We could be heading for a perfect storm of political chaos over the next year. UKIP win the Euros. Labour or Conservatives come third in the Euros. Doesn't matter which, it's all good. LDs get slaughtered in the Euros. The locals might throw up some interesting results. Newark goes purple. Scotland votes yes. The GE conforms to the thread header.
Cameron, Clegg and Milliband won't know what's hit them.
I pray it happens. The country needs shaking up.
It does need shaking up, but not until the stubborn Labour client vote has been shattered, there is too much risk of a damaging Labour majority a la 2005 against the public desire causing immeasurable damage. Kill Labour and #revolutionnow
And to be clear, it would be well worth sacrificing the Tory party to see the end of Labour as it sits forever. Bring forward a fiscally right party with socially tolerant and liberal values, basing its policy on workers and making hard work pay who addresses the immigration and law and order concerns of the silent majority to play off against some wooly dreamers from the nether regions of the left. Add in some local party strong blocks and were in clover. Yum yum
The thing that would almost guarantee to Scots voting NO would be for their to be a campaign in England indicating how many of us would dearly love to get shot of our whining Northern neighbours. Out of perversity they would vote not to leave. I am reminded of the PG Wodehouse quotation " it is not hard to tell the difference between a ray of sunshine and a Scotsman with a grievance"
You are a credit to England and unionism. Keep polishing that bowler.
ethnically most bowler wearers are scots.
Alan, Yes and luckily not that many left nowadays ( even if too many still ). However with online trolls they could be posting from anywhere, and sure a good few of them live in England in any case.
so like cybernats ? :-)
LOL, we know most unionists are from outside Scotland .
Mike - if UKIP get 20% it will break all the seat calculators. The reason is that these take 2010's figures and apply a uniform swing. The problem is that UKIP did poorly across the country in 2010 and the calculators don't reflect the hotbeds of UKIP support shown by the locals. For example, if you enter the figures above into Baxter, you get the following UKIP shares:
Boston and Skegness - 25% Great Yarmouth 20% Dwyfor Meirionnydd - 17% Banff and Buchan - 13%
In reality, if UKIP get 20% nationwide they'll be on +30% in Boston and Gt Yarmouth and still less than 10% in Banff and Dwyfor
In Thurrock UKIP have scored double their nationwide vote in the last three GE's. Last time it was 2.25 times the national.
In 2010 Con scored 36.8 and Lab 36.6.. If UKIP are polling 15% next May surely they take the seat? 7/1 available
Scott Harrison @Harri159 Interesting letter in Sunday Herald about an #indyref poll being buried due to high Yes vote - from an employee of Ipsos Mori!
Any idea what the jist of the letter is?
a recent poll commissioned bu the Cabinet Office was "buried"as it returned a result which showed the YES vote was soaring. The poll was held by my employer Ipsos Mori
As the Cabinet Office has not published any polls, presumably this was a private poll and both Ipsos Mori and their alleged employee are in breach of contract - I expect Ipsos Mori will wish to clarify things promptly.
Further, since the Cabinet Office does not publish its polls, how was this one "buried"?
Yes if true I am sure they will be out shortly giving us the numbers. Re the Cabinet Office , burying the truth is their stock in trade.
Much like governments suppressing legal advice. .*innocent face*
There was never anything to conceal, that was the point. Just Labour love wasting money on FOI. I am sure they are good at it as well though.
ScottP No it is not, FPTP was fine in the fifties when 90% voted Tory or Labour, it is not fine in the 2010s when 60% vote Tory and Labour and the rest vote LD, Green, UKIP, nat etc and are not properly represented
The thing that would almost guarantee to Scots voting NO would be for their to be a campaign in England indicating how many of us would dearly love to get shot of our whining Northern neighbours. Out of perversity they would vote not to leave. I am reminded of the PG Wodehouse quotation " it is not hard to tell the difference between a ray of sunshine and a Scotsman with a grievance"
You are a credit to England and unionism. Keep polishing that bowler.
ethnically most bowler wearers are scots.
Alan, Yes and luckily not that many left nowadays ( even if too many still ). However with online trolls they could be posting from anywhere, and sure a good few of them live in England in any case.
so like cybernats ? :-)
LOL, we know most unionists are from outside Scotland , donations wise as well. Yes have some support outside Scotland but majority are local and all donations are from Scotland. Yet unionists whinge that YES have more money and that is why they are CRAP.
LOL malc I'm pretty sure about 80% of Yes funding comes from two people in Largs.
Alan, It does, but 2 nice people , whereas 80% of NO's comes from outsiders , war criminals , etc. They are in Troon now I think , after paying for all their friends and neighbours houses for them they bought a big pile in Troon, but have a modest £1M one in Largs as well I think.
PS after a Tory MSP labelled them dupes and numpties in the newspapers this week they threw in another million just to piss him off and show how pathetic he was.
TwistedFireStopper Wrong on both counts, Saddam Hussein is no longer killing and torturing his people and massacring the Kurds, Afghanistan no longer has the Taleban in control, Bin Laden is dead, and there was a vast turnout last month by the Afghan people to elect their new president and give him a mandate
The thing that would almost guarantee to Scots voting NO would be for their to be a campaign in England indicating how many of us would dearly love to get shot of our whining Northern neighbours. Out of perversity they would vote not to leave. I am reminded of the PG Wodehouse quotation " it is not hard to tell the difference between a ray of sunshine and a Scotsman with a grievance"
You are a credit to England and unionism. Keep polishing that bowler.
ethnically most bowler wearers are scots.
Alan, Yes and luckily not that many left nowadays ( even if too many still ). However with online trolls they could be posting from anywhere, and sure a good few of them live in England in any case.
so like cybernats ? :-)
LOL, we know most unionists are from outside Scotland , donations wise as well. Yes have some support outside Scotland but majority are local and all donations are from Scotland. Yet unionists whinge that YES have more money and that is why they are CRAP.
LOL malc I'm pretty sure about 80% of Yes funding comes from two people in Largs.
Alan, It does, but 2 nice people , whereas 80% of NO's comes from outsiders , war criminals , etc. They are in Troon now I think , after paying for all their friends and neighbours houses for them they bought a big pile in Troon, but have a modest £1M one in Largs as well I think.
PS after a Tory MSP labelled them dupes and numpties in the newspapers this week they threw in another million just to piss him off and show how pathetic he was.
The tories might do better than expected in the locals because they tend to collect bins more often and keep council tax down.
What's your view??
Cue for saying that is certainly the case in the Sultanate of Elmbridge where we've frozen Council Tax for six out eight years (and will do so again next year if re-elected). Just saying with a conspicuously innocent face, dear voter.
Scott Harrison @Harri159 Interesting letter in Sunday Herald about an #indyref poll being buried due to high Yes vote - from an employee of Ipsos Mori!
Any idea what the jist of the letter is?
a recent poll commissioned bu the Cabinet Office was "buried"as it returned a result which showed the YES vote was soaring. The poll was held by my employer Ipsos Mori
As the Cabinet Office has not published any polls, presumably this was a private poll and both Ipsos Mori and their alleged employee are in breach of contract - I expect Ipsos Mori will wish to clarify things promptly.
Further, since the Cabinet Office does not publish its polls, how was this one "buried"?
Yes if true I am sure they will be out shortly giving us the numbers. Re the Cabinet Office , burying the truth is their stock in trade.
Much like governments suppressing legal advice. .*innocent face*
There was never anything to conceal, that was the point.
So the point of concealing it was to conceal that it wasn't there?
Mike - if UKIP get 20% it will break all the seat calculators. The reason is that these take 2010's figures and apply a uniform swing. The problem is that UKIP did poorly across the country in 2010 and the calculators don't reflect the hotbeds of UKIP support shown by the locals. For example, if you enter the figures above into Baxter, you get the following UKIP shares:
Boston and Skegness - 25% Great Yarmouth 20% Dwyfor Meirionnydd - 17% Banff and Buchan - 13%
In reality, if UKIP get 20% nationwide they'll be on +30% in Boston and Gt Yarmouth and still less than 10% in Banff and Dwyfor
In Thurrock UKIP have scored double their nationwide vote in the last three GE's. Last time it was 2.25 times the national.
In 2010 Con scored 36.8 and Lab 36.6.. If UKIP are polling 15% next May surely they take the seat? 7/1 available
13% in Banff and Buchan, someone is criminally insane.
The tories might do better than expected in the locals because they tend to collect bins more often and keep council tax down.
What's your view??
Cue for saying that is certainly the case in the Sultanate of Elmbridge where we've frozen Council Tax for six out eight years (and will do so again next year if re-elected). Just saying with a conspicuously innocent face, dear voter.
Mike - if UKIP get 20% it will break all the seat calculators. The reason is that these take 2010's figures and apply a uniform swing. The problem is that UKIP did poorly across the country in 2010 and the calculators don't reflect the hotbeds of UKIP support shown by the locals. For example, if you enter the figures above into Baxter, you get the following UKIP shares:
Boston and Skegness - 25% Great Yarmouth 20% Dwyfor Meirionnydd - 17% Banff and Buchan - 13%
In reality, if UKIP get 20% nationwide they'll be on +30% in Boston and Gt Yarmouth and still less than 10% in Banff and Dwyfor
In Thurrock UKIP have scored double their nationwide vote in the last three GE's. Last time it was 2.25 times the national.
In 2010 Con scored 36.8 and Lab 36.6.. If UKIP are polling 15% next May surely they take the seat? 7/1 available
13% in Banff and Buchan, someone is criminally insane.
Bed and breakfast is my tip for a shock Tory gain if No wins in September!
Mike - if UKIP get 20% it will break all the seat calculators. The reason is that these take 2010's figures and apply a uniform swing. The problem is that UKIP did poorly across the country in 2010 and the calculators don't reflect the hotbeds of UKIP support shown by the locals. For example, if you enter the figures above into Baxter, you get the following UKIP shares:
Boston and Skegness - 25% Great Yarmouth 20% Dwyfor Meirionnydd - 17% Banff and Buchan - 13%
In reality, if UKIP get 20% nationwide they'll be on +30% in Boston and Gt Yarmouth and still less than 10% in Banff and Dwyfor
In Thurrock UKIP have scored double their nationwide vote in the last three GE's. Last time it was 2.25 times the national.
In 2010 Con scored 36.8 and Lab 36.6.. If UKIP are polling 15% next May surely they take the seat? 7/1 available
Pure wishful thinking. The standard deviations of CPDs (Constituency Proportion Distributions) tend to be rather sticky. Ask the LibDems...
The thing that would almost guarantee to Scots voting NO would be for their to be a campaign in England indicating how many of us would dearly love to get shot of our whining Northern neighbours. Out of perversity they would vote not to leave. I am reminded of the PG Wodehouse quotation " it is not hard to tell the difference between a ray of sunshine and a Scotsman with a grievance"
You are a credit to England and unionism. Keep polishing that bowler.
ethnically most bowler wearers are scots.
Alan, Yes and luckily not that many left nowadays ( even if too many still ). However with online trolls they could be posting from anywhere, and sure a good few of them live in England in any case.
so like cybernats ? :-)
LOL, we know most unionists are from outside Scotland , donations wise as well. Yes have some support outside Scotland but majority are local and all donations are from Scotland. Yet unionists whinge that YES have more money and that is why they are CRAP.
LOL malc I'm pretty sure about 80% of Yes funding comes from two people in Largs.
Well, that's what some Unionist bag of shite objective journal of record says:
The latest gift, on top of £1m donated last year, means the SNP-supporting Ayrshire couple have supplied Yes Scotland with almost 80% of its cash since it was founded in May 2012.
SeanT Iraq was no triumph, but it did remove Saddam Hussein so was hardly a failure either
Yes, Saddam was toppled and eventually, and rather nastily, executed, which is what he probably deserved. However, by every other measure and criteria the war was not only a failure it was a bloody disaster the effects of which will reverberate to our own detriment for decades to come.
No. Because that would be a crap negotiating strategy.
Cameron has to get in a room and see what he can deliver. And then take it to the principals (the voters) for their decision.
Personally, I'd like to see (a) an opt-out from CAP (b) competence on financial services returned to the UK government (c) restrictions on welfare benefits for EU migrants for a period of time (say 3 years). I'm sure there will be others, but that's just off the top of my head.
Would you mind providing a quote from any negotiating expert that announcing your demands beforehand is a crap negotiating strategy? Because it's absurd. Have we ever seen Bob Crow refuse to issue demands before a strike? What about in football transfers? Did Harry Redknapp ever go into a discussion with another club to purchase a player, but not saying who he wanted to buy? Or maybe in business - have we ever had a CEO enter M&A negotiations not saying which unit of the other business they wish to buy?
This, "I can't say what I want because that's bad negotiation" is just a made up thing by loyalist Tories. They can't provide any theoretical argument for it, they can't provide any evidence of anyone else doing it in any other field, and they can't even logically deconstruct it. Because the real reason David Cameron won't say what he wants is not because it helps him with Brussels. It's because it helps him cover up the fact it'll be a massive let down with the British public.
My job is to negotiate. I've been doing it for 17 years. I reckon that I'm reasonably good at it. Certainly my clients are willing to pay handsomely for my services, which is a pretty good indication.
Of course when you discuss with your partners on the other side of the table you take positions and argue for what you want. But that is done in private. To announce in public what you want restricts flexibility and the ability to negotiate. Bob Crow's public announcements were just that: posturing for the public and the media. The actual deals done were more practical and nuanced.
The most powerful weapon that Cameron has is the in/out referendum. It's the classic strategy of putting someone in the room who has to refer back to the principals for final approval. You want to keep the principals out of the room for as long as possible - and only bring them in when there are the last few points to be closed out.
That's also why Cameron has said that he would argue to stay in. He's posing as the reasonable guy, who wants to do a deal, but you (the other EU countries) have to help him convince his boss.
TwistedFireStopper Wrong on both counts, Saddam Hussein is no longer killing and torturing his people and massacring the Kurds, Afghanistan no longer has the Taleban in control, Bin Laden is dead, and there was a vast turnout last month by the Afghan people to elect their new president and give him a mandate
dyedwoolie Only problem is those who tend to be most concerned about immigration, also tend to be less socially tolerant and often want higher taxes for the rich, and those who are fiscally conservative are often more socially tolerant and more supportive of immigration, so the party you want is unlikely to have a high base. Instead, it would be a mix of the Tories and Orange Book and UKIP on economics and welfare, UKIP on immigration and law and order, and the LDs on social issues
David Cameron will in effect form a majority government as he will be promised support by the DUP/UUP.
Just a reminder that the UUP have no MPs and few prospects of improving on that and the DUP are for sale rather than automatically in the Tory camp. You might be disappointed if you're relying on Northern Irish unionists to prop up your government. Or at least significantly the poorer for it.
Further to my post, I have been looking at the seat calculators further. As it is saying the biggest swing will be from the Conservatives, they are giving the largest UKIP shares to seats with high numbers of Conservatives so you get:
Kensington - 20% UKIP Hampstead - 19% UKIP
even though these are far too prosperous to have high UKIP shares.
Barking is one Labour seat where UKIP have been predicted to do well but the predicted share is 14% compared to 16% in Brent Central and 17% in Tottenham!
Isam - for Thurrock the seat calculator gives 20% UKIP compared to 27% Con, 39% Lab but not sure I believe this when the UKIP share is less than that in St Albans (22%), Buckingham (24%) and Aylesbury (25%)
SeanT Iraq was no triumph, but it did remove Saddam Hussein so was hardly a failure either
It was for most of the Iraqi people. Just like Afghanistan will be.
How good were the ancien regimes for the Kurds, or the Marsh Arabs, or the young women of Afghanistan?
Not good. I'm not defending the old regimes, I'm just not convinced that all the blood spilled, and all the treasure expended have really been worth it. Not for us, and probably not for the nationals of those countries.
Afternoon all. I wish to pick the brains of the good people of pb.com with a question about a very common drink. I am contemplating entering the world of tea drinking. Ordinary, decaf, green and a fruit have been bought to trial. Any tips and recommendations for a nearly new tea drinker? I say 'nearly' as I have had about two cups about seven years ago!
dyedwoolie Only problem is those who tend to be most concerned about immigration, also tend to be less socially tolerant and often want higher taxes for the rich, and those who are fiscally conservative are often more socially tolerant and more supportive of immigration, so the party you want is unlikely to have a high base. Instead, it would be a mix of the Tories and Orange Book and UKIP on economics and welfare, UKIP on immigration and law and order, and the LDs on social issues
Sounds like a dream team to me :-) They could face off against rump Labour and the BNP and wipe them both out. Yes, I know my politics are somewhat bizarre, but so is the UK political scene post 1994. Everyone has forgotten what they stood for. Fiscally sensible, socially lliberal, strong on law and order and not a bunch of arses. Not too much to ask is it?!
Afternoon all. I wish to pick the brains of the good people of pb.com with a question about a very common drink. I am contemplating entering the world of tea drinking. Ordinary, decaf, green and a fruit have been bought to trial. Any tips and recommendations for a nearly new tea drinker? I say 'nearly' as I have had about two cups about seven years ago!
James, Tea Pigs Mao Feng Green Tea is excellent. You can get it online and some big supermarkets do it , Sainsbury's definitely.
Afternoon all. I wish to pick the brains of the good people of pb.com with a question about a very common drink. I am contemplating entering the world of tea drinking. Ordinary, decaf, green and a fruit have been bought to trial. Any tips and recommendations for a nearly new tea drinker? I say 'nearly' as I have had about two cups about seven years ago!
English or Scottish breakfast tea. Simple and delicious.
dyedwoolie UKIP is hardly socially tolerant, it opposed gay marriage
Opposition doesn't equal intolerance
UKIP aren't campaigning to revert to gay marriage being forbidden. They tolerate gay marriage.
Apart from poster boy Helmer?
Seems quite tolerant to me
"In an interview with The Times, Mr Helmer, who left the Tories two years ago, said his views have changed.
He said: “I was raised in a very traditional home and I guess I grew up with those attitudes, but hell we are now in the 21st century.
“My position is exactly the same as the party’s position: that we are a broadly libertarian party and what two consenting adults, or indeed more than two consenting adults, choose to do together is none of my business, none of the party’s business and as far as we’re concerned, they’re free to get on with it.”
He said UKIP were right to fight same-sex marriage but when asked if he would attend a gay wedding he said he would."
1) Twinings English Breakfast tea with a dash of milk is the one.
2) Shame the Tories can't see that electoral reform would suit them (and realign British politics). The Eurosceptics would leave to fuse with UKIP, and the modernists join with Orange Bookers and ultra Blairites. I suspect the LDs would disappear, and a new Social Democratic and Labour party (? New Democrats ?) form. Shame it will rake many years for this to sink in.
Isam They accept it yes, although Farage has said he will do more to enforce exemption, but UKIP are not a party you will vote for if you want one which is socially liberal
HurstLlama How do you know, had Saddam stayed in power he would have continued killing and who knows what unsavoury elements he would have linked too, post-invasion Iraq was botched, but at least it is now electing its own government again in elections this month
SeanT Iraq was no triumph, but it did remove Saddam Hussein so was hardly a failure either
It was for most of the Iraqi people. Just like Afghanistan will be.
How good were the ancien regimes for the Kurds, or the Marsh Arabs, or the young women of Afghanistan?
Not good. I'm not defending the old regimes, I'm just not convinced that all the blood spilled, and all the treasure expended have really been worth it. Not for us, and probably not for the nationals of those countries.
And I think you'd be right Mr. Stopper. The violence in Iraq hasn't stopped, indeed in recent months it seems to have ramped up again. I don't know how many people Saddam and his goon's killed and tortured each year but they must have been working overtime if their total was higher than the various militia's are managing at the moment.
In Afghanistan the situation has gone backwards since the 70s, the Ancien Regime was actually pretty good at enhancing women's rights and such like. The Taliban haven't gone away and probably they, or warlords with similar mentality, will control most of the country in a year or two - the Afghan president's writ don't run far outside Kabul even now.
So for the people in those two countries I am not sure our sacrifice in blood and treasure has achieved much. For our own long-term interests and prestige both wars have, as I argued earlier, been dreadful - a complete waste of treasure and lives.
The thing that would almost guarantee to Scots voting NO would be for their to be a campaign in England indicating how many of us would dearly love to get shot of our whining Northern neighbours. Out of perversity they would vote not to leave. I am reminded of the PG Wodehouse quotation " it is not hard to tell the difference between a ray of sunshine and a Scotsman with a grievance"
You are a credit to England and unionism. Keep polishing that bowler.
ethnically most bowler wearers are scots.
Alan, Yes and luckily not that many left nowadays ( even if too many still ). However with online trolls they could be posting from anywhere, and sure a good few of them live in England in any case.
so like cybernats ? :-)
LOL, we know most unionists are from outside Scotland , donations wise as well. Yes have some support outside Scotland but majority are local and all donations are from Scotland. Yet unionists whinge that YES have more money and that is why they are CRAP.
LOL malc I'm pretty sure about 80% of Yes funding comes from two people in Largs.
Alan, It does, but 2 nice people , whereas 80% of NO's comes from outsiders , war criminals , etc. They are in Troon now I think , after paying for all their friends and neighbours houses for them they bought a big pile in Troon, but have a modest £1M one in Largs as well I think.
PS after a Tory MSP labelled them dupes and numpties in the newspapers this week they threw in another million just to piss him off and show how pathetic he was.
LOL war criminals. Oh dear
Rob, most of their cash from outside Scotland as well , shows their support. YES have all theirs from inside Scotland. Also if you count all the crowdfunding by the various YES groups and websites etc, the results are informative.
dyedwoolie UKIP is hardly socially tolerant, it opposed gay marriage
Opposition doesn't equal intolerance
UKIP aren't campaigning to revert to gay marriage being forbidden. They tolerate gay marriage.
Apart from poster boy Helmer?
Seems quite tolerant to me
"In an interview with The Times, Mr Helmer, who left the Tories two years ago, said his views have changed.
He said: “I was raised in a very traditional home and I guess I grew up with those attitudes, but hell we are now in the 21st century.
“My position is exactly the same as the party’s position: that we are a broadly libertarian party and what two consenting adults, or indeed more than two consenting adults, choose to do together is none of my business, none of the party’s business and as far as we’re concerned, they’re free to get on with it.”
He said UKIP were right to fight same-sex marriage but when asked if he would attend a gay wedding he said he would."
Tolerant and dismissive. They were not right to oppose gay marriage of course, only those blinded by the lies of religious faith oppose such things. Tolerance can mask a great deal of bigotry. I tolerate Labour for example. However, for a true revolution in this country, we need a party to champion, relish and delight in the different ways of life we all enjoy, and clamp down on those that try to interfere in the lives and loves of others.
P.s. I also tolerate people believing in God. The poor fools.
SeanT Iraq was no triumph, but it did remove Saddam Hussein so was hardly a failure either
It was for most of the Iraqi people. Just like Afghanistan will be.
How good were the ancien regimes for the Kurds, or the Marsh Arabs, or the young women of Afghanistan?
Not good. I'm not defending the old regimes, I'm just not convinced that all the blood spilled, and all the treasure expended have really been worth it. Not for us, and probably not for the nationals of those countries.
Charles on this thread has shown the frivolity and perversity of the political class. A female employee being mistakenly invited into a strip club is an outrage but the Iraq blood bath is reasonable. Grotesque.
Afternoon all. I wish to pick the brains of the good people of pb.com with a question about a very common drink. I am contemplating entering the world of tea drinking. Ordinary, decaf, green and a fruit have been bought to trial. Any tips and recommendations for a nearly new tea drinker? I say 'nearly' as I have had about two cups about seven years ago!
One vote for Redbush or Roibos tea - the Tetley bags are as good, if not better than some of the fancier ones.
1) Twinings English Breakfast tea with a dash of milk is the one.
2) Shame the Tories can't see that electoral reform would suit them (and realign British politics). The Eurosceptics would leave to fuse with UKIP, and the modernists join with Orange Bookers and ultra Blairites. I suspect the LDs would disappear, and a new Social Democratic and Labour party (? New Democrats ?) form. Shame it will rake many years for this to sink in.
AJK, Twinings is excellent but too strong with soft Scottish water, hard to get it just right.
SeanT Iraq was no triumph, but it did remove Saddam Hussein so was hardly a failure either
It was for most of the Iraqi people. Just like Afghanistan will be.
How good were the ancien regimes for the Kurds, or the Marsh Arabs, or the young women of Afghanistan?
Not good. I'm not defending the old regimes, I'm just not convinced that all the blood spilled, and all the treasure expended have really been worth it. Not for us, and probably not for the nationals of those countries.
I suspect that life is a lot better (despite the reported violence) for the nationals of those countries. Whether it was worth the Western blood, treasure and loss of prestige/moral authority is much more open to question.
Afternoon all. I wish to pick the brains of the good people of pb.com with a question about a very common drink. I am contemplating entering the world of tea drinking. Ordinary, decaf, green and a fruit have been bought to trial. Any tips and recommendations for a nearly new tea drinker? I say 'nearly' as I have had about two cups about seven years ago!
Yes. ignore the pretentious and do what you like.
Personally I like Ceylon (preferably Orange Pekoe) or Assam, with milk, but without sugar. You can get them in Tescos (I tend to pay up for the Twinings brand though)
HurstLlama How do you know, had Saddam stayed in power he would have continued killing and who knows what unsavoury elements he would have linked too, post-invasion Iraq was botched, but at least it is now electing its own government again in elections this month
He could not have possibly made it worse than the current situation. It is dire and steadily getting worse.
Isam They accept it yes, although Farage has said he will do more to enforce exemption, but UKIP are not a party you will vote for if you want one which is socially liberal
All the main parties are socially authoritarian in different ways. In the round, UKIP are not more socially authoritarian than the other three. Perhaps it just isn't in the nature of legislators to be anything other than socially authoritarian.
Isam They accept it yes, although Farage has said he will do more to enforce exemption, but UKIP are not a party you will vote for if you want one which is socially liberal
All the main parties are socially authoritarian in different ways. In the round, UKIP are not more socially authoritarian than the other three. Perhaps it just isn't in the nature of legislators to be anything other than socially authoritarian.
The Greens are probably the most socially authoritarian party out there for example.
dyedwoolie UKIP is hardly socially tolerant, it opposed gay marriage
Opposition doesn't equal intolerance
UKIP aren't campaigning to revert to gay marriage being forbidden. They tolerate gay marriage.
Apart from poster boy Helmer?
Now now, he's got a very liberal attitude to topless bars ..
He was also very keen to court the 10am Wetherspoons alcoholic vote. He'll be in one of those new pound pubs next. We need more of them, it's not hard enough running a village boozer as it is.
dyedwoolie Labour would not disappear, large numbers of voters want higher taxes on the rich, not to mention its public sector client state which wants increased spending, most of the BNP may shift to UKIP though
I see the Orange Order are planning to have a parade in Edinburgh just before the referendum , with supporting cast from Ireland no doubt. That will be sure to help Better Together in the vote. LOL, what a bunch they have in Better Together, waiting till last minute to deploy their grassroots team.
SeanT Iraq was no triumph, but it did remove Saddam Hussein so was hardly a failure either
It was for most of the Iraqi people. Just like Afghanistan will be.
How good were the ancien regimes for the Kurds, or the Marsh Arabs, or the young women of Afghanistan?
Not good. I'm not defending the old regimes, I'm just not convinced that all the blood spilled, and all the treasure expended have really been worth it. Not for us, and probably not for the nationals of those countries.
Charles on this thread has shown the frivolity and perversity of the political class. A female employee being mistakenly invited into a strip club is an outrage but the Iraq blood bath is reasonable. Grotesque.
Where did I say the Iraq blood bath was reasonable?
I said, on balance, life was better for the majority of residents of those countries, but that it wasn't worth the cost to the West.
And, yes, a young female employee feeling she had no practical choice but to go to a strip joint with her boss is an outrage.
But the points are in no way comparable. One relates to the kind of society that I would like to live in. The other relates to the Game of Nations.
dyedwoolie Labour would not disappear, large numbers of voters want higher taxes on the rich, not to mention its public sector client state which wants increased spending, most of the BNP may shift to UKIP though
Which goes to my first point. labour and it's client vote has to be broken up before revolution in politics can benefit us.
SeanT Iraq was no triumph, but it did remove Saddam Hussein so was hardly a failure either
It was for most of the Iraqi people. Just like Afghanistan will be.
How good were the ancien regimes for the Kurds, or the Marsh Arabs, or the young women of Afghanistan?
Not good. I'm not defending the old regimes, I'm just not convinced that all the blood spilled, and all the treasure expended have really been worth it. Not for us, and probably not for the nationals of those countries.
Charles on this thread has shown the frivolity and perversity of the political class. A female employee being mistakenly invited into a strip club is an outrage but the Iraq blood bath is reasonable. Grotesque.
Where did I say the Iraq blood bath was reasonable?
I said, on balance, life was better for the majority of residents of those countries, but that it wasn't worth the cost to the West.
And, yes, a young female employee feeling she had no practical choice but to go to a strip joint with her boss is an outrage.
But the points are in no way comparable. One relates to the kind of society that I would like to live in. The other relates to the Game of Nations.
On the Newark by-election front,this article in today's Indy confirms the implications in Michael Crick's report that Labour's not running to win in Newark.As Farage has already determined in his own mind after a good look at the electoral arithmetic, Ukip would not win with him standing,it is hardly likely Helmer will do any better. IMHO the Tories have been and still are, over-priced. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/ukip-boosted-by-labour-decision-to-soft-pedal-in-newark-byelection-9350087.html
Tories have to scrap their annual Youth party conference in Scotland due to lack of support. Even dropping entrance fees to £6.50 from £15 could not get them more than 12 tickets sold. Bodes well for the future of Tory party in Scotland as all the old duffers disappear.
dyedwoolie There will always be teachers and lecturers, civil servants and local government workers, the BBC and Guardian, NHS workers, social workers, legal aid lawyers, trade union members etc. You can reduce their size, but Labour's client state will not disappear
Many thanks so far to @Malcolmg@dyedwoolie@AJK@CarlottaVance and @Charles for your suggestions. Wow, it is far more complex than I could have imagined! I have had a few friends via social media recommend English Breakfast Tea too. Are there any introductory websites on tea? Finally, I try to keep off caffeine where I can, does a decaf tea really ruin the taste for limited benefit?
1) Twinings English Breakfast tea with a dash of milk is the one.
2) Shame the Tories can't see that electoral reform would suit them (and realign British politics). The Eurosceptics would leave to fuse with UKIP, and the modernists join with Orange Bookers and ultra Blairites. I suspect the LDs would disappear, and a new Social Democratic and Labour party (? New Democrats ?) form. Shame it will rake many years for this to sink in.
AJK, Twinings is excellent but too strong with soft Scottish water, hard to get it just right.
SeanT Iraq was no triumph, but it did remove Saddam Hussein so was hardly a failure either
It was for most of the Iraqi people. Just like Afghanistan will be.
How good were the ancien regimes for the Kurds, or the Marsh Arabs, or the young women of Afghanistan?
Not good. I'm not defending the old regimes, I'm just not convinced that all the blood spilled, and all the treasure expended have really been worth it. Not for us, and probably not for the nationals of those countries.
I suspect that life is a lot better (despite the reported violence) for the nationals of those countries. Whether it was worth the Western blood, treasure and loss of prestige/moral authority is much more open to question.
It's difficult to get accurate figures, but I guess this is as good a report as any.
I'm sure Saddam killed more, but a country that still suffers 10000+ casualties a year since our intervention can't be classed as anything other than a failure. I'm nowhere near an expert, but I do have lots of anecdotal evidence from forces friends and family, that Afghanistan will go the same way. Once the West announced it was bailing out, the Taliban knew they had won. They don't need to do much to take control, outside of Kabul.
dyedwoolie There will always be teachers and lecturers, civil servants and local government workers, the BBC and Guardian, NHS workers, social workers, legal aid lawyers, trade union members etc. You can reduce their size, but Labour's client state will not disappear
So we target Labour. There are places and parties for the public sector vote to go. Stopping Labour in 2015 may be the catalyst for a repositioning in UK politics. I haven't really given much thought to the how's and whys, it's all hands on deck to stop Ed for now. Look at them as it is. In opposition but unable to benefit more than a few measly percent above their terrible 2010 score despite the collapse of the Lib Dems. the Tories, too, are struggling. It's reaching critical mass, but it all has to hold together long enough to stop Ed and Ed in 2015. That's how I see it.
Many thanks so far to @Malcolmg@dyedwoolie@AJK@CarlottaVance and @Charles for your suggestions. Wow, it is far more complex than I could have imagined! I have had a few friends via social media recommend English Breakfast Tea too. Are there any introductory websites on tea? Finally, I try to keep off caffeine where I can, does a decaf tea really ruin the taste for limited benefit?
Decaf tea tastes terrible
I am drinking a cup of PG Tips "The Fresh One", my current favourite tea
SeanT Iraq was no triumph, but it did remove Saddam Hussein so was hardly a failure either
It was for most of the Iraqi people. Just like Afghanistan will be.
How good were the ancien regimes for the Kurds, or the Marsh Arabs, or the young women of Afghanistan?
Not good. I'm not defending the old regimes, I'm just not convinced that all the blood spilled, and all the treasure expended have really been worth it. Not for us, and probably not for the nationals of those countries.
Charles on this thread has shown the frivolity and perversity of the political class. A female employee being mistakenly invited into a strip club is an outrage but the Iraq blood bath is reasonable. Grotesque.
Where did I say the Iraq blood bath was reasonable?
I said, on balance, life was better for the majority of residents of those countries, but that it wasn't worth the cost to the West.
And, yes, a young female employee feeling she had no practical choice but to go to a strip joint with her boss is an outrage.
But the points are in no way comparable. One relates to the kind of society that I would like to live in. The other relates to the Game of Nations.
You're just looking at one measure: the murder of innocent civilians by terrorists. This needs to be controlled.
But (and this is a big but) putting this aside, there is the rule of law, there is a democracy, there is free enterprise and the opportunity for a future.
Many thanks so far to @Malcolmg@dyedwoolie@AJK@CarlottaVance and @Charles for your suggestions. Wow, it is far more complex than I could have imagined! I have had a few friends via social media recommend English Breakfast Tea too. Are there any introductory websites on tea? Finally, I try to keep off caffeine where I can, does a decaf tea really ruin the taste for limited benefit?
Redbush is naturally caffeine free - I have always been wary of consuming decaffeinated drinks because of the process - probably irrational, but there we are!
TwistedFireStopper It is all relative, in 10 years time will Iraq be better than under Saddam Hussein is the question. In Afghanistan the Taliban will not take control out of the regions they control, 10,000 NATO troops are staying to support the new government, there was a vast turnout last month to give the new president a mandate and Abdullah Abdullah, who leads the first round of polling has experience fighting the Russians and the Taliban even before 9/11 when they controlled most of the country
Many thanks so far to @Malcolmg@dyedwoolie@AJK@CarlottaVance and @Charles for your suggestions. Wow, it is far more complex than I could have imagined! I have had a few friends via social media recommend English Breakfast Tea too. Are there any introductory websites on tea? Finally, I try to keep off caffeine where I can, does a decaf tea really ruin the taste for limited benefit?
There's not that much caffeine in tea, but probably best way to avoid it completely is something like mint tea. IIRC, green tea is the worst for caffeine.
Ultimately it's all down to taste, so something like this may help. Obviously a premium price per bag, but a good way to taste multiple types.
dyedwoolie Under FPTP the public sector will vote en masse for Labour, especially now the LDs are in Coalition with the Tories. Under PR, a few more public sector workers would vote Green as they do for the Euros, but most would never vote Tory or UKIP
dyedwoolie Under FPTP the public sector will vote en masse for Labour, especially now the LDs are in Coalition with the Tories. Under PR, a few more public sector workers would vote Green as they do for the Euros, but most would never vote Tory or UKIP
Make Labour unelectable and that problem will start to dissipate. Anyway, I have to go serve booze as we watch Norwich descend..... Laters all
Tories have to scrap their annual Youth party conference in Scotland due to lack of support. Even dropping entrance fees to £6.50 from £15 could not get them more than 12 tickets sold. Bodes well for the future of Tory party in Scotland as all the old duffers disappear.
Conservatives can win without a single Scottish vote, as they do in Quebec by ignoring the French and chasing votes from their own. Maybe someday the Republicans will win an election when they realise picking up one Hispanic vote by pandering is not worth it if they lose 10 white votes, oh for the days of Nixon and his Southern strategy.
Labour Council Candidate & Head of Policy at New Local Government Network
Laura Wilkes @Laurawilkes 14m Speechless. Just met a Pakistani man on the doorstep leafleting for the local UKIP candidate. Am I missing something?! @redbridgelabour
TwistedFireStopper India too has no interest in seeing the Taliban return, it backed Abdullah and Massod previously when Pakistan backed the Taliban and the likely new PM Modi is much more hostile to Pakistan than Singh and a Hindu nationalist and India has a vast army which he would use if necessary
dyedwoolie Under FPTP the public sector will vote en masse for Labour, especially now the LDs are in Coalition with the Tories. Under PR, a few more public sector workers would vote Green as they do for the Euros, but most would never vote Tory or UKIP
I'm public sector and a union member. I'm not a Labour voter. Under this government, I'm facing redundancy, pension cuts and 1% payrises. Why would the public sector vote Tory? From your tone, Tories clearly despise us, you're virtually giving us no option but to go to Labour, even if it'll only be more of the same from them.
FalseFlag The Progressive Tories did win seats in Quebec under Jean Charest, and indeed Harper won 5 in 2011, and moderate Tories in Scotland can win there too. Romney won more white votes in 2012 than any Republican presidential candidate since Bush Snr in 1988, but it was the increased minority vote which did for him
We could be heading for a perfect storm of political chaos over the next year. UKIP win the Euros. Labour or Conservatives come third in the Euros. Doesn't matter which, it's all good. LDs get slaughtered in the Euros. The locals might throw up some interesting results. Newark goes purple. Scotland votes yes. The GE conforms to the thread header.
Cameron, Clegg and Milliband won't know what's hit them.
Better Together are really struggling now, they are down to comparing different polls from different companies at different times to try and kid on NO are gaining on YES. They are totally useless lying toerags.
Labour Council Candidate & Head of Policy at New Local Government Network
Laura Wilkes @Laurawilkes 14m Speechless. Just met a Pakistani man on the doorstep leafleting for the local UKIP candidate. Am I missing something?! @redbridgelabour
How did she know that he was a Pakistani ?
Did she ask to see his passport perhaps ?
Or do Labour candidates automatically regard any person of South Asian heritage as 'Pakistani'?
And what she's 'missing' is that people of all backgrounds now despise the political establishment.
"India has a vast army which he would use if necessary"
In Afghanistan? Are you serious? And if you are, how would this be good news for the Afghan people? If India goes in so will Pakistan, then we have a regional war. This is supposed to be a good result?
India would be even more insane than we were to commit ground troops to Afghanistan. Thankfully, their leaders and their generals have more sense than ours did.
TwistedFireStopper Labour would put up taxes on the rich more and has promised to spread the cuts out over a longertime frame, it was of course Brown's public sector spending splurge which was responsible for much of the deficit in the first place so of course the public sector will vote for the party which feeds them. The armed forces and police are the only areas of the public sector which are more Tory, maybe firefighters are not that different
Tories doing well in polls and then Cameron and Osborne shoot themselves in the foot yet again,did these 2 announcements last week, did it hit the tories in the polls ?
Bollox. Those who negotiate from a position of strength aren't afraid to announce what they're going to negotiate because they know they're going to win.
Cameron can't deliver anything, that's the reason he wont announce what he's going to renegotiate.
Contrast that with Thatcher who did announce beforehand and achieved things.
All Cameron is planning is the facade of renegotiation after which he will claim 'victory' even if he's given away even more powers.
Cameron deals in facades - the facade of EU renegotiation, the facade of 'cast iron guarantees' and fake flounces, the facade of austerity, the facade of "paying down Britain's debts", the facade of 'economic rebalancing', the facade of immigration control.
He's not alone in this, its a mentality prevalent throughout the political establishment.
And its why the people planning to vote UKIP despise it.
Would love to negotiate against you! Anything you want to sell?
You need to prepare the ground for a negotiation first. That's what they seem to be doing behind the scenes. There's no point in taking some grand position if you can't get any support for it.
You should also remember that a good negotiation is not about "winning" or "losing". It's about achieving a mutually acceptable outcome for both sides.
There speaks the voice of surrender.
While you're seeking your 'mutually acceptable outcome' the other side are seeking to win.
HurstLlama Absoltely, Modi is a Hindu nationalist who has been whipping up anti Pakistan feeling, if he wins next week, which is almost certain, then he could send in Indian forces to push back the Taliban if necessary and contain Pakistani influence. And Modi is not entirely sane! Hopefully, the new President Abdullah Abdullah, who is experienced, and 10,000 NATO troops remaining will not make that necessary
Labour Council Candidate & Head of Policy at New Local Government Network
Laura Wilkes @Laurawilkes 14m Speechless. Just met a Pakistani man on the doorstep leafleting for the local UKIP candidate. Am I missing something?! @redbridgelabour
Labour Council Candidate & Head of Policy at New Local Government Network
Laura Wilkes @Laurawilkes 14m Speechless. Just met a Pakistani man on the doorstep leafleting for the local UKIP candidate. Am I missing something?! @redbridgelabour
Unbelievable.
I believe the phenomenon is called being mugged by reality.
UNS doesnt work with when a party hits the zero bound of votes like LD do today or UKIP did last time so I used the same methodology used in exit polls as described here: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/statistics/staff/academic-research/firth/exit-poll-explainer/ With the latest 13 constituency polls which are all english seats and perhaps not a represantative sample of seats, are for England only CON 128 LAB 338 LD 24 UKIP 36, if I try and use a mix of constituency polls and national polls (a regional mix of ComRes and yougov), plus I break Southern and Eastern coasts of England as a potencial UKIP stronghold, I get a range of results for the whole UK: CON 198-241, LAB 345-390, LD 19-31, UKIP 1-20 seats. The swings vary greatly from a small swing to CON in Scotland and a small swing to LAB in London to double digit swings to LAB in the coasts, the midlands and the north.
David Cameron will in effect form a majority government as he will be promised support by the DUP/UUP.
Just a reminder that the UUP have no MPs and few prospects of improving on that and the DUP are for sale rather than automatically in the Tory camp. You might be disappointed if you're relying on Northern Irish unionists to prop up your government. Or at least significantly the poorer for it.
UKIP's Northern Ireland PEB seemed to be aimed squarely at the unionist voters.
The most powerful weapon that Cameron has is the in/out referendum. It's the classic strategy of putting someone in the room who has to refer back to the principals for final approval. You want to keep the principals out of the room for as long as possible - and only bring them in when there are the last few points to be closed out.
Hardly democratic though, is it?
You can, of course, show the huge business he built through successive deals due to his negotiating 'skills'.
One of the reasons Cameron failed to win a majority in 2010 was that it was focused on the Big Society when Cameron hadn't run a voluntary group in his life, except the Conservative Party whose membership has collapsed under his leadership.
You are trying the same, unsuccessful, trick again. Even fewer people will be fooled this time.
Afternoon all. I wish to pick the brains of the good people of pb.com with a question about a very common drink. I am contemplating entering the world of tea drinking. Ordinary, decaf, green and a fruit have been bought to trial. Any tips and recommendations for a nearly new tea drinker? I say 'nearly' as I have had about two cups about seven years ago!
In the summer I like Earl Grey. I've not found a supermarket own brand that's any good at that, so I would recommend sticking to Twinings.
Standard tea is always either PG Tips, or Twinings Everyday. (I think they are both like Twinings English Afternoon Tea)
A non-tea-tea I've started drinking is (Asda) 'Red bush' which is some african alternative. A bit twiggy, but not bad.
The most powerful weapon that Cameron has is the in/out referendum. It's the classic strategy of putting someone in the room who has to refer back to the principals for final approval. You want to keep the principals out of the room for as long as possible - and only bring them in when there are the last few points to be closed out.
Hardly democratic though, is it?
You can, of course, show the huge business he built through successive deals due to his negotiating 'skills'.
One of the reasons Cameron failed to win a majority in 2010 was that it was focused on the Big Society when Cameron hadn't run a voluntary group in his life, except the Conservative Party whose membership has collapsed under his leadership.
You are trying the same, unsuccessful, trick again. Even fewer people will be fooled this time.
The alternative, e.g. Brown announcing our gold sales in advance, was not exactly effective*.
Off topic, but I need to get a car road legal for tomorrow. It's MOTd, I've just insured it online, but need to tax it. Does anyone know how long it takes for the DVLA and Insurers databases to get synched? My son needs to use it tomorrow, but can't get to a post office to physically tax it.
Labour Council Candidate & Head of Policy at New Local Government Network
Laura Wilkes @Laurawilkes 14m Speechless. Just met a Pakistani man on the doorstep leafleting for the local UKIP candidate. Am I missing something?! @redbridgelabour
The answer is obviously yes.
So, why would someone from an ethnic minority support UKIP when campaigning against immigration specifically?
What Wilkes (what minority does she belong to?) doesn't realise is that ethnic minorities are most impacted by new immigration. New immigrants compete for jobs that are already being done by ethnic minorities and in any ethnic/religious grouping, newcomers put a strain on existing institutions and charities. Poles and Polish/Catholic charities and Catholic schools are an example.
1. Without the EU, food bills in every UK household would be £400 cheaper.
2. Without the EU, every UK fuel bill would be £112 cheaper.
If true, that's quite a powerful message.
I've always thought UKIP's fuel policy was a good "better off with UKIP" offer. I'd never considered food prices, but £400 does look like a powerful 'vote UKIP/leave the EU' argument!
Comments
Yum yum
In 2010 Con scored 36.8 and Lab 36.6.. If UKIP are polling 15% next May surely they take the seat? 7/1 available
PS after a Tory MSP labelled them dupes and numpties in the newspapers this week they threw in another million just to piss him off and show how pathetic he was.
Okaaaay........
We need something infinitely better than UKIP to start again in this country
The latest gift, on top of £1m donated last year, means the SNP-supporting Ayrshire couple have supplied Yes Scotland with almost 80% of its cash since it was founded in May 2012.
http://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/referendum-news/lottery-winning-weirs-donate-25m-more-to-the-yes-campaign.24190350
Of course when you discuss with your partners on the other side of the table you take positions and argue for what you want. But that is done in private. To announce in public what you want restricts flexibility and the ability to negotiate. Bob Crow's public announcements were just that: posturing for the public and the media. The actual deals done were more practical and nuanced.
The most powerful weapon that Cameron has is the in/out referendum. It's the classic strategy of putting someone in the room who has to refer back to the principals for final approval. You want to keep the principals out of the room for as long as possible - and only bring them in when there are the last few points to be closed out.
That's also why Cameron has said that he would argue to stay in. He's posing as the reasonable guy, who wants to do a deal, but you (the other EU countries) have to help him convince his boss.
UKIP aren't campaigning to revert to gay marriage being forbidden. They tolerate gay marriage.
Kensington - 20% UKIP
Hampstead - 19% UKIP
even though these are far too prosperous to have high UKIP shares.
Barking is one Labour seat where UKIP have been predicted to do well but the predicted share is 14% compared to 16% in Brent Central and 17% in Tottenham!
Isam - for Thurrock the seat calculator gives 20% UKIP compared to 27% Con, 39% Lab but not sure I believe this when the UKIP share is less than that in St Albans (22%), Buckingham (24%) and Aylesbury (25%)
They could face off against rump Labour and the BNP and wipe them both out.
Yes, I know my politics are somewhat bizarre, but so is the UK political scene post 1994. Everyone has forgotten what they stood for.
Fiscally sensible, socially lliberal, strong on law and order and not a bunch of arses. Not too much to ask is it?!
"In an interview with The Times, Mr Helmer, who left the Tories two years ago, said his views have changed.
He said: “I was raised in a very traditional home and I guess I grew up with those attitudes, but hell we are now in the 21st century.
“My position is exactly the same as the party’s position: that we are a broadly libertarian party and what two consenting adults, or indeed more than two consenting adults, choose to do together is none of my business, none of the party’s business and as far as we’re concerned, they’re free to get on with it.”
He said UKIP were right to fight same-sex marriage but when asked if he would attend a gay wedding he said he would."
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2014/05/07/ukips-roger-helmer-im-not-the-anti-gay-mep-and-i-would-attend-a-gay-wedding/
2) Shame the Tories can't see that electoral reform would suit them (and realign British politics). The Eurosceptics would leave to fuse with UKIP, and the modernists join with Orange Bookers and ultra Blairites. I suspect the LDs would disappear, and a new Social Democratic and Labour party (? New Democrats ?) form. Shame it will rake many years for this to sink in.
In Afghanistan the situation has gone backwards since the 70s, the Ancien Regime was actually pretty good at enhancing women's rights and such like. The Taliban haven't gone away and probably they, or warlords with similar mentality, will control most of the country in a year or two - the Afghan president's writ don't run far outside Kabul even now.
So for the people in those two countries I am not sure our sacrifice in blood and treasure has achieved much. For our own long-term interests and prestige both wars have, as I argued earlier, been dreadful - a complete waste of treasure and lives.
Tolerance can mask a great deal of bigotry. I tolerate Labour for example. However, for a true revolution in this country, we need a party to champion, relish and delight in the different ways of life we all enjoy, and clamp down on those that try to interfere in the lives and loves of others.
P.s. I also tolerate people believing in God. The poor fools.
Grotesque.
Personally I like Ceylon (preferably Orange Pekoe) or Assam, with milk, but without sugar. You can get them in Tescos (I tend to pay up for the Twinings brand though)
I said, on balance, life was better for the majority of residents of those countries, but that it wasn't worth the cost to the West.
And, yes, a young female employee feeling she had no practical choice but to go to a strip joint with her boss is an outrage.
But the points are in no way comparable. One relates to the kind of society that I would like to live in. The other relates to the Game of Nations.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/01/01/un-iraq-death-toll/4277451/
IMHO the Tories have been and still are, over-priced.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/ukip-boosted-by-labour-decision-to-soft-pedal-in-newark-byelection-9350087.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-25568687
I'm sure Saddam killed more, but a country that still suffers 10000+ casualties a year since our intervention can't be classed as anything other than a failure.
I'm nowhere near an expert, but I do have lots of anecdotal evidence from forces friends and family, that Afghanistan will go the same way. Once the West announced it was bailing out, the Taliban knew they had won. They don't need to do much to take control, outside of Kabul.
I am drinking a cup of PG Tips "The Fresh One", my current favourite tea
But (and this is a big but) putting this aside, there is the rule of law, there is a democracy, there is free enterprise and the opportunity for a future.
Ultimately it's all down to taste, so something like this may help. Obviously a premium price per bag, but a good way to taste multiple types.
http://shop.twinings.co.uk/shop/teabag-pick-n-mix.html
Long term, if you like it, these guys are always a really nice experience:
http://www.mariagefreres.com/boutique/UK/welcome.html
I usually pick it up when I'm passing through Orly, but sure they will post it too.
Laura Wilkes @Laurawilkes 14m
Speechless. Just met a Pakistani man on the doorstep leafleting for the local UKIP candidate. Am I missing something?! @redbridgelabour
Under this government, I'm facing redundancy, pension cuts and 1% payrises. Why would the public sector vote Tory?
From your tone, Tories clearly despise us, you're virtually giving us no option but to go to Labour, even if it'll only be more of the same from them.
Agree,Good post mr stopper.
http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/475214/Lift-the-ban-and-sweep-back-into-power-Fox-hunt-lobby-holds-key-to-Conservative-victory
Did she ask to see his passport perhaps ?
Or do Labour candidates automatically regard any person of South Asian heritage as 'Pakistani'?
And what she's 'missing' is that people of all backgrounds now despise the political establishment.
"India has a vast army which he would use if necessary"
In Afghanistan? Are you serious? And if you are, how would this be good news for the Afghan people? If India goes in so will Pakistan, then we have a regional war. This is supposed to be a good result?
India would be even more insane than we were to commit ground troops to Afghanistan. Thankfully, their leaders and their generals have more sense than ours did.
MPs criticise HMRC plan to raid bank accounts
http://news.uk.msn.com/comment-and-analysis/articles?cp-documentid=260676962
Tories move against trade unions' strike rights
http://www.politics.co.uk/news/2014/05/11/tories-look-to-raise-bar-on-union-strikes
While you're seeking your 'mutually acceptable outcome' the other side are seeking to win.
Unbelievable.
With the latest 13 constituency polls which are all english seats and perhaps not a represantative sample of seats, are for England only CON 128 LAB 338 LD 24 UKIP 36, if I try and use a mix of constituency polls and national polls (a regional mix of ComRes and yougov), plus I break Southern and Eastern coasts of England as a potencial UKIP stronghold, I get a range of results for the whole UK: CON 198-241, LAB 345-390, LD 19-31, UKIP 1-20 seats. The swings vary greatly from a small swing to CON in Scotland and a small swing to LAB in London to double digit swings to LAB in the coasts, the midlands and the north.
http://www.ukip.org/new_ukip_posters_reveal_added_eu_cost_of_living
1) Claiming that Cameron announcing demands beforehand is bad negotiation
2) Claiming that Cameron saying beforehand that he will support remaining in the EU under any circumstances is good negotiation
The obvious conclusion is the right one - namely that the supposed future EU renegotiation is nothing but another example of Cameron's PR spivery
2. Without the EU, every UK fuel bill would be £112 cheaper.
If true, that's quite a powerful message.
http://youtu.be/xy4fPgIbGpo
You can, of course, show the huge business he built through successive deals due to his negotiating 'skills'.
One of the reasons Cameron failed to win a majority in 2010 was that it was focused on the Big Society when Cameron hadn't run a voluntary group in his life, except the Conservative Party whose membership has collapsed under his leadership.
You are trying the same, unsuccessful, trick again. Even fewer people will be fooled this time.
Standard tea is always either PG Tips, or Twinings Everyday. (I think they are both like Twinings English Afternoon Tea)
A non-tea-tea I've started drinking is (Asda) 'Red bush' which is some african alternative. A bit twiggy, but not bad.
* Unless the goal was getting the lowest price.
Just setting about the post-race piece now. May take a little while.
Does anyone know how long it takes for the DVLA and Insurers databases to get synched?
My son needs to use it tomorrow, but can't get to a post office to physically tax it.
So, why would someone from an ethnic minority support UKIP when campaigning against immigration specifically?
What Wilkes (what minority does she belong to?) doesn't realise is that ethnic minorities are most impacted by new immigration. New immigrants compete for jobs that are already being done by ethnic minorities and in any ethnic/religious grouping, newcomers put a strain on existing institutions and charities. Poles and Polish/Catholic charities and Catholic schools are an example.
This is obviously news to our political class.