When will the 32 counties reunite? – politicalbetting.com
Comments
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It looks more and more like a Nick Clegg tuition fees moment for them.bigjohnowls said:SKS on his own Facebook page on WASPI
https://x.com/owenjonesjourno/status/1869019281486446980/photo/10 -
Or Christmas presents for grandkidsMarqueeMark said:
"Look, give them a big payout and they'd only piss it away on booze and fags..."bigjohnowls said:SKS on his own Facebook page on WASPI
https://x.com/owenjonesjourno/status/1869019281486446980/photo/1
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While I don't approve of anyone throwing anything at politicians, even second or third class ones, I don't think throwing some harmless, like a milkshake, merits a prison sentence.Nigelb said:
We didn't have quite the same prisons crisis in 2019, though.Andy_JS said:"John Rentoul
@JohnRentoul
That “lenient” milkshake sentence is a propaganda gift to Nigel Farage. Me for @indypremium
I think the 28-day jail sentence for John Murphy, who egged Jeremy Corbyn in 2019, was two-tier justice"
https://x.com/JohnRentoul/status/1869050969960640750
This "two-tier" stuff is just crap.
Throwing a brick or something like might well be different. And an egg might well be dangerous.
1 -
Booze and fags for the grandkids perhaps?Daveyboy1961 said:
Or Christmas presents for grandkidsMarqueeMark said:
"Look, give them a big payout and they'd only piss it away on booze and fags..."bigjohnowls said:SKS on his own Facebook page on WASPI
https://x.com/owenjonesjourno/status/1869019281486446980/photo/13 -
Sad news.carnforth said:Eddie Stobart dead at 95:
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/breaking-eddie-stobart-dead-95-34336490
I've had many happy hours spent on motorways Stobart spotting, noting the lorry names with my boys when younger.
Drivers all in collar and tie too. Great respect for keeping up standards.2 -
Unfashionably, I think a slightly higher bar has to be put in place for politicians as it is for the police. I think this is pretty serious. Similar to egging John Prescott.OldKingCole said:
While I don't approve of anyone throwing anything at politicians, even second or third class ones, I don't think throwing some harmless, like a milkshake, merits a prison sentence.Nigelb said:
We didn't have quite the same prisons crisis in 2019, though.Andy_JS said:"John Rentoul
@JohnRentoul
That “lenient” milkshake sentence is a propaganda gift to Nigel Farage. Me for @indypremium
I think the 28-day jail sentence for John Murphy, who egged Jeremy Corbyn in 2019, was two-tier justice"
https://x.com/JohnRentoul/status/1869050969960640750
This "two-tier" stuff is just crap.
Throwing a brick or something like might well be different. And an egg might well be dangerous.1 -
You should adopt The Back Knight as your avatar.Shecorns88 said:OH dear Kemi
If you can't land a blow this week at PMQ it's truly time to go.
The two sides of the Chamber as SKS sat down, Labour cheering and laughing, Tories sat in abject stony silence
A few slaps landed early, easily rebuffed with swift left hooks, her failure to move off script cruelly exposed by the 4th and flat knockout for Starmer in the 6th.
Where do the utterly bereft Tories go from here.
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Nah. Booze and fags. You can see him thinking it...Daveyboy1961 said:
Or Christmas presents for grandkidsMarqueeMark said:
"Look, give them a big payout and they'd only piss it away on booze and fags..."bigjohnowls said:SKS on his own Facebook page on WASPI
https://x.com/owenjonesjourno/status/1869019281486446980/photo/10 -
A lot has changed since 2019, and not in a good way for the national finances.bigjohnowls said:SKS on his own Facebook page on WASPI
https://x.com/owenjonesjourno/status/1869019281486446980/photo/12 -
I think it's fair game to call out posters (on both sides) for regurgitating party lines. Most posters on here are able to form and articulate a reasoned view (and yes, we all have our prejudices and I'm sure we all display partiality from time to time). But I'm afraid I think you're fair game for criticism if every post you make reads like it came out of Party HQ.Northern_Al said:Normally the PB regulars strongly disapprove when posters start picking on other posters and making disparaging remarks about them. It would appear, however, that our latest left-wing poster is for some reason seen as fair game. I'm not sure why people can't just ignore comments they don't like, rather than attacking the poster making them.
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How can that be with all of the net contributors who have arrived since then? If you believe the standard narrative on immigration, we should be much better off.Foxy said:
A lot has changed since 2019, and not in a good way for the national finances.bigjohnowls said:SKS on his own Facebook page on WASPI
https://x.com/owenjonesjourno/status/1869019281486446980/photo/10 -
It shouldn't be a custodial sentence for a first offence. Not for Corbyn either.Cookie said:
Unfashionably, I think a slightly higher bar has to be put in place for politicians as it is for the police. I think this is pretty serious. Similar to egging John Prescott.OldKingCole said:
While I don't approve of anyone throwing anything at politicians, even second or third class ones, I don't think throwing some harmless, like a milkshake, merits a prison sentence.Nigelb said:
We didn't have quite the same prisons crisis in 2019, though.Andy_JS said:"John Rentoul
@JohnRentoul
That “lenient” milkshake sentence is a propaganda gift to Nigel Farage. Me for @indypremium
I think the 28-day jail sentence for John Murphy, who egged Jeremy Corbyn in 2019, was two-tier justice"
https://x.com/JohnRentoul/status/1869050969960640750
This "two-tier" stuff is just crap.
Throwing a brick or something like might well be different. And an egg might well be dangerous.0 -
What did the bloke who threw glitter over Keir Starmer get? A quick google showing charged but I can't find the sentencing.Cookie said:
Unfashionably, I think a slightly higher bar has to be put in place for politicians as it is for the police. I think this is pretty serious. Similar to egging John Prescott.OldKingCole said:
While I don't approve of anyone throwing anything at politicians, even second or third class ones, I don't think throwing some harmless, like a milkshake, merits a prison sentence.Nigelb said:
We didn't have quite the same prisons crisis in 2019, though.Andy_JS said:"John Rentoul
@JohnRentoul
That “lenient” milkshake sentence is a propaganda gift to Nigel Farage. Me for @indypremium
I think the 28-day jail sentence for John Murphy, who egged Jeremy Corbyn in 2019, was two-tier justice"
https://x.com/JohnRentoul/status/1869050969960640750
This "two-tier" stuff is just crap.
Throwing a brick or something like might well be different. And an egg might well be dangerous.0 -
It's true, if we hadn't offset the Brexit disaster with mass importation of workers under the Tories we would likely be even worse off.williamglenn said:
How can that be with all of the net contributors who have arrived since then? If you believe the standard narrative on immigration, we should be much better off.Foxy said:
A lot has changed since 2019, and not in a good way for the national finances.bigjohnowls said:SKS on his own Facebook page on WASPI
https://x.com/owenjonesjourno/status/1869019281486446980/photo/1
Big failure by the Tories to fail to build the infrastructure needed for their migration wave.3 -
I got mine a week or two ago and was going to post the same, but then didn't. I'm guessing a lot of people won't even notice going into their account. I nearly missed it. Several years ago I remember reading that when introduced it was worth £100 in today's money (at that time) so something north of that now. But really the admin must make it not worth doing now that it has lost so much value. I remember when I first got it getting correspondence about it which certainly must have cost a bit.Battlebus said:
Why are the well-off like me, getting a free £10 Xmas Bonus from the DWP - which arrived today. Pointless and expensive to administrate. What am I going to do with it? Pay it back when I do my Self Assessment in January.williamglenn said:
This government is getting a reputation for harming pensioners. There's even a novelty Christmas record:Nigelb said:Some fair, and some completely loopy reaction from Labour backbenchers.
https://x.com/breeallegretti/status/1869295305948070338
Major backlash from Labour MPs over decision to give no compensation to Waspi women.
MP Brian Leishman tells me’s “appalled” and “horrified” that no redress will be offered.
“It made me think of issues like Grenfell, Hillsborough and Orgreave. I think today is another one of those historic injustices that are a stain on society.
“The WASPI women have my ongoing solidarity. It’s important that many other Labour colleagues who feel in a similar boat show our collective view. That’s a fight I am up for and we have to stand shoulder to shoulder with those affected.”
Rachael Maskell, who also resisted cut to winter fuel allowance for millions of pensioners, also says: “Many of the poorest pensioners are WASPI women. So clearly, I am concerned about the human cost of this policy. Labour must be on the side of the poorest pensioners.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQrvmY5s2mo
A lot of this past detritus which may or not have been sensible at the time, needs culling.3 -
What a fucking ludicrous response to my stating that something annoys me..Anabobazina said:
Proper snowflake that Livermore chap.noneoftheabove said:
Blimey, its tough out there if you don't wish to offend.BlancheLivermore said:"Happy Christmas" annoys me
It's the one time of year when we can wish people merriness
I'll remember it for next time you get annoyed0 -
Might as well just make it a solid year at this point.
Nasa says that the astronauts stuck on the International Space Station will have to wait even longer to get home.
Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were due to be back after just a week when they blasted off in June.
Their stay was extended to February next year because of technical issues with the experimental spacecraft, Starliner, built by Boeing.
Now - following a delay in launching a new capsule to the ISS - the pair won't be back until late March or possibly April.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c30nze6e4geo2 -
I thought she did slightly better than usual this week at PMQs, but she is clearly not doing well.BatteryCorrectHorse said:Badenoch’s early results with YouGov.
Kemi Badenoch's early polling figures make for grim reading for the Tories, writes
@PME_Politics
Looks like a PM in waiting: 13%
Doing well as leader of the Conservative party: 20%
https://x.com/YouGov/status/1869344889856729402
It's 4 years or so until the next GE, but I suspect that both Starmer and Badenoch will not be leading their campaigns.0 -
They'll have to cancel Netflix and curtail their avocado buying habit.MarqueeMark said:
Nah. Booze and fags. You can see him thinking it...Daveyboy1961 said:
Or Christmas presents for grandkidsMarqueeMark said:
"Look, give them a big payout and they'd only piss it away on booze and fags..."bigjohnowls said:SKS on his own Facebook page on WASPI
https://x.com/owenjonesjourno/status/1869019281486446980/photo/10 -
Well this is an interesting dividing line. Attacking with an egg or a milkshake are clearly assault, albeit not assault likely to cause serious injury (but I suppose with the potential for doing so, in unfortunate circumstances). Glitter less so, really.noneoftheabove said:
What did the bloke who threw glitter over Keir Starmer get? A quick google showing charged but I can't find the sentencing.Cookie said:
Unfashionably, I think a slightly higher bar has to be put in place for politicians as it is for the police. I think this is pretty serious. Similar to egging John Prescott.OldKingCole said:
While I don't approve of anyone throwing anything at politicians, even second or third class ones, I don't think throwing some harmless, like a milkshake, merits a prison sentence.Nigelb said:
We didn't have quite the same prisons crisis in 2019, though.Andy_JS said:"John Rentoul
@JohnRentoul
That “lenient” milkshake sentence is a propaganda gift to Nigel Farage. Me for @indypremium
I think the 28-day jail sentence for John Murphy, who egged Jeremy Corbyn in 2019, was two-tier justice"
https://x.com/JohnRentoul/status/1869050969960640750
This "two-tier" stuff is just crap.
Throwing a brick or something like might well be different. And an egg might well be dangerous.
Still, I'd take a pretty dim view of all three. It's not something one does by accident. Fair enough, that person clearly takes quite a strong view that SKS is getting it wrong, but I am one enfranchised adult among 50 million. I had a vote, and was outvoted. I don't see why that voice should be any louder because that person is prepared to assault an elected representative.1 -
Slartibartfast is back ... maybe
Dent to replace Wallace on Celebrity MasterChef
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cr56v10v6yro1 -
Planet Earth is Bluekle4 said:Might as well just make it a solid year at this point.
Nasa says that the astronauts stuck on the International Space Station will have to wait even longer to get home.
Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were due to be back after just a week when they blasted off in June.
Their stay was extended to February next year because of technical issues with the experimental spacecraft, Starliner, built by Boeing.
Now - following a delay in launching a new capsule to the ISS - the pair won't be back until late March or possibly April.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c30nze6e4geo
And There's nothing I can do.0 -
TBF admin is minimal. A one-time setip to all OAPs. No letter, remember?kjh said:
I got mine a week or two ago and was going to post the same, but then didn't. I'm guessing a lot of people won't even notice going into their account. I nearly missed it. Several years ago I remember reading that when introduced it was worth £100 in today's money (at that time) so something north of that now. But really the admin must make it not worth doing now that it has lost so much value. I remember when I first got it getting correspondence about it which certainly must have cost a bit.Battlebus said:
Why are the well-off like me, getting a free £10 Xmas Bonus from the DWP - which arrived today. Pointless and expensive to administrate. What am I going to do with it? Pay it back when I do my Self Assessment in January.williamglenn said:
This government is getting a reputation for harming pensioners. There's even a novelty Christmas record:Nigelb said:Some fair, and some completely loopy reaction from Labour backbenchers.
https://x.com/breeallegretti/status/1869295305948070338
Major backlash from Labour MPs over decision to give no compensation to Waspi women.
MP Brian Leishman tells me’s “appalled” and “horrified” that no redress will be offered.
“It made me think of issues like Grenfell, Hillsborough and Orgreave. I think today is another one of those historic injustices that are a stain on society.
“The WASPI women have my ongoing solidarity. It’s important that many other Labour colleagues who feel in a similar boat show our collective view. That’s a fight I am up for and we have to stand shoulder to shoulder with those affected.”
Rachael Maskell, who also resisted cut to winter fuel allowance for millions of pensioners, also says: “Many of the poorest pensioners are WASPI women. So clearly, I am concerned about the human cost of this policy. Labour must be on the side of the poorest pensioners.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQrvmY5s2mo
A lot of this past detritus which may or not have been sensible at the time, needs culling.0 -
One of the most important articles you will read all year:
"If no one has told Donald Trump, then I will: His nickname on Chinese social media today is “Chuan Jianguo” — meaning “Trump the (Chinese) Nation Builder” — because of how his relentless China bashing and tariffs during his first term as president lit a fire under Beijing to double down on its efforts to gain global supremacy in electric cars, robots and rare materials, and to become as independent of America’s markets and tools as possible."
“China had its Sputnik moment — his name was Donald Trump,”
How Elon Musk and Taylor Swift Can Resolve U.S.-China Relations
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/17/opinion/us-china-musk-swift-tariffs-manufacturing.html1 -
Glitter probably quite scary as no idea what it is but would feel disorientating. Not sure it is any different to milkshake or liquids.Cookie said:
Well this is an interesting dividing line. Attacking with an egg or a milkshake are clearly assault, albeit not assault likely to cause serious injury (but I suppose with the potential for doing so, in unfortunate circumstances). Glitter less so, really.noneoftheabove said:
What did the bloke who threw glitter over Keir Starmer get? A quick google showing charged but I can't find the sentencing.Cookie said:
Unfashionably, I think a slightly higher bar has to be put in place for politicians as it is for the police. I think this is pretty serious. Similar to egging John Prescott.OldKingCole said:
While I don't approve of anyone throwing anything at politicians, even second or third class ones, I don't think throwing some harmless, like a milkshake, merits a prison sentence.Nigelb said:
We didn't have quite the same prisons crisis in 2019, though.Andy_JS said:"John Rentoul
@JohnRentoul
That “lenient” milkshake sentence is a propaganda gift to Nigel Farage. Me for @indypremium
I think the 28-day jail sentence for John Murphy, who egged Jeremy Corbyn in 2019, was two-tier justice"
https://x.com/JohnRentoul/status/1869050969960640750
This "two-tier" stuff is just crap.
Throwing a brick or something like might well be different. And an egg might well be dangerous.
Still, I'd take a pretty dim view of all three. It's not something one does by accident. Fair enough, that person clearly takes quite a strong view that SKS is getting it wrong, but I am one enfranchised adult among 50 million. I had a vote, and was outvoted. I don't see why that voice should be any louder because that person is prepared to assault an elected representative.1 -
Given the poster you are replying to that cannot be a shock.BlancheLivermore said:
What a fucking ludicrous responseAnabobazina said:
Proper snowflake that Livermore chap.noneoftheabove said:
Blimey, its tough out there if you don't wish to offend.BlancheLivermore said:"Happy Christmas" annoys me
It's the one time of year when we can wish people merriness
2 -
It's like talking to a cult member. Any evidence that challenges their beliefs is just rationalised away and they double down with ever greater commitment to the cause.Foxy said:
It's true, if we hadn't offset the Brexit disaster with mass importation of workers under the Tories we would likely be even worse off.williamglenn said:
How can that be with all of the net contributors who have arrived since then? If you believe the standard narrative on immigration, we should be much better off.Foxy said:
A lot has changed since 2019, and not in a good way for the national finances.bigjohnowls said:SKS on his own Facebook page on WASPI
https://x.com/owenjonesjourno/status/1869019281486446980/photo/1
Big failure by the Tories to fail to build the infrastructure needed for their migration wave.0 -
My point is that the two incidents are half a decade apart.OldKingCole said:
While I don't approve of anyone throwing anything at politicians, even second or third class ones, I don't think throwing some harmless, like a milkshake, merits a prison sentence.Nigelb said:
We didn't have quite the same prisons crisis in 2019, though.Andy_JS said:"John Rentoul
@JohnRentoul
That “lenient” milkshake sentence is a propaganda gift to Nigel Farage. Me for @indypremium
I think the 28-day jail sentence for John Murphy, who egged Jeremy Corbyn in 2019, was two-tier justice"
https://x.com/JohnRentoul/status/1869050969960640750
This "two-tier" stuff is just crap.
Throwing a brick or something like might well be different. And an egg might well be dangerous.
Whatever you think of the merits of the sentence, the comparison is simply dishonest.0 -
First introduced in 1972, inflation uprating would have made it £115.76 today.kjh said:
I got mine a week or two ago and was going to post the same, but then didn't. I'm guessing a lot of people won't even notice going into their account. I nearly missed it. Several years ago I remember reading that when introduced it was worth £100 in today's money (at that time) so something north of that now. But really the admin must make it not worth doing now that it has lost so much value. I remember when I first got it getting correspondence about it which certainly must have cost a bit.Battlebus said:
Why are the well-off like me, getting a free £10 Xmas Bonus from the DWP - which arrived today. Pointless and expensive to administrate. What am I going to do with it? Pay it back when I do my Self Assessment in January.williamglenn said:
This government is getting a reputation for harming pensioners. There's even a novelty Christmas record:Nigelb said:Some fair, and some completely loopy reaction from Labour backbenchers.
https://x.com/breeallegretti/status/1869295305948070338
Major backlash from Labour MPs over decision to give no compensation to Waspi women.
MP Brian Leishman tells me’s “appalled” and “horrified” that no redress will be offered.
“It made me think of issues like Grenfell, Hillsborough and Orgreave. I think today is another one of those historic injustices that are a stain on society.
“The WASPI women have my ongoing solidarity. It’s important that many other Labour colleagues who feel in a similar boat show our collective view. That’s a fight I am up for and we have to stand shoulder to shoulder with those affected.”
Rachael Maskell, who also resisted cut to winter fuel allowance for millions of pensioners, also says: “Many of the poorest pensioners are WASPI women. So clearly, I am concerned about the human cost of this policy. Labour must be on the side of the poorest pensioners.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQrvmY5s2mo
A lot of this past detritus which may or not have been sensible at the time, needs culling.
This is much lower than the last time I checked this, because the Bank of England have updated their inflation calculator with historical estimates of CPI to replace the previous RPI figures. RPI is normally higher than CPI because of the way it is calculated.2 -
Spot on, but talking about yourself is the first sign of madness.williamglenn said:
It's like talking to a cult member. Any evidence that challenges their beliefs is just rationalised away and they double down with ever greater commitment to the cause.Foxy said:
It's true, if we hadn't offset the Brexit disaster with mass importation of workers under the Tories we would likely be even worse off.williamglenn said:
How can that be with all of the net contributors who have arrived since then? If you believe the standard narrative on immigration, we should be much better off.Foxy said:
A lot has changed since 2019, and not in a good way for the national finances.bigjohnowls said:SKS on his own Facebook page on WASPI
https://x.com/owenjonesjourno/status/1869019281486446980/photo/1
Big failure by the Tories to fail to build the infrastructure needed for their migration wave.1 -
I think that the feeling of inevitability arose from the demographics. The catholics were out producing the protestants and would eventually also outvote them on the matter.kle4 said:It is sometimes treated as an inevitability the Ireland will be united, sometimes explicitly on the basis it's an island and therefore makes sense, which is a bit strange when there are many divided islands in the world.
That said i do think it will happen, but not this side of 2030. My gut feeling is that its widely supported but that support is prepared to wait.
The problem with this is the ever growing number of people who do not consider themselves either protestant or catholic. Why would they want to join Eire? A fairly compelling economic case would make the difference but I am not sure that is imminent. The southern Irish has a high GDP per capita but relatively little of that seems to make it to the tables of those who live there.2 -
"Mass importation", like "wave" and "influx" is one of those phrases we were told by pro-Europeans was nasty and demeaning to migrants. Or is it only nasty when it's said about europeans?Foxy said:
It's true, if we hadn't offset the Brexit disaster with mass importation of workers under the Tories we would likely be even worse off.williamglenn said:
How can that be with all of the net contributors who have arrived since then? If you believe the standard narrative on immigration, we should be much better off.Foxy said:
A lot has changed since 2019, and not in a good way for the national finances.bigjohnowls said:SKS on his own Facebook page on WASPI
https://x.com/owenjonesjourno/status/1869019281486446980/photo/1
Big failure by the Tories to fail to build the infrastructure needed for their migration wave.0 -
I think he was punning you on snowflake.BlancheLivermore said:
What a fucking ludicrous response to my stating that something annoys me..Anabobazina said:
Proper snowflake that Livermore chap.noneoftheabove said:
Blimey, its tough out there if you don't wish to offend.BlancheLivermore said:"Happy Christmas" annoys me
It's the one time of year when we can wish people merriness
I'll remember it for next time you get annoyed
1 -
I have a faint memory of reading a bit of Orwell's writing where he talked about the losing candidate in the constituency being carried aloft by the crowd and thrown in the nearby pond. One day we will return to such civilised rituals.OldKingCole said:
While I don't approve of anyone throwing anything at politicians, even second or third class ones, I don't think throwing some harmless, like a milkshake, merits a prison sentence.Nigelb said:
We didn't have quite the same prisons crisis in 2019, though.Andy_JS said:"John Rentoul
@JohnRentoul
That “lenient” milkshake sentence is a propaganda gift to Nigel Farage. Me for @indypremium
I think the 28-day jail sentence for John Murphy, who egged Jeremy Corbyn in 2019, was two-tier justice"
https://x.com/JohnRentoul/status/1869050969960640750
This "two-tier" stuff is just crap.
Throwing a brick or something like might well be different. And an egg might well be dangerous.0 -
I don't see anything perjorative about mass importation or wave. Influx is a synonym for invasion so yes could be seen as nasty.carnforth said:
"Mass importation", like "wave" and "influx" is one of those phrases we were told by pro-Europeans was nasty and demeaning to migrants. Or is it only nasty when it's said about europeans?Foxy said:
It's true, if we hadn't offset the Brexit disaster with mass importation of workers under the Tories we would likely be even worse off.williamglenn said:
How can that be with all of the net contributors who have arrived since then? If you believe the standard narrative on immigration, we should be much better off.Foxy said:
A lot has changed since 2019, and not in a good way for the national finances.bigjohnowls said:SKS on his own Facebook page on WASPI
https://x.com/owenjonesjourno/status/1869019281486446980/photo/1
Big failure by the Tories to fail to build the infrastructure needed for their migration wave.0 -
I'm interested in your final para - is the implication that while Ireland the country appears rich, this isn't felt by individual Irishmen and women? That surprises me. I don't know the country well but all I've seen of it looks pretty affluent.DavidL said:
I think that the feeling of inevitability arose from the demographics. The catholics were out producing the protestants and would eventually also outvote them on the matter.kle4 said:It is sometimes treated as an inevitability the Ireland will be united, sometimes explicitly on the basis it's an island and therefore makes sense, which is a bit strange when there are many divided islands in the world.
That said i do think it will happen, but not this side of 2030. My gut feeling is that its widely supported but that support is prepared to wait.
The problem with this is the ever growing number of people who do not consider themselves either protestant or catholic. Why would they want to join Eire? A fairly compelling economic case would make the difference but I am not sure that is imminent. The southern Irish has a high GDP per capita but relatively little of that seems to make the tables of those who live there.1 -
Keep the triple lock name. It helps.williamglenn said:
That's not a bad idea but it needs a catchy name. Maybe the triple stabiliser or the fairness formula.david_herdson said:
The triple lock should move to the middle of the three components, rather than the highest.kenObi said:
The Waspi ombudsman report was issued in March.numbertwelve said:
Completely agreed re the WASPI issue. I hope Starmer and co don’t cave to backbenchers on this - apparently there’s a lot of fury on the Labour side about the way this was announced and it being yet another lightning rod for public dissent.turbotubbs said:
Yes and no. I don't think Labour in their wildest dreams would have imagined quite how badly the Tory government would implode and quite how easy their election into power would be. They would be thinking that they needed to be all things to allTaz said:
It will be like the Lib Dems with tuition fees but on steroids. Just naive politics from Labour.numbertwelve said:The WASPI issue is once again showing up the flaws in Starmer’s tactics in opposition (complain about everything, worry about the detail after you win).
On the core topic the government are correct to hold firm.
But of course we now have a situation where all the key players in the government have tweets/photos/statements suggesting they would do something completely different.
I am a broken record on this, I admit, but that 2024 campaign and the period before it will just keep on causing problems for Labour all through this parliament. We exist in a weird political state where voters endorsed Labour (certainly in seat count) but were asked to write a blank cheque and now feel disappointed/taken for granted.menwomen to get a sniff of power. Principles are great, but you cannot do anything in opposition.
I have never thought that the Waspi women had a case. Equality cuts both ways and they had ample warning. No one received a letter on their retirement day telling them "sorry, no pension for 5 more years for you".
It is of course right that you can’t do anything in opposition but I think what is happening to Labour now is starting to show that by the same token you can’t just oppose everything and try to appeal to everyone and then row back once you’ve got your feet under the table. It is very cynical politics and l don’t think they got the balance right.
As usual Sunak & Hunt kicked it into the long grass as they concentrated on salting the earth rather than actually governing.
At least Labour have made the right (and difficult) decision.
If the main parties had any backbone they would address the issue of the triple lock jointly.
The state pension is now just over 30pc of average earnings it is bigger than at any point since 1968, and additionally auto enrolment is now 12 years old (or 7 years for smaller employers).
The triple lock should move to a CPI / RPI only increase from say 2030.
It's unaffordable unless the working population fancy chipping in more tax.0 -
Only 3 local by-elections tomorrow. There are Lab defences in Dudley and Swale. In Greenwich there is an unusual situation - a Lib Dem elected as Labour. I declare an interest here. The ward was in the old Woolwich East parliamentary seat which I fought 3 times as a Liberal in the 1970s. The Labour candidate in the last two was John Cartwright who has just died at the age of 90. He subsequently switched to the SDP and had my support in the 1980s. Indeed I met him in Paddy Ashdown's office and we jointly agreed that he would take the Liberal whip if re-elected as an Independent in 1987 (he wasn't).1
-
I think partly there will be the evidence that Dublin cares more about the six counties than London does.DavidL said:
I think that the feeling of inevitability arose from the demographics. The catholics were out producing the protestants and would eventually also outvote them on the matter.kle4 said:It is sometimes treated as an inevitability the Ireland will be united, sometimes explicitly on the basis it's an island and therefore makes sense, which is a bit strange when there are many divided islands in the world.
That said i do think it will happen, but not this side of 2030. My gut feeling is that its widely supported but that support is prepared to wait.
The problem with this is the ever growing number of people who do not consider themselves either protestant or catholic. Why would they want to join Eire? A fairly compelling economic case would make the difference but I am not sure that is imminent. The southern Irish has a high GDP per capita but relatively little of that seems to make the tables of those who live there.
Northern Ireland will miss out on hosting matches for the European football tournament because the London government pulled the plug on the stadium project. Dublin put up money for it.
Dublin is also putting up money for dualling the A5. There will be other infrastructure projects in the North where Dublin will be seen as a willing partner, but London an impediment.
Of course all this will change when the Irish public finances stop defying reality and start having the same problems as most other developed countries.0 -
It might be won or lost on trust though.bondegezou said:
I don’t think 2029 will be won or lost on WASPI, nor on frockgate.numbertwelve said:The WASPI issue is once again showing up the flaws in Starmer’s tactics in opposition (complain about everything, worry about the detail after you win).
On the core topic the government are correct to hold firm.
But of course we now have a situation where all the key players in the government have tweets/photos/statements suggesting they would do something completely different.
I am a broken record on this, I admit, but that 2024 campaign and the period before it will just keep on causing problems for Labour all through this parliament. We exist in a weird political state where voters endorsed Labour (certainly in seat count) but were asked to write a blank cheque and now feel disappointed/taken for granted.3 -
Interesting. To me "mass importation" is the only dodgy one, because it almost implies product not humans.noneoftheabove said:
I don't see anything perjorative about mass importation or wave. Influx is a synonym for invasion so yes could be seen as nasty.carnforth said:
"Mass importation", like "wave" and "influx" is one of those phrases we were told by pro-Europeans was nasty and demeaning to migrants. Or is it only nasty when it's said about europeans?Foxy said:
It's true, if we hadn't offset the Brexit disaster with mass importation of workers under the Tories we would likely be even worse off.williamglenn said:
How can that be with all of the net contributors who have arrived since then? If you believe the standard narrative on immigration, we should be much better off.Foxy said:
A lot has changed since 2019, and not in a good way for the national finances.bigjohnowls said:SKS on his own Facebook page on WASPI
https://x.com/owenjonesjourno/status/1869019281486446980/photo/1
Big failure by the Tories to fail to build the infrastructure needed for their migration wave.0 -
A lot of it is phantom GDP from big multinationals that pay little to no tax. At least until the Apple ruling which has now given Ireland a huge budget surplus which the government doesn't know what to do with. Lots of suggestions they won't spend the additional tax and instead hold it and give it back in tax credits to those big companies to avoid them all decamping to some other tax haven or to the UK (though that seems unlikely with how mental Labour have gone on tax)Cookie said:
I'm interested in your final para - is the implication that while Ireland the country appears rich, this isn't felt by individual Irishmen and women? That surprises me. I don't know the country well but all I've seen of it looks pretty affluent.DavidL said:
I think that the feeling of inevitability arose from the demographics. The catholics were out producing the protestants and would eventually also outvote them on the matter.kle4 said:It is sometimes treated as an inevitability the Ireland will be united, sometimes explicitly on the basis it's an island and therefore makes sense, which is a bit strange when there are many divided islands in the world.
That said i do think it will happen, but not this side of 2030. My gut feeling is that its widely supported but that support is prepared to wait.
The problem with this is the ever growing number of people who do not consider themselves either protestant or catholic. Why would they want to join Eire? A fairly compelling economic case would make the difference but I am not sure that is imminent. The southern Irish has a high GDP per capita but relatively little of that seems to make the tables of those who live there.3 -
Perhaps trust, but might also be won on the legacy from Truss.david_herdson said:
It might be won or lost on trust though.bondegezou said:
I don’t think 2029 will be won or lost on WASPI, nor on frockgate.numbertwelve said:The WASPI issue is once again showing up the flaws in Starmer’s tactics in opposition (complain about everything, worry about the detail after you win).
On the core topic the government are correct to hold firm.
But of course we now have a situation where all the key players in the government have tweets/photos/statements suggesting they would do something completely different.
I am a broken record on this, I admit, but that 2024 campaign and the period before it will just keep on causing problems for Labour all through this parliament. We exist in a weird political state where voters endorsed Labour (certainly in seat count) but were asked to write a blank cheque and now feel disappointed/taken for granted.0 -
Broadly speaking Ireland is as affluent as Britain, with public finances flattered by windfall corporation tax receipts, and by having more favourable demographics.Cookie said:
I'm interested in your final para - is the implication that while Ireland the country appears rich, this isn't felt by individual Irishmen and women? That surprises me. I don't know the country well but all I've seen of it looks pretty affluent.DavidL said:
I think that the feeling of inevitability arose from the demographics. The catholics were out producing the protestants and would eventually also outvote them on the matter.kle4 said:It is sometimes treated as an inevitability the Ireland will be united, sometimes explicitly on the basis it's an island and therefore makes sense, which is a bit strange when there are many divided islands in the world.
That said i do think it will happen, but not this side of 2030. My gut feeling is that its widely supported but that support is prepared to wait.
The problem with this is the ever growing number of people who do not consider themselves either protestant or catholic. Why would they want to join Eire? A fairly compelling economic case would make the difference but I am not sure that is imminent. The southern Irish has a high GDP per capita but relatively little of that seems to make the tables of those who live there.
But GDP per capita is twice as high as Britain.2 -
Musk is going to get them back before Boeing get something off the ground, isn't he?kle4 said:Might as well just make it a solid year at this point.
Nasa says that the astronauts stuck on the International Space Station will have to wait even longer to get home.
Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were due to be back after just a week when they blasted off in June.
Their stay was extended to February next year because of technical issues with the experimental spacecraft, Starliner, built by Boeing.
Now - following a delay in launching a new capsule to the ISS - the pair won't be back until late March or possibly April.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c30nze6e4geo0 -
Sorry - that should be 1992 General election.slade said:Only 3 local by-elections tomorrow. There are Lab defences in Dudley and Swale. In Greenwich there is an unusual situation - a Lib Dem elected as Labour. I declare an interest here. The ward was in the old Woolwich East parliamentary seat which I fought 3 times as a Liberal in the 1970s. The Labour candidate in the last two was John Cartwright who has just died at the age of 90. He subsequently switched to the SDP and had my support in the 1980s. Indeed I met him in Paddy Ashdown's office and we jointly agreed that he would take the Liberal whip if re-elected as an Independent in 1987 (he wasn't).
0 -
The big question will be how strong the “plague on both your houses” feel is by the next GE.noneoftheabove said:
Perhaps trust, but might also be won on the legacy from Truss.david_herdson said:
It might be won or lost on trust though.bondegezou said:
I don’t think 2029 will be won or lost on WASPI, nor on frockgate.numbertwelve said:The WASPI issue is once again showing up the flaws in Starmer’s tactics in opposition (complain about everything, worry about the detail after you win).
On the core topic the government are correct to hold firm.
But of course we now have a situation where all the key players in the government have tweets/photos/statements suggesting they would do something completely different.
I am a broken record on this, I admit, but that 2024 campaign and the period before it will just keep on causing problems for Labour all through this parliament. We exist in a weird political state where voters endorsed Labour (certainly in seat count) but were asked to write a blank cheque and now feel disappointed/taken for granted.
If there’s even a nugget of enthusiasm for one of Labour or the Tories over the other, it could prove decisive. We see little proof of that right now, but there is a way to run.
If they’re still both actively disliked and distrusted, Reform comes into the equation.0 -
President expected to defend himself in impeachment trial
https://m.koreatimes.co.kr/pages/article.asp?newsIdx=388741
PB's lawyers will no doubt advise us on how sensible this isn't.
0 -
I see that the editor until last month has totally refuted the Scott Trust claim that they consulted widely internally and externally about the sale "consultations did not extend to me, nor to my colleagues on the paper" and post-announcement "refused my request to address the trust once the proposed sale had been revealed, while other trust members said it would be inappropriate to discuss the matter with me individually".rottenborough said:Observer appoints Lucy Rock as editor as Tortoise Media sale confirmed
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2024/dec/18/observer-appoints-lucy-rock-as-editor-as-tortoise-media-sale-confirmed
Well she can't be worse than Viner, nepotism and OAP wank-fodder are the hallmarks of her Guardian editorship.1 -
Over in Canada, Trudeau continues to cling on for dear life.
I read this morning that the Liberal Party cannot have a VONC in their leader unless they lose a GE. That means he can just stay unless he loses a parliamentary confidence vote, which is plausible but far from certain in the new year, or he just agrees to go.
Much more staying power than a Tory leader!0 -
With that convoluted relationship he could be supplying most of the UK and half of Europe with turkeys. I probably have a closer relationship to him than you do.Selebian said:
Good turkey can actually be quite tasty. Ours now comes (when we do turkey, which is not every year) from the daughter of my in-laws' former next door neighbour, who has a small farm and they have a hell of a lot more flavour than the standard supermarket - or even local butcher - ones.kjh said:
Agree. Boring meat. We will be having duck, as we did last year. The 3 years before that I made a Beef Wellington. A lot of hassle on Christmas Eve, but easy on the daynoneoftheabove said:
Turkey is a rubbish meat for Christmas dinner?MattW said:I'm sticking with my fairly consistent (so far) line that the Starmer Govt are to date getting the strategic decisions about right and moving carefully as the situation requires, but need some PR Rottweilers.
They are not being driven by short-termist demands on the whole, or the rattling noise the Opposition are occasionally making when they try to escape from the dustbin of history, which is the correct way.
I wonder what the Kemikaze line will be tomorrow?
This does however involve me meeting up with the farmer on Christmas eve in a car park with some cash, often under cover of darkness, and looking like I'm doing a drugs transaction
0 -
I've often recommended Sean Trende. His article The God That Failed, is a useful corrective to arguments that demographic changes make victory for one political side or another inevitable. As demographics change, so, very often, do political opinions.DavidL said:
I think that the feeling of inevitability arose from the demographics. The catholics were out producing the protestants and would eventually also outvote them on the matter.kle4 said:It is sometimes treated as an inevitability the Ireland will be united, sometimes explicitly on the basis it's an island and therefore makes sense, which is a bit strange when there are many divided islands in the world.
That said i do think it will happen, but not this side of 2030. My gut feeling is that its widely supported but that support is prepared to wait.
The problem with this is the ever growing number of people who do not consider themselves either protestant or catholic. Why would they want to join Eire? A fairly compelling economic case would make the difference but I am not sure that is imminent. The southern Irish has a high GDP per capita but relatively little of that seems to make it to the tables of those who live there.0 -
A colleague of mine has just shown me a photograph of him introducing Justin Trudeau to one of his family's cows, to the apparent disproportionate delight of both humans and possibly also the cow.numbertwelve said:Over in Canada, Trudeau continues to cling on for dear life.
I read this morning that the Liberal Party cannot have a VONC in their leader unless they lose a GE. That means he can just stay unless he loses a parliamentary confidence vote, which is plausible but far from certain in the new year, or he just agrees to go.
Much more staying power than a Tory leader!
I don't think there are any political or betting implications of this however.0 -
They have a large dod of cash that they didn't really want courtesy of the EU's rules on tax avoidance but even although it is large it is also finite.LostPassword said:
I think partly there will be the evidence that Dublin cares more about the six counties than London does.DavidL said:
I think that the feeling of inevitability arose from the demographics. The catholics were out producing the protestants and would eventually also outvote them on the matter.kle4 said:It is sometimes treated as an inevitability the Ireland will be united, sometimes explicitly on the basis it's an island and therefore makes sense, which is a bit strange when there are many divided islands in the world.
That said i do think it will happen, but not this side of 2030. My gut feeling is that its widely supported but that support is prepared to wait.
The problem with this is the ever growing number of people who do not consider themselves either protestant or catholic. Why would they want to join Eire? A fairly compelling economic case would make the difference but I am not sure that is imminent. The southern Irish has a high GDP per capita but relatively little of that seems to make the tables of those who live there.
Northern Ireland will miss out on hosting matches for the European football tournament because the London government pulled the plug on the stadium project. Dublin put up money for it.
Dublin is also putting up money for dualling the A5. There will be other infrastructure projects in the North where Dublin will be seen as a willing partner, but London an impediment.
Of course all this will change when the Irish public finances stop defying reality and start having the same problems as most other developed countries.0 -
Generally yes, but astroturfers have always had a hard time, especially if they are particularly inept and obvious at their job... 😂Northern_Al said:Normally the PB regulars strongly disapprove when posters start picking on other posters and making disparaging remarks about them. It would appear, however, that our latest left-wing poster is for some reason seen as fair game. I'm not sure why people can't just ignore comments they don't like, rather than attacking the poster making them.
0 -
Eire has an exceptionally large difference between GDP and GNP: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_the_Republic_of_IrelandCookie said:
I'm interested in your final para - is the implication that while Ireland the country appears rich, this isn't felt by individual Irishmen and women? That surprises me. I don't know the country well but all I've seen of it looks pretty affluent.DavidL said:
I think that the feeling of inevitability arose from the demographics. The catholics were out producing the protestants and would eventually also outvote them on the matter.kle4 said:It is sometimes treated as an inevitability the Ireland will be united, sometimes explicitly on the basis it's an island and therefore makes sense, which is a bit strange when there are many divided islands in the world.
That said i do think it will happen, but not this side of 2030. My gut feeling is that its widely supported but that support is prepared to wait.
The problem with this is the ever growing number of people who do not consider themselves either protestant or catholic. Why would they want to join Eire? A fairly compelling economic case would make the difference but I am not sure that is imminent. The southern Irish has a high GDP per capita but relatively little of that seems to make the tables of those who live there.
Basically, this is because the wealth generated from the computer plants etc transplanted from the US doesn't stay onshore but returns to America. Add in the low rate of tax they generally apply and it doesn't make them as nearly as wealthy as their quite remarkable GDP (over $96k a head) indicates.2 -
The plan was (after the Starliner debacle) that they would return by SpaceX Dragondavid_herdson said:
Musk is going to get them back before Boeing get something off the ground, isn't he?kle4 said:Might as well just make it a solid year at this point.
Nasa says that the astronauts stuck on the International Space Station will have to wait even longer to get home.
Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were due to be back after just a week when they blasted off in June.
Their stay was extended to February next year because of technical issues with the experimental spacecraft, Starliner, built by Boeing.
Now - following a delay in launching a new capsule to the ISS - the pair won't be back until late March or possibly April.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c30nze6e4geo
If Starliner survives the next NASA administrator, then it will fly an unmanned cargo mission to the station. At some point.
0 -
Happy Christmas is my usual phrase. Maybe I should change it.BlancheLivermore said:"Happy Christmas" annoys me
It's the one time of year when we can wish people merriness2 -
Feel however you would like this wintertime?Andy_JS said:
Happy Christmas is my usual phrase. Maybe I should change it.BlancheLivermore said:"Happy Christmas" annoys me
It's the one time of year when we can wish people merriness3 -
Congratulations (not for the flu jab obviously).Selebian said:
The flu vaccine is offered as standard at my kids' school - I assumed universal for kids in that age, doubt the school are paying for it. For adults it's at risk groups (i.e. my pregnant wife has had it, I have not)MattW said:
This interested me, so I went to look.DecrepiterJohnL said:UKHSA recommends simple steps to avoid winter bugs this festive season
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ukhsa-recommends-simple-steps-to-avoid-winter-bugs-this-festive-season
Wash your hands!
This part puzzled me: School-aged children in reception through to year 11 are also eligible for a free flu vaccine, delivered as a nasal spray in schools or as an injection for those with medical or faith exemptions.
First that we are vaccinating children against flu, second that someone has invented nasal spray vaccinations, but third, which forward-thinking religion centuries ago banned vaccinations up the nose but accepts them through a needle?
Nasal influenza vaccines have been a thing in the UK since 2013.
Children who get the flu vaccine are either clinically at-risk groups, or in households of who are immunocompromised.
I had the shingles jab a few weeks ago on turning 70. It poleaxed me. Flu and covid a few weeks before were fine.1 -
I know I should read Sean Trende. It's just that his name in my inner monologue is "Sean Trendy" and it makes me giggle.Sean_F said:
I've often recommended Sean Trende. His article The God That Failed, is a useful corrective to arguments that demographic changes make victory for one political side or another inevitable. As demographics change, so, very often, do political opinions.DavidL said:
I think that the feeling of inevitability arose from the demographics. The catholics were out producing the protestants and would eventually also outvote them on the matter.kle4 said:It is sometimes treated as an inevitability the Ireland will be united, sometimes explicitly on the basis it's an island and therefore makes sense, which is a bit strange when there are many divided islands in the world.
That said i do think it will happen, but not this side of 2030. My gut feeling is that its widely supported but that support is prepared to wait.
The problem with this is the ever growing number of people who do not consider themselves either protestant or catholic. Why would they want to join Eire? A fairly compelling economic case would make the difference but I am not sure that is imminent. The southern Irish has a high GDP per capita but relatively little of that seems to make it to the tables of those who live there.
0 -
Apparently the actress Kim Cattrall knows him as well. Not saying she's a cow. One of her co-stars may disagree. But she talked about it in an interview.Cookie said:
A colleague of mine has just shown me a photograph of him introducing Justin Trudeau to one of his family's cows, to the apparent disproportionate delight of both humans and possibly also the cow.numbertwelve said:Over in Canada, Trudeau continues to cling on for dear life.
I read this morning that the Liberal Party cannot have a VONC in their leader unless they lose a GE. That means he can just stay unless he loses a parliamentary confidence vote, which is plausible but far from certain in the new year, or he just agrees to go.
Much more staying power than a Tory leader!
I don't think there are any political or betting implications of this however.1 -
Looks like the final percentages are
Trump 49.74%
Harris 48.27%
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_United_States_presidential_election#Results0 -
When you say "Dublin put up money for it" meaning Casement Park, they put in £40 million and the project was up to £400m with barely a spade in the ground. Grounds this side of the Irish Sea have struggled to come in under budget.LostPassword said:
I think partly there will be the evidence that Dublin cares more about the six counties than London does.DavidL said:
I think that the feeling of inevitability arose from the demographics. The catholics were out producing the protestants and would eventually also outvote them on the matter.kle4 said:It is sometimes treated as an inevitability the Ireland will be united, sometimes explicitly on the basis it's an island and therefore makes sense, which is a bit strange when there are many divided islands in the world.
That said i do think it will happen, but not this side of 2030. My gut feeling is that its widely supported but that support is prepared to wait.
The problem with this is the ever growing number of people who do not consider themselves either protestant or catholic. Why would they want to join Eire? A fairly compelling economic case would make the difference but I am not sure that is imminent. The southern Irish has a high GDP per capita but relatively little of that seems to make the tables of those who live there.
Northern Ireland will miss out on hosting matches for the European football tournament because the London government pulled the plug on the stadium project. Dublin put up money for it.
Dublin is also putting up money for dualling the A5. There will be other infrastructure projects in the North where Dublin will be seen as a willing partner, but London an impediment.
Of course all this will change when the Irish public finances stop defying reality and start having the same problems as most other developed countries.
Does NI need a £400m stadium for GAA and Hurling ?
The Ulster Championship gets 100k people attending.
Not for 1 match but accross the whole EIGHT matches.1 -
Keir Starmer says the taxpayer can't afford "tens of billions of pounds" in compensation in the Waspi pension case
He's explaining...1 -
Starmer's Labour never considered the notion of hostages to fortune whilst in opposition.david_herdson said:
It might be won or lost on trust though.bondegezou said:
I don’t think 2029 will be won or lost on WASPI, nor on frockgate.numbertwelve said:The WASPI issue is once again showing up the flaws in Starmer’s tactics in opposition (complain about everything, worry about the detail after you win).
On the core topic the government are correct to hold firm.
But of course we now have a situation where all the key players in the government have tweets/photos/statements suggesting they would do something completely different.
I am a broken record on this, I admit, but that 2024 campaign and the period before it will just keep on causing problems for Labour all through this parliament. We exist in a weird political state where voters endorsed Labour (certainly in seat count) but were asked to write a blank cheque and now feel disappointed/taken for granted.1 -
“Yes I promised compensation, but I’m just a lawyer. I didn’t know how much it would cost.”Pulpstar said:Keir Starmer says the taxpayer can't afford "tens of billions of pounds" in compensation in the Waspi pension case
He's explaining...1 -
I pointed out, above, that 21% of NI Catholics, when polled, said they would vote against unification.viewcode said:
I know I should read Sean Trende. It's just that his name in my inner monologue is "Sean Trendy" and it makes me giggle.Sean_F said:
I've often recommended Sean Trende. His article The God That Failed, is a useful corrective to arguments that demographic changes make victory for one political side or another inevitable. As demographics change, so, very often, do political opinions.DavidL said:
I think that the feeling of inevitability arose from the demographics. The catholics were out producing the protestants and would eventually also outvote them on the matter.kle4 said:It is sometimes treated as an inevitability the Ireland will be united, sometimes explicitly on the basis it's an island and therefore makes sense, which is a bit strange when there are many divided islands in the world.
That said i do think it will happen, but not this side of 2030. My gut feeling is that its widely supported but that support is prepared to wait.
The problem with this is the ever growing number of people who do not consider themselves either protestant or catholic. Why would they want to join Eire? A fairly compelling economic case would make the difference but I am not sure that is imminent. The southern Irish has a high GDP per capita but relatively little of that seems to make it to the tables of those who live there.
This isn’t an unusual result either. Even during the troubles, a noticeable percentage of *SF* supporters polled no on unification. Yes, the political wing of the PIRA…1 -
Can Biden pardon Liz Cheney for any “crimes” she might have committed to prevent Trump and his winged Monkeys going after her?0
-
Trump could do a one off deal to send Bush and Cheney to The Hague.boulay said:Can Biden pardon Liz Cheney for any “crimes” she might have committed to prevent Trump and his winged Monkeys going after her?
0 -
It does look as though Trump, instead of getting on with the job in hand, is going to spend some time seeking those who have 'harmed' him in the past and exacting retribution. Justified, to the wider world, or not.Taz said:
Surely if she has done nothing wrong she has nothing to fear ?boulay said:Can Biden pardon Liz Cheney for any “crimes” she might have committed to prevent Trump and his winged Monkeys going after her?
0 -
Liz Truss also got off to a rocky start as leader…..TimS said:
And a rocky start as PM in 1979-81GIN1138 said:
Your weekly reminder that Maggie got off to a rocky start as LOTO in '75BatteryCorrectHorse said:Badenoch’s early results with YouGov.
Kemi Badenoch's early polling figures make for grim reading for the Tories, writes
@PME_Politics
Looks like a PM in waiting: 13%
Doing well as leader of the Conservative party: 20%
https://x.com/YouGov/status/18693448898567294020 -
If you look closely Irelands demographics are extraordinary.LostPassword said:
Broadly speaking Ireland is as affluent as Britain, with public finances flattered by windfall corporation tax receipts, and by having more favourable demographics.Cookie said:
I'm interested in your final para - is the implication that while Ireland the country appears rich, this isn't felt by individual Irishmen and women? That surprises me. I don't know the country well but all I've seen of it looks pretty affluent.DavidL said:
I think that the feeling of inevitability arose from the demographics. The catholics were out producing the protestants and would eventually also outvote them on the matter.kle4 said:It is sometimes treated as an inevitability the Ireland will be united, sometimes explicitly on the basis it's an island and therefore makes sense, which is a bit strange when there are many divided islands in the world.
That said i do think it will happen, but not this side of 2030. My gut feeling is that its widely supported but that support is prepared to wait.
The problem with this is the ever growing number of people who do not consider themselves either protestant or catholic. Why would they want to join Eire? A fairly compelling economic case would make the difference but I am not sure that is imminent. The southern Irish has a high GDP per capita but relatively little of that seems to make the tables of those who live there.
But GDP per capita is twice as high as Britain.
Median age 1985 was 26.3
Now it is about 39
It's forecast to be a little higher than the UK in 30 years time
It feels mile more affluent than when I first worked regularly in the 1980's
Does it feel much more affluent than the UK ?
Not really.
Visitors rarely see Drogheda or Tallaght.1 -
By the same token how many Unionists would go for unification. Probably not as many in percentage terms.Malmesbury said:
I pointed out, above, that 21% of NI Catholics, when polled, said they would vote against unification.viewcode said:
I know I should read Sean Trende. It's just that his name in my inner monologue is "Sean Trendy" and it makes me giggle.Sean_F said:
I've often recommended Sean Trende. His article The God That Failed, is a useful corrective to arguments that demographic changes make victory for one political side or another inevitable. As demographics change, so, very often, do political opinions.DavidL said:
I think that the feeling of inevitability arose from the demographics. The catholics were out producing the protestants and would eventually also outvote them on the matter.kle4 said:It is sometimes treated as an inevitability the Ireland will be united, sometimes explicitly on the basis it's an island and therefore makes sense, which is a bit strange when there are many divided islands in the world.
That said i do think it will happen, but not this side of 2030. My gut feeling is that its widely supported but that support is prepared to wait.
The problem with this is the ever growing number of people who do not consider themselves either protestant or catholic. Why would they want to join Eire? A fairly compelling economic case would make the difference but I am not sure that is imminent. The southern Irish has a high GDP per capita but relatively little of that seems to make it to the tables of those who live there.
This isn’t an unusual result either. Even during the troubles, a noticeable percentage of *SF* supporters polled no on unification. Yes, the political wing of the PIRA…
Does it ?OldKingCole said:
It does look as though Trump, instead of getting on with the job in hand, is going to spend some time seeking those who have 'harmed' him in the past and exacting retribution. Justified, to the wider world, or not.Taz said:
Surely if she has done nothing wrong she has nothing to fear ?boulay said:Can Biden pardon Liz Cheney for any “crimes” she might have committed to prevent Trump and his winged Monkeys going after her?
0 -
Most expensive holiday in history?kle4 said:Might as well just make it a solid year at this point.
Nasa says that the astronauts stuck on the International Space Station will have to wait even longer to get home.
Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were due to be back after just a week when they blasted off in June.
Their stay was extended to February next year because of technical issues with the experimental spacecraft, Starliner, built by Boeing.
Now - following a delay in launching a new capsule to the ISS - the pair won't be back until late March or possibly April.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c30nze6e4geo
They were supposed to be home in 10 days, now it’s going to be 10 months. The Starliner that took them up there cost $2bn to design and build but couldn’t bring them home, and the Falcon that will collect them costs around $150m - plus their food and lodgings for the ten months, living in the most expensive object that man has ever built.
I’d sign up for that tomorrow!
0 -
Highest GOP voteshare for their presidential candidate since the 50.7% for George W Bush in 2004 when he was re elected as President.Andy_JS said:Looks like the final percentages are
Trump 49.74%
Harris 48.27%
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_United_States_presidential_election#Results
Though on the positive side for Democrats they took Congress two years later in the 2006 midterms and won back the White House with Obama and Biden in 2008 with a big win over McCain and Palin1 -
The numbers vary. There is a block of Protestants who are not Unionists. But generally smaller, as you say.Taz said:
By the same token how many Unionists would go for unification. Probably not as many in percentage terms.Malmesbury said:
I pointed out, above, that 21% of NI Catholics, when polled, said they would vote against unification.viewcode said:
I know I should read Sean Trende. It's just that his name in my inner monologue is "Sean Trendy" and it makes me giggle.Sean_F said:
I've often recommended Sean Trende. His article The God That Failed, is a useful corrective to arguments that demographic changes make victory for one political side or another inevitable. As demographics change, so, very often, do political opinions.DavidL said:
I think that the feeling of inevitability arose from the demographics. The catholics were out producing the protestants and would eventually also outvote them on the matter.kle4 said:It is sometimes treated as an inevitability the Ireland will be united, sometimes explicitly on the basis it's an island and therefore makes sense, which is a bit strange when there are many divided islands in the world.
That said i do think it will happen, but not this side of 2030. My gut feeling is that its widely supported but that support is prepared to wait.
The problem with this is the ever growing number of people who do not consider themselves either protestant or catholic. Why would they want to join Eire? A fairly compelling economic case would make the difference but I am not sure that is imminent. The southern Irish has a high GDP per capita but relatively little of that seems to make it to the tables of those who live there.
This isn’t an unusual result either. Even during the troubles, a noticeable percentage of *SF* supporters polled no on unification. Yes, the political wing of the PIRA…
0 -
Though if most of his Cabinet follows Freeland and quits, Trudeau would likely be forced to do a Boris and resign anywaynumbertwelve said:Over in Canada, Trudeau continues to cling on for dear life.
I read this morning that the Liberal Party cannot have a VONC in their leader unless they lose a GE. That means he can just stay unless he loses a parliamentary confidence vote, which is plausible but far from certain in the new year, or he just agrees to go.
Much more staying power than a Tory leader!0 -
The Apple case was quite hilarious to follow, with the EU trying to force Apple to pay €3bn to Ireland, and Ireland arguing in court that they shouldn’t receive the money because they’re not entitled to it.DavidL said:
They have a large dod of cash that they didn't really want courtesy of the EU's rules on tax avoidance but even although it is large it is also finite.LostPassword said:
I think partly there will be the evidence that Dublin cares more about the six counties than London does.DavidL said:
I think that the feeling of inevitability arose from the demographics. The catholics were out producing the protestants and would eventually also outvote them on the matter.kle4 said:It is sometimes treated as an inevitability the Ireland will be united, sometimes explicitly on the basis it's an island and therefore makes sense, which is a bit strange when there are many divided islands in the world.
That said i do think it will happen, but not this side of 2030. My gut feeling is that its widely supported but that support is prepared to wait.
The problem with this is the ever growing number of people who do not consider themselves either protestant or catholic. Why would they want to join Eire? A fairly compelling economic case would make the difference but I am not sure that is imminent. The southern Irish has a high GDP per capita but relatively little of that seems to make the tables of those who live there.
Northern Ireland will miss out on hosting matches for the European football tournament because the London government pulled the plug on the stadium project. Dublin put up money for it.
Dublin is also putting up money for dualling the A5. There will be other infrastructure projects in the North where Dublin will be seen as a willing partner, but London an impediment.
Of course all this will change when the Irish public finances stop defying reality and start having the same problems as most other developed countries.1 -
I really hope they have good mental health support up there. I'd be going crazy for sure.Sandpit said:
Most expensive holiday in history?kle4 said:Might as well just make it a solid year at this point.
Nasa says that the astronauts stuck on the International Space Station will have to wait even longer to get home.
Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were due to be back after just a week when they blasted off in June.
Their stay was extended to February next year because of technical issues with the experimental spacecraft, Starliner, built by Boeing.
Now - following a delay in launching a new capsule to the ISS - the pair won't be back until late March or possibly April.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c30nze6e4geo
They were supposed to be home in 10 days, now it’s going to be 10 months. The Starliner that took them up there cost $2bn to design and build but couldn’t bring them home, and the Falcon that will collect them costs around $150m - plus their food and lodgings for the ten months, living in the most expensive object that man has ever built.
I’d sign up for that tomorrow!1 -
Free-range turkey is indeed tasty, especially if you go for a black one.Selebian said:
Good turkey can actually be quite tasty. Ours now comes (when we do turkey, which is not every year) from the daughter of my in-laws' former next door neighbour, who has a small farm and they have a hell of a lot more flavour than the standard supermarket - or even local butcher - ones.kjh said:
Agree. Boring meat. We will be having duck, as we did last year. The 3 years before that I made a Beef Wellington. A lot of hassle on Christmas Eve, but easy on the daynoneoftheabove said:
Turkey is a rubbish meat for Christmas dinner?MattW said:I'm sticking with my fairly consistent (so far) line that the Starmer Govt are to date getting the strategic decisions about right and moving carefully as the situation requires, but need some PR Rottweilers.
They are not being driven by short-termist demands on the whole, or the rattling noise the Opposition are occasionally making when they try to escape from the dustbin of history, which is the correct way.
I wonder what the Kemikaze line will be tomorrow?
This does however involve me meeting up with the farmer on Christmas eve in a car park with some cash, often under cover of darkness, and looking like I'm doing a drugs transaction
The extra mile I’ve gone - that none of you have - is to keep my Christmas dinner entertained during the autumn months, because the farm turkeys grazed in the next field to our weekly dog agility get together, and often used to line up by the fence to enjoy the show.
Until one week late in the year when, suddenly, they all weren’t there….
4 -
Important update on that drone story...
9 -
If Ireland doesn't want the money they can always give it back to the countries where all the bloody iPhones and iPads were actually sold.Sandpit said:
The Apple case was quite hilarious to follow, with the EU trying to force Apple to pay €3bn to Ireland, and Ireland arguing in court that they shouldn’t receive the money because they’re not entitled to it.DavidL said:
They have a large dod of cash that they didn't really want courtesy of the EU's rules on tax avoidance but even although it is large it is also finite.LostPassword said:
I think partly there will be the evidence that Dublin cares more about the six counties than London does.DavidL said:
I think that the feeling of inevitability arose from the demographics. The catholics were out producing the protestants and would eventually also outvote them on the matter.kle4 said:It is sometimes treated as an inevitability the Ireland will be united, sometimes explicitly on the basis it's an island and therefore makes sense, which is a bit strange when there are many divided islands in the world.
That said i do think it will happen, but not this side of 2030. My gut feeling is that its widely supported but that support is prepared to wait.
The problem with this is the ever growing number of people who do not consider themselves either protestant or catholic. Why would they want to join Eire? A fairly compelling economic case would make the difference but I am not sure that is imminent. The southern Irish has a high GDP per capita but relatively little of that seems to make the tables of those who live there.
Northern Ireland will miss out on hosting matches for the European football tournament because the London government pulled the plug on the stadium project. Dublin put up money for it.
Dublin is also putting up money for dualling the A5. There will be other infrastructure projects in the North where Dublin will be seen as a willing partner, but London an impediment.
Of course all this will change when the Irish public finances stop defying reality and start having the same problems as most other developed countries.0 -
Small question on the milkshake attack: Is Farage lactose intolerant?2
-
....
I doubt guilt will be a requisite for retribution.Taz said:
By the same token how many Unionists would go for unification. Probably not as many in percentage terms.Malmesbury said:
I pointed out, above, that 21% of NI Catholics, when polled, said they would vote against unification.viewcode said:
I know I should read Sean Trende. It's just that his name in my inner monologue is "Sean Trendy" and it makes me giggle.Sean_F said:
I've often recommended Sean Trende. His article The God That Failed, is a useful corrective to arguments that demographic changes make victory for one political side or another inevitable. As demographics change, so, very often, do political opinions.DavidL said:
I think that the feeling of inevitability arose from the demographics. The catholics were out producing the protestants and would eventually also outvote them on the matter.kle4 said:It is sometimes treated as an inevitability the Ireland will be united, sometimes explicitly on the basis it's an island and therefore makes sense, which is a bit strange when there are many divided islands in the world.
That said i do think it will happen, but not this side of 2030. My gut feeling is that its widely supported but that support is prepared to wait.
The problem with this is the ever growing number of people who do not consider themselves either protestant or catholic. Why would they want to join Eire? A fairly compelling economic case would make the difference but I am not sure that is imminent. The southern Irish has a high GDP per capita but relatively little of that seems to make it to the tables of those who live there.
This isn’t an unusual result either. Even during the troubles, a noticeable percentage of *SF* supporters polled no on unification. Yes, the political wing of the PIRA…
Does it ?OldKingCole said:
It does look as though Trump, instead of getting on with the job in hand, is going to spend some time seeking those who have 'harmed' him in the past and exacting retribution. Justified, to the wider world, or not.Taz said:
Surely if she has done nothing wrong she has nothing to fear ?boulay said:Can Biden pardon Liz Cheney for any “crimes” she might have committed to prevent Trump and his winged Monkeys going after her?
Trump? Small hands they say equates to aTaz said:
Little Willy.0 -
TallaghtkenObi said:
If you look closely Irelands demographics are extraordinary.LostPassword said:
Broadly speaking Ireland is as affluent as Britain, with public finances flattered by windfall corporation tax receipts, and by having more favourable demographics.Cookie said:
I'm interested in your final para - is the implication that while Ireland the country appears rich, this isn't felt by individual Irishmen and women? That surprises me. I don't know the country well but all I've seen of it looks pretty affluent.DavidL said:
I think that the feeling of inevitability arose from the demographics. The catholics were out producing the protestants and would eventually also outvote them on the matter.kle4 said:It is sometimes treated as an inevitability the Ireland will be united, sometimes explicitly on the basis it's an island and therefore makes sense, which is a bit strange when there are many divided islands in the world.
That said i do think it will happen, but not this side of 2030. My gut feeling is that its widely supported but that support is prepared to wait.
The problem with this is the ever growing number of people who do not consider themselves either protestant or catholic. Why would they want to join Eire? A fairly compelling economic case would make the difference but I am not sure that is imminent. The southern Irish has a high GDP per capita but relatively little of that seems to make the tables of those who live there.
But GDP per capita is twice as high as Britain.
Median age 1985 was 26.3
Now it is about 39
It's forecast to be a little higher than the UK in 30 years time
It feels mile more affluent than when I first worked regularly in the 1980's
Does it feel much more affluent than the UK ?
Not really.
Visitors rarely see Drogheda or Tallaght.
https://www.daft.ie/for-sale/terraced-house-62-maplewood-avenue-tallaght-dublin-24/5912563
€320,000 for a 80 m^2 terrace.
Expensive by northern England standards, cheap compared to London, about the same price as the middling parts of Coventry.0 -
'Can't afford it' translates as: We would love to buy your votes by giving you lots of money but we can't.Pulpstar said:Keir Starmer says the taxpayer can't afford "tens of billions of pounds" in compensation in the Waspi pension case
He's explaining...
Mistake. It half concedes the (utterly bogus) argument from WASPI pensioners complaining about how hard done by they are for being treated equally. (My wife is one of that '5 years extra working' group and disagrees with the WASPIs completely).
Starmer should say 'We have looked again in detail and you have no case. Go away'.0 -
They're some of the most highly trained professionals on off? the planet, they'll be fine.Slackbladder said:
I really hope they have good mental health support up there. I'd be going crazy for sure.Sandpit said:
Most expensive holiday in history?kle4 said:Might as well just make it a solid year at this point.
Nasa says that the astronauts stuck on the International Space Station will have to wait even longer to get home.
Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were due to be back after just a week when they blasted off in June.
Their stay was extended to February next year because of technical issues with the experimental spacecraft, Starliner, built by Boeing.
Now - following a delay in launching a new capsule to the ISS - the pair won't be back until late March or possibly April.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c30nze6e4geo
They were supposed to be home in 10 days, now it’s going to be 10 months. The Starliner that took them up there cost $2bn to design and build but couldn’t bring them home, and the Falcon that will collect them costs around $150m - plus their food and lodgings for the ten months, living in the most expensive object that man has ever built.
I’d sign up for that tomorrow!0 -
NASA are keeping them busy with the various experiments and daily tasks on board, and there’s a whole team of people back on Earth dedicated to their physical and mental health. There’s quite a few who have done a year on the ISS, although most of them were at least expecting to be up for a few months when they launched!Slackbladder said:
I really hope they have good mental health support up there. I'd be going crazy for sure.Sandpit said:
Most expensive holiday in history?kle4 said:Might as well just make it a solid year at this point.
Nasa says that the astronauts stuck on the International Space Station will have to wait even longer to get home.
Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were due to be back after just a week when they blasted off in June.
Their stay was extended to February next year because of technical issues with the experimental spacecraft, Starliner, built by Boeing.
Now - following a delay in launching a new capsule to the ISS - the pair won't be back until late March or possibly April.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c30nze6e4geo
They were supposed to be home in 10 days, now it’s going to be 10 months. The Starliner that took them up there cost $2bn to design and build but couldn’t bring them home, and the Falcon that will collect them costs around $150m - plus their food and lodgings for the ten months, living in the most expensive object that man has ever built.
I’d sign up for that tomorrow!
The physical recovery will be horrible when they get back though, after that long in zero G you pretty much have to learn to stand and walk again because of muscle atrophy. No matter how much time you spend in the onboard gym, it’s not enough but better than the alternative.1 -
The distortive effect of corporate profits on Irish GDP is pretty much the biggest example of this in the world, or at least in relatively large developed economies. There's some of that in the very high Singaporean GDP per capita too, Singapore being (alongside Switzerland) the other major hub location for IP, regional HQs and principal trading companies. It looks like the effect is also now very visible in the Danish GDP stats thanks to Novo Nordisk.kenObi said:
If you look closely Irelands demographics are extraordinary.LostPassword said:
Broadly speaking Ireland is as affluent as Britain, with public finances flattered by windfall corporation tax receipts, and by having more favourable demographics.Cookie said:
I'm interested in your final para - is the implication that while Ireland the country appears rich, this isn't felt by individual Irishmen and women? That surprises me. I don't know the country well but all I've seen of it looks pretty affluent.DavidL said:
I think that the feeling of inevitability arose from the demographics. The catholics were out producing the protestants and would eventually also outvote them on the matter.kle4 said:It is sometimes treated as an inevitability the Ireland will be united, sometimes explicitly on the basis it's an island and therefore makes sense, which is a bit strange when there are many divided islands in the world.
That said i do think it will happen, but not this side of 2030. My gut feeling is that its widely supported but that support is prepared to wait.
The problem with this is the ever growing number of people who do not consider themselves either protestant or catholic. Why would they want to join Eire? A fairly compelling economic case would make the difference but I am not sure that is imminent. The southern Irish has a high GDP per capita but relatively little of that seems to make the tables of those who live there.
But GDP per capita is twice as high as Britain.
Median age 1985 was 26.3
Now it is about 39
It's forecast to be a little higher than the UK in 30 years time
It feels mile more affluent than when I first worked regularly in the 1980's
Does it feel much more affluent than the UK ?
Not really.
Visitors rarely see Drogheda or Tallaght.
There has probably been a similar, smaller but still present effect flattering UK GDP given the number of regional value chains that have the UK as a profit centre.3 -
No, just logic intolerant.Jim_Miller said:Small question on the milkshake attack: Is Farage lactose intolerant?
1 -
That looks like a dog not a turkey.IanB2 said:
Free-range turkey is indeed tasty, especially if you go for a black one.Selebian said:
Good turkey can actually be quite tasty. Ours now comes (when we do turkey, which is not every year) from the daughter of my in-laws' former next door neighbour, who has a small farm and they have a hell of a lot more flavour than the standard supermarket - or even local butcher - ones.kjh said:
Agree. Boring meat. We will be having duck, as we did last year. The 3 years before that I made a Beef Wellington. A lot of hassle on Christmas Eve, but easy on the daynoneoftheabove said:
Turkey is a rubbish meat for Christmas dinner?MattW said:I'm sticking with my fairly consistent (so far) line that the Starmer Govt are to date getting the strategic decisions about right and moving carefully as the situation requires, but need some PR Rottweilers.
They are not being driven by short-termist demands on the whole, or the rattling noise the Opposition are occasionally making when they try to escape from the dustbin of history, which is the correct way.
I wonder what the Kemikaze line will be tomorrow?
This does however involve me meeting up with the farmer on Christmas eve in a car park with some cash, often under cover of darkness, and looking like I'm doing a drugs transaction
The extra mile I’ve gone - that none of you have - is to keep my Christmas dinner entertained during the autumn months, because the farm turkeys grazed in the next field to our weekly dog agility get together, and often used to line up by the fence to enjoy the show.
Until one week late in the year when, suddenly, they all weren’t there….2 -
That's only relevant if he drinks the stuff. I rather suspect he's weaned by now. He certainly seems to prefer beer, and I don't suppose he would bother with the Oxford pub in the 1970s which I once saw - draught milk on tap, gallons of the stuff being drunk by college rowing teams after a hard training session.Jim_Miller said:Small question on the milkshake attack: Is Farage lactose intolerant?
(You're perhaps thinking of allergies. Which are a different thing altogether: immune reaction rather than simply not secreting the intestinal enzyme lactase which splits lactose into simpler sugars that can be further metabolised.)
It does conjure up the image of the penalty being reduced if Mr F is offered this stuff ...
https://www.boots.com/boots-good-gut-lactase-enzyme-60-tablets-10269391?srsltid=AfmBOoqicFWCwiIKf9h_TI015TMzNP1j_m0NmhNlvS4ELpVp6R6JqER60 -
I swear it always used to be 'Merry Christmas' in the UK - that is how I remember childhood anyway....Andy_JS said:
Happy Christmas is my usual phrase. Maybe I should change it.BlancheLivermore said:"Happy Christmas" annoys me
It's the one time of year when we can wish people merriness4 -
Season’s Greetings.Mortimer said:
I swear it always used to be 'Merry Christmas' in the UK - that is how I remember childhood anyway....Andy_JS said:
Happy Christmas is my usual phrase. Maybe I should change it.BlancheLivermore said:"Happy Christmas" annoys me
It's the one time of year when we can wish people merriness0 -
Nothing to do with sales of hardware, this was taxes on the corporate profits related to software sales from the App Store. The EU were trying to argue that the Irish law on sales of intellectual property was incompatible with EU law.glw said:
If Ireland doesn't want the money they can always give it back to the countries where all the bloody iPhones and iPads were actually sold.Sandpit said:
The Apple case was quite hilarious to follow, with the EU trying to force Apple to pay €3bn to Ireland, and Ireland arguing in court that they shouldn’t receive the money because they’re not entitled to it.DavidL said:
They have a large dod of cash that they didn't really want courtesy of the EU's rules on tax avoidance but even although it is large it is also finite.LostPassword said:
I think partly there will be the evidence that Dublin cares more about the six counties than London does.DavidL said:
I think that the feeling of inevitability arose from the demographics. The catholics were out producing the protestants and would eventually also outvote them on the matter.kle4 said:It is sometimes treated as an inevitability the Ireland will be united, sometimes explicitly on the basis it's an island and therefore makes sense, which is a bit strange when there are many divided islands in the world.
That said i do think it will happen, but not this side of 2030. My gut feeling is that its widely supported but that support is prepared to wait.
The problem with this is the ever growing number of people who do not consider themselves either protestant or catholic. Why would they want to join Eire? A fairly compelling economic case would make the difference but I am not sure that is imminent. The southern Irish has a high GDP per capita but relatively little of that seems to make the tables of those who live there.
Northern Ireland will miss out on hosting matches for the European football tournament because the London government pulled the plug on the stadium project. Dublin put up money for it.
Dublin is also putting up money for dualling the A5. There will be other infrastructure projects in the North where Dublin will be seen as a willing partner, but London an impediment.
Of course all this will change when the Irish public finances stop defying reality and start having the same problems as most other developed countries.0 -
Their astronauts - they dream of more time in space. Plus they aren’t alone - there’s 7 people on ISS at the moment.Slackbladder said:
I really hope they have good mental health support up there. I'd be going crazy for sure.Sandpit said:
Most expensive holiday in history?kle4 said:Might as well just make it a solid year at this point.
Nasa says that the astronauts stuck on the International Space Station will have to wait even longer to get home.
Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were due to be back after just a week when they blasted off in June.
Their stay was extended to February next year because of technical issues with the experimental spacecraft, Starliner, built by Boeing.
Now - following a delay in launching a new capsule to the ISS - the pair won't be back until late March or possibly April.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c30nze6e4geo
They were supposed to be home in 10 days, now it’s going to be 10 months. The Starliner that took them up there cost $2bn to design and build but couldn’t bring them home, and the Falcon that will collect them costs around $150m - plus their food and lodgings for the ten months, living in the most expensive object that man has ever built.
I’d sign up for that tomorrow!
Starliner project was $4.2 billion and Dragon $2.6 billion, by the way.0
