    MaxPB said:

    MaxPB said:

    Sandpit said:

    Looks like the American SMR project might be back on again. Their first customer - Amazon, who are putting $500m into development of the technology.

    https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/24/10/16/144210/amazon-joins-push-for-nuclear-power-to-meet-data-center-demand

    Are the Brits really going to let this idea fall through, and hand the initiative to the two existing superpowers?

    If the Americans get theirs working and delivered, the unit price drops very quickly and any new entrants face huge barriers to entry.

    Don't worry, Labour are spending £22bn in carbon capture.
    sobs quietly
    The other day I spoke to a friend who works in the energy industry and is quite a lefty and he was scathing about Ed Miliband.

    The competence of Chris Grayling and the ideological entrenchment of Jeremy Corbyn was how he was described.
    Yup, he's a disaster, the guy I met in energy at the industry AI conference last week was scathing. He said he thinks the government will spend £50bn+ and we'll still get blackouts in the 2030s based on the new plan.
    I can't spot any decision that Miliband has made that materially changes the course of energy generation in the UK. Most of this stuff has been in the oven for years, including the closure of coal power, massive investment in offshore wind, even REMA. Indeed, the mistake over CCS speaks to industry capture, not the opposite.

    A lot of this stuff sounds like Telegraph speculation over the budget - hysterical speculation.
  • Cookie said:

    Crocs...the Mrs Brown Boys of shoes....mystifying at continued popularity.

    Crocs are fantastic for anyone doing outdoor stuff. I mountain bike and run a lot, and crocs are perfect for when you kick off your muddy shoes before you get in the van but still have stuff to do outside like cleaning the bikes off and putting your kit away. Same as the much maligned Dryrobe.
    Crocs and a DryRobe, I feel like you are ready for confessing to liking pineapple on pizza ;-)

    In all seriousness, I do get crocs for that sort of thing.
    Do you drive in crocs? If not, you're surely just adding an unnecessary intermediate stage between specialist sport shoes and whatever footwear you're driving in?

    I get the dryrobe in some circumstances (and have never maligned it) though I am often surprised by how often it is worn by schoolmums for dropoff.
    I don't drive in the Crocs. They're purely an intermediate stage for working around the van. The dryrobe (I have a cheaper make) just makes it easy to get out of muddy and wet biking gear and get warm quickly, while sorting kit out. It stays in the van. I wouldn't be seen dead at Waitrose in it!
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 50,581

    Crocs...the Mrs Brown Boys of shoes....mystifying at continued popularity.

    Crocs are fantastic for anyone doing outdoor stuff. I mountain bike and run a lot, and crocs are perfect for when you kick off your muddy shoes before you get in the van but still have stuff to do outside like cleaning the bikes off and putting your kit away. Same as the much maligned Dryrobe.
    There’s still time for you to edit your post and remove the worst confession in the history of PB if not the internet.
    Otoh I have started looking longingly at Birkenstocks. Never too late to change..
    Lots of people in rowing use crocs for the reasons above - a kick on/kick off shoe with a thick sole, water and dirt invulnerable...
  • EabhalEabhal Posts: 8,797

    Eabhal said:

    Crocs...the Mrs Brown Boys of shoes....mystifying at continued popularity.

    Crocs are fantastic for anyone doing outdoor stuff. I mountain bike and run a lot, and crocs are perfect for when you kick off your muddy shoes before you get in the van but still have stuff to do outside like cleaning the bikes off and putting your kit away. Same as the much maligned Dryrobe.
    Yep, dominate market share in the wilder parts of Scotland. I wear Keen Newports though - much better for dodgy river crossings.
    I thought Keen as a brand had gone down the tubes in terms of quality. They used to make great hiking boots, then went all cost engineer the hell out of them.
    I haven't had any issues with them, and recently worked in the industry. Easy returns process and their reps were good to work with.

    They are certainly not a brand to go with if you're doing serious mountain work over many weeks/months. Also remember that a lot of issues are model or factory specific - there was a a particular boot that fell apart almost immediately and we worked out precisely the batch and factory that was causing the issue.
  • MaxPB said:

    MaxPB said:

    Sandpit said:

    Looks like the American SMR project might be back on again. Their first customer - Amazon, who are putting $500m into development of the technology.

    https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/24/10/16/144210/amazon-joins-push-for-nuclear-power-to-meet-data-center-demand

    Are the Brits really going to let this idea fall through, and hand the initiative to the two existing superpowers?

    If the Americans get theirs working and delivered, the unit price drops very quickly and any new entrants face huge barriers to entry.

    Don't worry, Labour are spending £22bn in carbon capture.
    sobs quietly
    The other day I spoke to a friend who works in the energy industry and is quite a lefty and he was scathing about Ed Miliband.

    The competence of Chris Grayling and the ideological entrenchment of Jeremy Corbyn was how he was described.
    Yup, he's a disaster, the guy I met in energy at the industry AI conference last week was scathing. He said he thinks the government will spend £50bn+ and we'll still get blackouts in the 2030s based on the new plan.
    I am so glad we’ve got solar panels and a battery.
  • viewcodeviewcode Posts: 22,198
    MaxPB said:

    Sandpit said:

    Looks like the American SMR project might be back on again. Their first customer - Amazon, who are putting $500m into development of the technology.

    https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/24/10/16/144210/amazon-joins-push-for-nuclear-power-to-meet-data-center-demand

    Are the Brits really going to let this idea fall through, and hand the initiative to the two existing superpowers?

    If the Americans get theirs working and delivered, the unit price drops very quickly and any new entrants face huge barriers to entry.

    Don't worry, Labour are spending £22bn in carbon capture.
    The biggest argument in favour of small government is that it prevents stupid ministers spunking large amounts of public money on pet stupidities. This is an example of Labour's continuing devolution into elite circlejerking. Healey would have kneed him in the rude bits.
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 50,581
    Fishing said:

    MaxPB said:

    Sandpit said:

    Looks like the American SMR project might be back on again. Their first customer - Amazon, who are putting $500m into development of the technology.

    https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/24/10/16/144210/amazon-joins-push-for-nuclear-power-to-meet-data-center-demand

    Are the Brits really going to let this idea fall through, and hand the initiative to the two existing superpowers?

    If the Americans get theirs working and delivered, the unit price drops very quickly and any new entrants face huge barriers to entry.

    Don't worry, Labour are spending £22bn in carbon capture.
    sobs quietly
    The other day I spoke to a friend who works in the energy industry and is quite a lefty and he was scathing about Ed Miliband.

    The competence of Chris Grayling and the ideological entrenchment of Jeremy Corbyn was how he was described.
    I worked at DECC in 2009-10 when he was the SofS. "Ideological entitlement" is putting it politely.

    "Swivel-eyed fanaticism of Ayatollah Khomeini" might be more accurate.
    One of the biggest problems we have in government, I think, is that the solutions come first. Supplied by ideology.

    Whenever I've talked to people vaguely close to political power, the suggestion that policy should be based on scientific testing gets a "That's nice" in a very condescending tone. Apparently in the Real World, we need to Pick Winners. That are supplied by ideology.

    Where "ideology" seems to be the ideological capture of the close advisors to the person making the decision.

    For example, the UK Government (and many others, around the world) pursued and still purse the dream of Hydrogen as the Fuel of the Future. Billions spent on it. Number of cars running on hydrogen - a slack handful. Ironically, the failure of this effort had seriously damaged the enthusiasm for investment in areas where hydrogen might be useful as part of a Net Zero economy.

    A sane approach is to fund a range of approaches (battery is just one) and then increasingly back the ones that actually work.
  • CiceroCicero Posts: 3,090
    Phil said:

    HYUFD said:

    'Former President Trump is ahead of Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential contest 50%-48%, according to a new Fox News national survey. That’s a reversal from last month, when Harris had a narrow advantage.

    Harris, however, is ahead by 6 points among voters from the seven key battleground states, and the candidates are tied at 49% each among voters in close counties (where the Biden-Trump 2020 margin was less than 10 points). Trump’s advantage comes from a larger share in counties he won by more than 10 points in 2020 (64%-35%) than Harris has in counties Biden won by more than 10 points (58%-39%).

    That raises the question of whether the Democrat could win the Electoral College while losing the national popular vote. In 2000 and 2016, it was the GOP candidate who lost the popular vote but won the Electoral College'

    https://www.foxnews.com/official-polls/fox-news-poll-trump-ahead-harris-2-points-nationally

    It’s going to be amusing if Trump wins the largest number of votes but Harris still wins the electoral college.

    I predict outrage from Trumpists who will have conveniently forgetten about 2016 entirely.
    I think US polling is going to be the biggest loser of this election. If Harris wins, she wins big.
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 54,674

    MaxPB said:

    MaxPB said:

    Sandpit said:

    Looks like the American SMR project might be back on again. Their first customer - Amazon, who are putting $500m into development of the technology.

    https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/24/10/16/144210/amazon-joins-push-for-nuclear-power-to-meet-data-center-demand

    Are the Brits really going to let this idea fall through, and hand the initiative to the two existing superpowers?

    If the Americans get theirs working and delivered, the unit price drops very quickly and any new entrants face huge barriers to entry.

    Don't worry, Labour are spending £22bn in carbon capture.
    sobs quietly
    The other day I spoke to a friend who works in the energy industry and is quite a lefty and he was scathing about Ed Miliband.

    The competence of Chris Grayling and the ideological entrenchment of Jeremy Corbyn was how he was described.
    Yup, he's a disaster, the guy I met in energy at the industry AI conference last week was scathing. He said he thinks the government will spend £50bn+ and we'll still get blackouts in the 2030s based on the new plan.
    I am so glad we’ve got solar panels and a battery.
    But do you have the full two-way inverter, so that the battery can power the house with the mains off?

    The vast majority can’t, because of the switching circuits required.
  • theProletheProle Posts: 1,211

    MaxPB said:

    MaxPB said:

    Sandpit said:

    Looks like the American SMR project might be back on again. Their first customer - Amazon, who are putting $500m into development of the technology.

    https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/24/10/16/144210/amazon-joins-push-for-nuclear-power-to-meet-data-center-demand

    Are the Brits really going to let this idea fall through, and hand the initiative to the two existing superpowers?

    If the Americans get theirs working and delivered, the unit price drops very quickly and any new entrants face huge barriers to entry.

    Don't worry, Labour are spending £22bn in carbon capture.
    sobs quietly
    The other day I spoke to a friend who works in the energy industry and is quite a lefty and he was scathing about Ed Miliband.

    The competence of Chris Grayling and the ideological entrenchment of Jeremy Corbyn was how he was described.
    Yup, he's a disaster, the guy I met in energy at the industry AI conference last week was scathing. He said he thinks the government will spend £50bn+ and we'll still get blackouts in the 2030s based on the new plan.
    I am so glad we’ve got solar panels and a battery.
    One has to say that if they want to get household battery take-up up, having a grid with blackouts is the way to go, if rather harsh on the poor who can't afford them. Of course, this only partly solves the problem, not least because if everyone survives a blackout on batteries, when the grid comes back up, there will be massive demand the from all the inverters programed to put the batteries back up again ASAP. Which will probably knock the grid down flat again pronto.

    I suspect that the future looks more like Nigeria, where anyone who can possible afford one has their own diesel generating set.
  • CookieCookie Posts: 13,913
    Eabhal said:

    Eabhal said:

    Crocs...the Mrs Brown Boys of shoes....mystifying at continued popularity.

    Crocs are fantastic for anyone doing outdoor stuff. I mountain bike and run a lot, and crocs are perfect for when you kick off your muddy shoes before you get in the van but still have stuff to do outside like cleaning the bikes off and putting your kit away. Same as the much maligned Dryrobe.
    Yep, dominate market share in the wilder parts of Scotland. I wear Keen Newports though - much better for dodgy river crossings.
    I thought Keen as a brand had gone down the tubes in terms of quality. They used to make great hiking boots, then went all cost engineer the hell out of them.
    I haven't had any issues with them, and recently worked in the industry. Easy returns process and their reps were good to work with.

    They are certainly not a brand to go with if you're doing serious mountain work over many weeks/months. Also remember that a lot of issues are model or factory specific - there was a a particular boot that fell apart almost immediately and we worked out precisely the batch and factory that was causing the issue.
    On walking boots - has anyone had an issue whereby their middle toes go both numb and quite painful after a few miles? I bought a pair of Brasher boots - I was delighted with them. But every time I wear them by toes go numb after a few miles - even on quite innocuous terrain. They're now sitting folornly in the shed - I can't quite bring myself to part with them - and the miles are being done by some cheap Peter Storm boots which seem to do my feet no harm whatsoever.
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 123,404
    edited October 17
    Cicero said:

    Phil said:

    HYUFD said:

    'Former President Trump is ahead of Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential contest 50%-48%, according to a new Fox News national survey. That’s a reversal from last month, when Harris had a narrow advantage.

    Harris, however, is ahead by 6 points among voters from the seven key battleground states, and the candidates are tied at 49% each among voters in close counties (where the Biden-Trump 2020 margin was less than 10 points). Trump’s advantage comes from a larger share in counties he won by more than 10 points in 2020 (64%-35%) than Harris has in counties Biden won by more than 10 points (58%-39%).

    That raises the question of whether the Democrat could win the Electoral College while losing the national popular vote. In 2000 and 2016, it was the GOP candidate who lost the popular vote but won the Electoral College'

    https://www.foxnews.com/official-polls/fox-news-poll-trump-ahead-harris-2-points-nationally

    It’s going to be amusing if Trump wins the largest number of votes but Harris still wins the electoral college.

    I predict outrage from Trumpists who will have conveniently forgetten about 2016 entirely.
    I think US polling is going to be the biggest loser of this election. If Harris wins, she wins big.
    No, if Harris wins it will be down to the wire. 1960 JFK v Nixon or 2000 Bush v Gore close
  • Sean_FSean_F Posts: 37,415
    Barnesian said:

    eek said:

    Leon said:

    The Rest in Politics has been touring, and apparently Rory & Alastair have asked the audience at their various venues which leadership candidate they favour.

    Kemi: 10 or so.
    Jenrick: 10 or so.
    Cleverly: thousands.

    So if we can trust shows of hands from politically-motivated (who else would pay to see this pair?) mainly young people, the Tories have done stuffed up.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uty-EWzRMNU

    The next Tory leader has to neutralise reform, one way or another. Cleverly couldn’t do that
    It has to neutralize Reform or else it will die trying to do so.

    The problem with both of the options left is that it’s likely to do so because neither candidate attracts the Nigel Farage vote because they aren’t Nigel Farage.

    It’s no upside but I don’t think any of the 6 people who put their name forward were the correct option anyway - taking on Farage may just be an impossible task
    It's more likely that Farage will take them on. It think his game plan is to merge Reform with the Conservative Party and become its leader. If it is down to Tory members he might just succeed.

    He's 10/1 on Betfair to be Tory leader at the next election. (Thin market)
    I think what's happening in Western democracies is that the Populist right is absorbing the "mainstream" right.

    RN won 37% to 6% for LR, and Macron's government depends on their at least tolerating it. The never-Trump Republicans are now an irrelevance. Geert Wilders has eclipsed the Liberals and Christian Democrats. Meloni has eclipsed Forza Italia, and so on.
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 50,581

    MaxPB said:

    MaxPB said:

    Sandpit said:

    Looks like the American SMR project might be back on again. Their first customer - Amazon, who are putting $500m into development of the technology.

    https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/24/10/16/144210/amazon-joins-push-for-nuclear-power-to-meet-data-center-demand

    Are the Brits really going to let this idea fall through, and hand the initiative to the two existing superpowers?

    If the Americans get theirs working and delivered, the unit price drops very quickly and any new entrants face huge barriers to entry.

    Don't worry, Labour are spending £22bn in carbon capture.
    sobs quietly
    The other day I spoke to a friend who works in the energy industry and is quite a lefty and he was scathing about Ed Miliband.

    The competence of Chris Grayling and the ideological entrenchment of Jeremy Corbyn was how he was described.
    Yup, he's a disaster, the guy I met in energy at the industry AI conference last week was scathing. He said he thinks the government will spend £50bn+ and we'll still get blackouts in the 2030s based on the new plan.
    I am so glad we’ve got solar panels and a battery.
    As usual, the unintended effects of other policies may save the politicians.

    A minor rule change made smallish scale power storage very practical in planning terms. To the disgust of some Greens, a couple of ISO containers of storage isn't classed as a full power station.

    So every solar farming type is wondering about buying some of these - https://www.tesla.com/megapack (or equivalent). Enough to shift the production in the day to nighttime.

    So we may end up with a very robust, decentralised grid. With a huge, inbuilt, storage capacity.
  • Sean_FSean_F Posts: 37,415
    Cookie said:

    Crocs...the Mrs Brown Boys of shoes....mystifying at continued popularity.

    I think they do well with the following groups:
    - people for whom having to tie laces or affix the shoe in some other way to the foot is a high cost - i.e. children
    - people for whom uncomfortable shoes are the norm and for whom a comfortable shoe is a weird and wonderful exception - i.e. women
    - people who value wipe clean footwear - i.e. people who work in hospitals

    I once wore crocs and they flayed my feet.
  • Good morning

    I note Sky only has one news story today of the death of a pop star in Buenos Aires

    What is it with journalists and politicians who seem to have an obsession with the cult of celebrity

    It is very sad for his family and friends but surely there has to be a balance

    It appears cabinet ministers have failed to agree with Reeves for cuts in their department budgets, but welcome to the real world and the difficult choices and unpopularity that will go with them

    The IMF have warned the UK needs tax increases and cuts in public spending, not borrowing, and this is when labour realise they simply have not got the ability to fund all the promises they are making and other people's money has already been spent
  • PulpstarPulpstar Posts: 78,244
    edited October 17
    Trump's not going to win the popular vote and lose the electoral college, far too many votes come in late from the west coast for Harris that don't mean anything ECV wise running up the margin for Harris. If Trump wins the PV, he's won. Handily.
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 123,404
    Fishing said:

    HYUFD said:

    Spin or not this Electoral Calculus poll for Jenrick showing him gaining an extra 27 more Tory seats at the next general election than Badenoch would is great for him given ballot papers are arriving on Tory members doorsteps this week and it was published in Tory house journal the Daily Telegraph.

    Indeed given a Yougov Tory members poll earlier this month had Badenoch now leading Jenrick just 52% to 48% it could be very close indeed
    https://yougov.co.uk/politics/articles/50624-conservative-members-and-the-2024-leadership-contest

    Except that even for someone right of centre such as me it feels like the maxim of "nobody cares" needs to be applied. Essentially it is a choice between two very poor candidates, rather like when the GE was a choice between PM Johnson or PM Corbyn. Dumb or even dumber?
    At least the last three general elections (May vs Corbyn, Johnson vs Corbyn, Sunak vs Starmer) have been between fairly or very poor candidates.

    The question is, at what point do we say that the problem isn't with individual parties or politicians, it's the whole arrogant, entitled, cynical, incompetent political class?
    Yes, throw them out and elect a brilliant new politician who isn't from the corrupt Westminster class, vote for me, Nigel Farage!
  • LostPasswordLostPassword Posts: 18,632
    Sean_F said:

    Barnesian said:

    eek said:

    Leon said:

    The Rest in Politics has been touring, and apparently Rory & Alastair have asked the audience at their various venues which leadership candidate they favour.

    Kemi: 10 or so.
    Jenrick: 10 or so.
    Cleverly: thousands.

    So if we can trust shows of hands from politically-motivated (who else would pay to see this pair?) mainly young people, the Tories have done stuffed up.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uty-EWzRMNU

    The next Tory leader has to neutralise reform, one way or another. Cleverly couldn’t do that
    It has to neutralize Reform or else it will die trying to do so.

    The problem with both of the options left is that it’s likely to do so because neither candidate attracts the Nigel Farage vote because they aren’t Nigel Farage.

    It’s no upside but I don’t think any of the 6 people who put their name forward were the correct option anyway - taking on Farage may just be an impossible task
    It's more likely that Farage will take them on. It think his game plan is to merge Reform with the Conservative Party and become its leader. If it is down to Tory members he might just succeed.

    He's 10/1 on Betfair to be Tory leader at the next election. (Thin market)
    I think what's happening in Western democracies is that the Populist right is absorbing the "mainstream" right.

    RN won 37% to 6% for LR, and Macron's government depends on their at least tolerating it. The never-Trump Republicans are now an irrelevance. Geert Wilders has eclipsed the Liberals and Christian Democrats. Meloni has eclipsed Forza Italia, and so on.
    What's remarkable about the current situation is that so many Conservative party members want to see their party swallowed up by Reform/Farage.

    It's quite a contrast with the visceral loathing for competing parties on the left from Labour.
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 123,404

    Something odd there, according to this chap:

    The numbers don’t work. Supposedly under Jenrick
    LAB - 311 (-101)
    CON - 178 (+57)
    RUK - 24 (+19)
    LD - 58 (-14)
    Notice how there are 39 more losses than gains, which could only possibly be explained by a massive SNP revival. But these figures look way off.


    https://x.com/AtakinMarcus/status/1846652174077489270

    So, why are the Telegraph running with this?

    I don't think a large SNP revival is that unlikely given the way Labour have dropped since the election.
    Suspect that means finding a leader with the talent of Salmond or Sturgeon.
    Hardly. If Labour support drops like a stone then the SNP are still second in most of the Scottish seats. Who else will win them?

    Obviously this particular poll is optimistic about the SNP's prospects, but I don't think the conclusion is that it invalidates the poll, as implied.
    On the latest Holyrood poll the SNP are back as largest party but with the Scottish Tories holding the balance of power between them and Labour
  • CiceroCicero Posts: 3,090
    HYUFD said:

    Fishing said:

    HYUFD said:

    Spin or not this Electoral Calculus poll for Jenrick showing him gaining an extra 27 more Tory seats at the next general election than Badenoch would is great for him given ballot papers are arriving on Tory members doorsteps this week and it was published in Tory house journal the Daily Telegraph.

    Indeed given a Yougov Tory members poll earlier this month had Badenoch now leading Jenrick just 52% to 48% it could be very close indeed
    https://yougov.co.uk/politics/articles/50624-conservative-members-and-the-2024-leadership-contest

    Except that even for someone right of centre such as me it feels like the maxim of "nobody cares" needs to be applied. Essentially it is a choice between two very poor candidates, rather like when the GE was a choice between PM Johnson or PM Corbyn. Dumb or even dumber?
    At least the last three general elections (May vs Corbyn, Johnson vs Corbyn, Sunak vs Starmer) have been between fairly or very poor candidates.

    The question is, at what point do we say that the problem isn't with individual parties or politicians, it's the whole arrogant, entitled, cynical, incompetent political class?
    Yes, throw them out and elect a brilliant new politician who isn't from the corrupt Westminster class, vote for me, Nigel Farage!
    Garage is more corrupt than any of them...
  • Good morning

    I note Sky only has one news story today of the death of a pop star in Buenos Aires

    What is it with journalists and politicians who seem to have an obsession with the cult of celebrity

    It is very sad for his family and friends but surely there has to be a balance

    It appears cabinet ministers have failed to agree with Reeves for cuts in their department budgets, but welcome to the real world and the difficult choices and unpopularity that will go with them

    The IMF have warned the UK needs tax increases and cuts in public spending, not borrowing, and this is when labour realise they simply have not got the ability to fund all the promises they are making and other people's money has already been spent

    The Tories were going to do what, though?
  • WildernessPt2WildernessPt2 Posts: 715
    edited October 17
    Eabhal said:

    MaxPB said:

    MaxPB said:

    Sandpit said:

    Looks like the American SMR project might be back on again. Their first customer - Amazon, who are putting $500m into development of the technology.

    https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/24/10/16/144210/amazon-joins-push-for-nuclear-power-to-meet-data-center-demand

    Are the Brits really going to let this idea fall through, and hand the initiative to the two existing superpowers?

    If the Americans get theirs working and delivered, the unit price drops very quickly and any new entrants face huge barriers to entry.

    Don't worry, Labour are spending £22bn in carbon capture.
    sobs quietly
    The other day I spoke to a friend who works in the energy industry and is quite a lefty and he was scathing about Ed Miliband.

    The competence of Chris Grayling and the ideological entrenchment of Jeremy Corbyn was how he was described.
    Yup, he's a disaster, the guy I met in energy at the industry AI conference last week was scathing. He said he thinks the government will spend £50bn+ and we'll still get blackouts in the 2030s based on the new plan.
    I can't spot any decision that Miliband has made that materially changes the course of energy generation in the UK. Most of this stuff has been in the oven for years, including the closure of coal power, massive investment in offshore wind, even REMA. Indeed, the mistake over CCS speaks to industry capture, not the opposite.

    A lot of this stuff sounds like Telegraph speculation over the budget - hysterical speculation.
    Because he actually means it. The conservatives werent going to switch the gas off in 2030. The intention is to fully decarbonise the electricity network by 2030. There are a series of difficulties in this.
    1) the reversal in household decreases in energy consumption due to increased EV and gas boiler replacement
    2) the decommissioning of five nuclear power stations between now and 2030 with new ones not coming on stream until after that date.
    3) Five years and two months is not long enough to replace the 60% of electricity generated by nuclear and gas the other evening with renewables.

    It is a one way path to brown outs and black outs. It doesnt matter how many wind turbines you have, when its not windy they dont turn, low wind/no wind can often be a continent wide weather pattern and can last for quite a period of time.

    The system needs to be able to meet peak capacity with forms of energy that are always available, renewables often give the most power when you need them least. Lots of things can help ease the fluctuations like battery balancing. But at its core the system cannot work without natural gas being able to supply the bulk of demand at an instant's moment.

    It is not possible to have a functioning electricity grid and be carbon free with today's technology in the absence of rapid nuclear role out.

    We have a fanatic in charge of our energy system, and if you let him he will blow up (metaphorically) the gas pipelines rather than fail at his plan. Unless he relents energy is going to be either too expensive to use at peak times or it will be rationed.

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