"Labour's biggest individual donor has told an audience that there is a less than one in three chance that Ed Miliband will get a majority at the next election.
John Mills said Labour's chances of victory are hampered because it had not come up with a 'powerful unifying theme' to help it win in 2015."
Big day of Premier League action tomorrow. One shop in Norwich hasn't quite given up hope.
twitter.com/Coral/status/465179818095820800
I'd want 533/1 for Van Wolfswinkel to score first.
He scored the first game of the season, their could be a nice symmetry to him scoring in the final game of the season.
Which reminds me, Come On You Hammers!
That's stupid. He's far more likely to score goal 11, 13, 14 and 17.
WE CAN STILL DO THIS CANARIES #nevergiveup #edballs
I think there's more chance of that happening than Liverpool winning the league tomorrow.
But looking on the bright-side, there are 4 extra home games next season, no silly kick off times and hopefully a few more wins. What's not to like about that?
Anyone who doesn't like Eurovision clearly has dubious morals and questionable taste in music.
Or are not redundant in terms of soul and style. It is repugnant in every way. I'd go so far as to say it's worse than BGT. Opium for the drug free. Wicked, specious, inane, drivel,
Anyone who doesn't like Eurovision clearly has dubious morals and questionable taste in music.
Or are not redundant in terms of soul and style. It is repugnant in every way. I'd go so far as to say it's worse than BGT. Opium for the drug free. Wicked, specious, inane, drivel,
An according to Mr Shadsy, the most bet on non sporting event of the year.
Anyone who doesn't like Eurovision clearly has dubious morals and questionable taste in music.
Or are not redundant in terms of soul and style. It is repugnant in every way. I'd go so far as to say it's worse than BGT. Opium for the drug free. Wicked, specious, inane, drivel,
An according to Mr Shadsy, the most bet on non sporting event of the year.
Talking of Norwich, tomorrow will see the Kingdom of East Anglia once again without premiership representation. Independence from the rotting corpse of rUK is essential
Mr. Eagles, I'll be voting Conservative when the General Election comes around (unless the blues u-turn on currency union. Then I'll be looking elsewhere).
I'd probably not change my mind about UKIP anyway, but the tax nonsense doesn't endear me to the party.
Mr. Woolie, if you leave then you can't complain about not having a team in the premiership. [I'm astounded by how much some people care about football. It's quite religious].
My reaction to todays opinium poll is that UKIP are barking up the wrong tree, last May they were on 21% with the tories on 26% in opinium. In FPTP systems which favors a 2 party system outpolling one of the big two hugely increases your chances to replace them as a big party.UKIP should be targeting the Conservatives for a crossover, by targeting Labour votes they only increased the distance between UKIP and CON when UKIP is polling at similar figures, before they needed to be at 24% for a crossover now they need 26%. Plus all of UKIP potencial target seats are tory and LD seats, none are Labour seats.
They should stay focused on a reverse takeover of Con but at the moment that includes hoovering up a lot of the floating vote that Con can't reach so it's tricky.
It was privatising the NHS that saw me jump the shark
Didn't you suddenly come over all Labour, .. odd I thought given that Labour privatised much more than anything Dave has done or proposed.
Book and Choose, its the way to go.
I had a brief flirtation out of despair a couple of years ago when I thought George had flunked it, I thought some out of necessity spending might be the only way out of the mess. Thankfully, I was wrong and just being frit for a bit. Never fear, I'm not joining the herrings, I'm a Tory booster for the very reason I got it wrong a couple of years ago, a return to Labour rule would be catastrophic, and the further they move from their working class roots the more repulsive they become in any case. I'm just somewhat surprised at the level of common ground there is between what I believe (at the moment) and the Kipper position. Actually helps me understand a bit the Kipper surge, given how normal and excellent I am.
On PR: I have no faith in the political class to implement an effective and intelligent reform to the voting system.
A Directly Elected Dictator or Tyrant is the only way forward
If you look around the world, there seems to be very little correlation between type of democracy, and (a) accountability of government, (b) economic performance, and (c) respect for human rights and the rule of law.
(Obviously, there is a huge difference between democracies and the 'alternatives'.)
So I think the idea that PR would reduce accountability is simply wrong.
Truth is, all governments are hostages to events. No manifesto can forecast the problems in the Ukraine, or a tsunami and a Fukashima, or the impact of the US subprime crisis, or that the Greeks chose to lie about their level of government debt. Nor can they say, "we think British banks are over-exposed to the looming Irish property crash", or many, many other things.
If you don't like how the politicians dealt with a crisis, then don't vote for that lot, and vote another lot.
Multi-member STV avoids the gross disproportionality that can exist under FPTP when it's plausible that a government has a majority of seats with little more than 30% of the vote, while another party has perhaps 20% of the votes and virtually no seats.
Yes you will end up with coalitions. But at least they are explicit, rather than implicit ones.
Mr. Woolie, if you leave then you can't complain about not having a team in the premiership. [I'm astounded by how much some people care about football. It's quite religious].
I don't care about football, it's just an excuse to plan for UKexit for the KoEA
On PR: I have no faith in the political class to implement an effective and intelligent reform to the voting system.
A Directly Elected Dictator or Tyrant is the only way forward
If you look around the world, there seems to be very little correlation between type of democracy, and (a) accountability of government, (b) economic performance, and (c) respect for human rights and the rule of law.
(Obviously, there is a huge difference between democracies and the 'alternatives'.)
So I think the idea that PR would reduce accountability is simply wrong.
Truth is, all governments are hostages to events. No manifesto can forecast the problems in the Ukraine, or a tsunami and a Fukashima, or the impact of the US subprime crisis, or that the Greeks chose to lie about their level of government debt. Nor can they say, "we think British banks are over-exposed to the looming Irish property crash", or many, many other things.
If you don't like how the politicians dealt with a crisis, then don't vote for that lot, and vote another lot.
Multi-member STV avoids the gross disproportionality that can exist under FPTP when it's plausible that a government has a majority of seats with little more than 30% of the vote, while another party has perhaps 20% of the votes and virtually no seats.
Yes you will end up with coalitions. But at least they are explicit, rather than implicit ones.
There was a piece a few years ago, which pointed when it came to domestic politics, a British PM has more power than a US President.
Yet one of them is described as the most powerful man in the world.
Yes, I'm meeting lots of people who say they've voted already, and most people are now focused on the Euros - if you ask first how they'll vote in the General, they look surprised. I'm meeting maybe 1 in 10 who say they normally vote but won't bother for this, but otherwise there's quite a bit of interest, and many voters who say they know for sure how they'll vote in 2015 are hesitating over this. UKIP definitely have an edge in leaflets already distributed, but they do have a class bias - I'm meeting very few middle-class Kippers except for a modest number of very ideological former Tories. That's likely to be a problem for them in Newark.
Practical question - what time does the Euro count start on the Sunday? Is it the same everywhere?
I see there's a Norwich supporter on here. As I am a Cardiff supporter, perhaps if anyone here is Fulham, they could reveal themselves to make it a relegation threesome on here tonight. ps my PV already in mailbox. had very difficult decision to make....not.
I might be missing something, but isn't tax avoidance (by definition, and as opposed to tax evasion) legal?
There is a thing known as the Ramsay principle, named after the decision of the House of Lords in WT Ramsay Ltd v Inland Revenue Commissioners [1982] AC 300. Under that principle, tax schemes may be considered as a whole, and 'if the taxpayer entered into a transaction that did not appreciably affect his beneficial interest except to reduce his tax, the law would disregard it'. In particular, see the speech of Lord Wilbeforce at pp. 326-328.
Mr. Eagles, was just listening to a Dr Who theme tune or two (forget who posted the Taylor Davis vid the other day, but she's covered it) and thought you wrote 'Romana' at first.
A great War film, also stars Crosby-born Bill Foxley as the burnt pilot, injecting a poignant note of realism into the film. http://hannahfoxley.com/bill-foxley/
Yes and no. If it is a very complex and eccentric scheme that is deemed 'provocative' to the Taxman, you are playing with fire. Jimmy Carr had a similar experience.
It saddens me that people on ultra high incomes seek to wriggle out of taxes whereas people such as yourself are, I suspect, paying too much tax as you are not (as I understand it) claiming for viable expenses such as heat and light incurred in the course of your work.
Talking of Norwich, tomorrow will see the Kingdom of East Anglia once again without premiership representation. Independence from the rotting corpse of rUK is essential
However Lowestoft Town FC are on the up. A few miles over the border from "Nelson's County" perhaps but good times have been thin this year for the Eastern Angles. Will the feelgood factor boost the vote in Waveney?
"Battle Of Britain" (1969) starring Laurence Olivier on Channel Five at the moment.
A fine film, and thankfully without computer generated aircraft - it acquired much of the then lately retired Spanish Air Force for the German planes, though these Heinkels and Bf. 109s had Merlin engines (!). I think only the Stukas were models, but large radio controlled ones ...
A great War film, also stars Crosby-born Bill Foxley as the burnt pilot, injecting a poignant note of realism into the film. http://hannahfoxley.com/bill-foxley/
Mr. Fett, one hopes there will be something of a boost to the old finances once Malevolence comes out, and perhaps later releases this year. Quite hopeful of a first stab at steampunk, and there's a sci-fi short being fisked as we speak.
And, of course, the triumphant return of Sir Edric and his trusty manservant Dog.
Just lost the interweb. The old 'switching the modem off and on again' trick worked, but after recent problems I was rather worried...
The Eurovision Song Contest is pretty horrendous, as well as being geographically dubious. I'm sure Azerbaijan has had an entry before now.
Well of course that is down to the terrible imperialistic ambitions of the European Broadcasting Union and their wider than average definition of the 'Euro' in Eurovision.
IDK, I find something really fun about Eurovision. Usually awful, campy songs, but it's a shared cultural embarrassment that truly reaches across boundaries, so it must be a force for good. That said, I usually tape it so I can fastforward when it all gets too much.
Mr. kle4, I dislike Christmas cracker jokes too. If something's deliberately awful so everyone can unite in tutting, it's still awful.
That's why I stressed 'usually' awful songs, and shared 'embarrassment', the latter of which does not preclude enjoyment as well. Some are actually really good, and some are campy fun if you are in the right mood. I could not watch it start to finish or enjoy every entry, but tuning in every now and again is fine, in 26 or so entries there is bound to be some fun in there somewhere.
The visercal hatred of it is definitely ridiculous however. It's just a campy music festival - apathy is certainly appropriate and I've had that for years myself, but the level of bile it seems to provoke from some people is bizarrely out of place for such a silly event.
Would Ukip pull us out of the Eurovision Song Contest?
If reports of his comments on the matter are anything like accurate, they would if given a choice. Pathetic to get so angry about such a thing, truly, deeply pathetic. I hope the reports of such comments are not true.
I'm not even a huge fan of Eurovision, I think last years' was the first that, after taping, I actually watched most of, and that down to PB in truth, but the more people get angry about it (as opposed to those who, as is their right, just dislike it intensely), the more I enjoy it (not enough to watch the whole thing though, oh gods no).
Mr. kle4, I don't have a burning hatred for it, I just think it's a bit rubbish.
Oh I get that - forgive me for unintentionally making a point against those who express genuine anger at the event, after addressing your mere dislike, appearing to conflate the two. That was not my intention, I assure you. I've only just gotten in and 2 of the three songs I've heard so far have been bloody awful, so I get dislike of the whole affair.
So the pope setting another of his recent predecessors on the path to Sainthood I see - getting dangerously close to Roman Emperor actions indeclaring predecessors and then themselves as gods here, isn't he?
Live on Russian TV, MP Vladimir Zhirinovsky accuses Europe of "mobilising" to make sure Ukraine comes above Russia in the #Eurovision final
I've only gotten back in a little while ago, have we had either of those entries yet? If the Ukranian one truly is/was awful we shall see how much European solidarity is worth!
Live on Russian TV, MP Vladimir Zhirinovsky accuses Europe of "mobilising" to make sure Ukraine comes above Russia in the #Eurovision final
I've only gotten back in a little while ago, have we had either of those entries yet? If the Ukranian one truly is/was awful we shall see how much European solidarity is worth!
Ukraine was first, Russia is up next after the Cheese Eating Surrender Monkeys
Just watched the Question Time for this week. I thought Farage performed better than usual. Two killer points were that the Tories want Turkey and its 70 million people to get access to free movement across Europe, and that in all 50 odd big decisions where the UK went to fight what was going on in the EU, it lost all of them.
The other thing that became apparent to me is that it seemed so obvious the audience was strongly split down the middle on this, but that Farage was on one side of that divide, and all the other panel members were all on the other. I assumed UKIP were near their ceiling, but I really don't think that's the case at all any more.
So the pope setting another of his recent predecessors on the path to Sainthood I see - getting dangerously close to Roman Emperor actions indeclaring predecessors and then themselves as gods here, isn't he?
Well, they have usurped the title of Pontifex Maximus (once held by C Julius Caesar) so nothing surprises me. Maybe for balance he should declare one of the Borgia popes as damnatio memoriae.
"Britons are too ignorant about Europe to vote in a referendum on the subject, a top Brussels official claimed last night.
Viviane Reding, vice-president of the European Commission, said the British debate about Europe was so ‘distorted’ that people could not make an ‘informed decision’ about whether or not to stay in the EU.
Mrs Reding - who boasted that 70 per cent of the UK’s laws are now made in Brussels - also rubbished David Cameron’s bid to curb immigration from Europe, saying it was incompatible with membership of the EU.
How outrageous that Channel 4 had such a guy on. Can you imagine what would happen if they had a guest on that said he didn't care about black lives? Sickening. If he hates Britain so much, can we just revoke his passport next time he takes a trip abroad?
Mr. Lilburne, bit modern for me, but wasn't Alexander VI the only Borgia Pope? I seem to recall, from Machiavelli, that he and Cesare (his son, Duke Valentino) became gravely ill at the same time, so Cesare could not succeed him or have any hope of doing so.
The Roman Catholic Church, in certain ways, is the inheritor of aspects of Roman emperors, but in terms of prestige the British monarchy is the closest. Shame the Czars got slaughtered. I read on Wikipedia that Nicholas II's father deliberately didn't educate him, intending to do so from a certain age, but the father died earlier than he expected, hampering Nicholas' reign right from the start.
Comments
John Mills said Labour's chances of victory are hampered because it had not come up with a 'powerful unifying theme' to help it win in 2015."
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2624929/Even-Labours-biggest-donor-doesnt-think-Ed-Miliband-win-majority-years-election.html
The Eurovision Song Contest is pretty horrendous, as well as being geographically dubious. I'm sure Azerbaijan has had an entry before now.
Every cloud has a silver lining.
Bloody Dave and his centring crap.
Mr. Pubgoer, Azerbaijan just isn't in Europe.
Book and Choose, its the way to go.
Molly is from Leicestershire:
http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/molly-end-eurovision-misery/story-21082306-detail/story.html
But so was Englebert...
I once wrote an email explaining why Russia was in Europe and thus our closest ally in Europe
(Basically I said The UK and Russia are the bookends of Europe that keep the Germans in their place)
Never fear, I'm not joining the herrings, I'm a Tory booster for the very reason I got it wrong a couple of years ago, a return to Labour rule would be catastrophic, and the further they move from their working class roots the more repulsive they become in any case. I'm just somewhat surprised at the level of common ground there is between what I believe (at the moment) and the Kipper position.
Actually helps me understand a bit the Kipper surge, given how normal and excellent I am.
(Obviously, there is a huge difference between democracies and the 'alternatives'.)
So I think the idea that PR would reduce accountability is simply wrong.
Truth is, all governments are hostages to events. No manifesto can forecast the problems in the Ukraine, or a tsunami and a Fukashima, or the impact of the US subprime crisis, or that the Greeks chose to lie about their level of government debt. Nor can they say, "we think British banks are over-exposed to the looming Irish property crash", or many, many other things.
If you don't like how the politicians dealt with a crisis, then don't vote for that lot, and vote another lot.
Multi-member STV avoids the gross disproportionality that can exist under FPTP when it's plausible that a government has a majority of seats with little more than 30% of the vote, while another party has perhaps 20% of the votes and virtually no seats.
Yes you will end up with coalitions. But at least they are explicit, rather than implicit ones.
Witness the incessant hype on here about Kate Bush.
Paging TSE...
I might be missing something, but isn't tax avoidance (by definition, and as opposed to tax evasion) legal?
We will all swear allegiance to the Dark Lord.
It is also an Ed is crap thread.
Yet one of them is described as the most powerful man in the world.
Practical question - what time does the Euro count start on the Sunday? Is it the same everywhere?
ps my PV already in mailbox. had very difficult decision to make....not.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNVVoH9-QH0
A great War film, also stars Crosby-born Bill Foxley as the burnt pilot, injecting a poignant note of realism into the film.
http://hannahfoxley.com/bill-foxley/
Yes and no. If it is a very complex and eccentric scheme that is deemed 'provocative' to the Taxman, you are playing with fire. Jimmy Carr had a similar experience.
It saddens me that people on ultra high incomes seek to wriggle out of taxes whereas people such as yourself are, I suspect, paying too much tax as you are not (as I understand it) claiming for viable expenses such as heat and light incurred in the course of your work.
If you read this story It may just turn your stomach.
And, of course, the triumphant return of Sir Edric and his trusty manservant Dog.
IDK, I find something really fun about Eurovision. Usually awful, campy songs, but it's a shared cultural embarrassment that truly reaches across boundaries, so it must be a force for good. That said, I usually tape it so I can fastforward when it all gets too much.
A bit of gratuitous cleavage from Poland here. Hoping for a few cheap votes.
And by God, they have mine. #Eurovision
Ahem.
The visercal hatred of it is definitely ridiculous however. It's just a campy music festival - apathy is certainly appropriate and I've had that for years myself, but the level of bile it seems to provoke from some people is bizarrely out of place for such a silly event.
Iceland have traded 28 on Betfair in a quid!
And over two grand traded under 100
To be fair, I've dated worse. #Eurovision
After the suitably enjoyable romp finished, we discovered some god-awful music on the TV.
In despair, I fled to my study to do some work (yes, on a Saturday night, the perils of working from home).
But I now need a distraction, and so turn to PB
Only to find it discussing said god-awful music.
Wither next?
I'm not even a huge fan of Eurovision, I think last years' was the first that, after taping, I actually watched most of, and that down to PB in truth, but the more people get angry about it (as opposed to those who, as is their right, just dislike it intensely), the more I enjoy it (not enough to watch the whole thing though, oh gods no).
Steve Rosenberg @BBCSteveR 1h
Live on Russian TV, MP Vladimir Zhirinovsky accuses Europe of "mobilising" to make sure Ukraine comes above Russia in the #Eurovision final
After all, Morris Dancer is a benevolent soul. Unless you're a BBC reporter who keeps saying 'stadiums' instead of 'stadia'. Then I'll... [MODERATED]
Reminds me of a line from the first episode of Coupling. "I intend this breast satirically".
Elizabeth Windsor @Queen_UK 2m
One is actually still Queen of France but keeps it quiet at moments like this. Awkward. #Eurovision
The other thing that became apparent to me is that it seemed so obvious the audience was strongly split down the middle on this, but that Farage was on one side of that divide, and all the other panel members were all on the other. I assumed UKIP were near their ceiling, but I really don't think that's the case at all any more.
Britons 'too ignorant' for EU referendum:
"Britons are too ignorant about Europe to vote in a referendum on the subject, a top Brussels official claimed last night.
Viviane Reding, vice-president of the European Commission, said the British debate about Europe was so ‘distorted’ that people could not make an ‘informed decision’ about whether or not to stay in the EU.
Mrs Reding - who boasted that 70 per cent of the UK’s laws are now made in Brussels - also rubbished David Cameron’s bid to curb immigration from Europe, saying it was incompatible with membership of the EU.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2556397/Britons-ignorant-EU-referendum-Top-official-says-debate-Europe-distorted-people-not-make-informed-decision.html#ixzz31LV4CnJx
The Roman Catholic Church, in certain ways, is the inheritor of aspects of Roman emperors, but in terms of prestige the British monarchy is the closest. Shame the Czars got slaughtered. I read on Wikipedia that Nicholas II's father deliberately didn't educate him, intending to do so from a certain age, but the father died earlier than he expected, hampering Nicholas' reign right from the start.