Any other poll results out apart from the Clacton political earth mover?
YouGov was Lab 36%, Con 32%, UKIP 16%, LD 7%.
Cheers,
Has Basil recovered from the crossoverette that occurred earlier this week?
The crossoverette IS recovery time for Basil, however, as has been proven so often before, no sooner does he put down the goalposts, then he has them placed on his back and a whole host of polls have him treading the ardious route towards May 2015. Basil was not impressed with the Clacton poll this evening due to the repercussions a result would give. I think poor Basil has all but given up on swing back now as he has just ordered a nine month batch of tramadol.
Rob D - Meanwhile....the Grand Old Duke of Hodges marched his men to the pinnacle of the polling crossover hill again this week, only for them to go arse over tit all the way back down again. These rare crossovers are actually worth it to see them repeatedly fall back down again.
TSE Indeed, focus groups just confirming what we know, but would like to confirm if there is a 56-44 indy poll in the ST tomorrow. Every little helps indeed so we would like to see that poll, anyway will see in the morning, night all!
It is difficult to move on from this when a central plank of the religion is that Mohammad was the perfect man, and that his actions were directly endorsed by the dictated word of god.
All religions are not the same!
Dr Fox, you and Cyclefree are talking a dangerous amount of sense.
Britain's supermarket jihadi: ISIS fighter who plans to 'bomb the UK' is unmasked as Morrisons security guard who was arrested on way to Syria - but LET GO by police
It would be more fun for anoraks if nobody had invented voting-intention opinion polls, and nobody had any indication of the result of a parliamentary by-election until it's actually declared. A huge swing like this would come as a delight for the winning side, with the extra Scadenfreude of watching the shock and dismay of the losing side.
The nearest equivalent which I can remember was the Newbury by-election in 1993, which the Lib Dems won by a margin of 22,000. I had expected it to be reasonably close (or even a Conservative hold) and I remember being astonished when I heard the declaration.
(Paddy Ashdown was told when he woke up that "it was 22,000" and he asked "Yes, it was 22,000 votes, but what was the majority?").
(OT) Yesterday afternoon I went to a picnic in the local park with my MP and about a dozen other Conservatives, their friends and children. Apart from eating food and playing rounders (which Gavin Barwell MP won for our team almost single-handed, despite my being rubbish after not having played rounders since I was about 12) we did a quiz, for which I volunteered to set the questions. Behold:
1. Which children’s TV programme was first broadcast on 16th October 1958, and has been shown regularly ever since?
2. Who was the only Prime Minister born in Wales?
3. Allison Fisher was the world champion for 14 out of the 18 years from 1985 to 2003, in which sport?
4. What is the biggest species of bird?
5. Which European country is being described here? (a) The 2 main political parties are the Patriotic Union & the Progressive Citizens’ Party. (b) Those two parties were in coalition with each other continuously from 1938 to 1997. (c) Mario Frick was the country’s Footballer of the Year four times in the 1990s. (d) A different Mario Frick was the country’s Prime Minister for eight years in the 1990s. (e) The national anthem of the country has the same tune as “God Save the Queen”.
6. What is the smallest country in the world?
7. Who was a famous ship’s captain whose middle name was Tiberius?
8. What is the maximum length of time that a person can be President of the United States of America?
9. Which town in England has an exclamation mark in its name?
10. Which Roman Emperor died 2,000 years ago this month?
11. Which is furthest west: London, Birmingham, Glasgow or Cardiff?
12. Where would you find the Marsh of Epidemics, the Bay of Rainbows, the Lake of Death and the Sea of Tranquility?
13. What style of painting was done by Monet, Manet and Renoir?
14. Which colour appears in the national flags of more countries than any other colour?
15. How many countries are members of the European Union?
16. Who was left, and then found, at number 4 Privet Drive?
17. Which type of cheese is made backwards?
18. How many descendants does the Queen have?
19. Who was the BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year in 2007, 2009, and 2010 (the only person to have won the title more than once)?
20. Who is currently the Mayor of Croydon?
21. What is the biggest state in Australia?
22. Who is Scooby Doo’s owner?
23. What is the biggest moon of Saturn?
24. What is the name of the picture-writing system which was used in ancient Egypt?
25. In what year did the England men’s football team last win the World Cup?
It would be more fun for anoraks if nobody had invented voting-intention opinion polls, and nobody had any indication of the result of a parliamentary by-election until it's actually declared. A huge swing like this would come as a delight for the winning side, with the extra Scadenfreude of watching the shock and dismay of the losing side.
The nearest equivalent which I can remember was the Newbury by-election in 1993, which the Lib Dems won by a margin of 22,000. I had expected it to be reasonably close (or even a Conservative hold) and I remember being astonished when I heard the declaration.
(Paddy Ashdown was told when he woke up that "it was 22,000" and he asked "Yes, it was 22,000 votes, but what was the majority?").
It would also be fun if the polls were unreliable as they were in 1970 when Labour fully expected to win and the swing to the Tories in the first few results came as a complete shock to them. But I agree no polls at all would be even better. The problem now is that if the Tories only lose Clacton by 10% they'll try and spin it as "not as bad as it might have been" in comparison to this poll.
Last question shoots the fox that is put about on here so often - UKIP voters couldn't give a monkey's whether Cameron or Miliband is PM.
The anger and sheer level of general disgruntlement of UKIP voters is disturbing IMO. But the political class arguably only have themselves to blame. In some ways it's surprising they managed to contain it for so long.
Last question shoots the fox that is put about on here so often - UKIP voters couldn't give a monkey's whether Cameron or Miliband is PM.
The anger and sheer level of general disgruntlement of UKIP voters is disturbing IMO. But the political class arguably only have themselves to blame. In some ways it's surprising they managed to contain it for so long.
The pyschological effect of people seeing that UKIP CAN win a Westminster seat where previously there was a huge majority for LibLabCon could well be a game changer. UKIP might well clean up on the East coast at the GE.
(OT) Yesterday afternoon I went to a picnic in the local park with my MP and about a dozen other Conservatives, their friends and children. Apart from eating food and playing rounders (which Gavin Barwell MP won for our team almost single-handed, despite my being rubbish after not having played rounders since I was about 12) we did a quiz, for which I volunteered to set the questions. Behold:
1. Which children’s TV programme was first broadcast on 16th October 1958, and has been shown regularly ever since?
2. Who was the only Prime Minister born in Wales?
3. Allison Fisher was the world champion for 14 out of the 18 years from 1985 to 2003, in which sport?
4. What is the biggest species of bird?
5. Which European country is being described here? (a) The 2 main political parties are the Patriotic Union & the Progressive Citizens’ Party. (b) Those two parties were in coalition with each other continuously from 1938 to 1997. (c) Mario Frick was the country’s Footballer of the Year four times in the 1990s. (d) A different Mario Frick was the country’s Prime Minister for eight years in the 1990s. (e) The national anthem of the country has the same tune as “God Save the Queen”.
6. What is the smallest country in the world?
7. Who was a famous ship’s captain whose middle name was Tiberius?
8. What is the maximum length of time that a person can be President of the United States of America?
9. Which town in England has an exclamation mark in its name?
10. Which Roman Emperor died 2,000 years ago this month?
11. Which is furthest west: London, Birmingham, Glasgow or Cardiff?
12. Where would you find the Marsh of Epidemics, the Bay of Rainbows, the Lake of Death and the Sea of Tranquility?
1. Got to be Blue Peter
2. None, unless you mean that harpie who gouged herself into the position in a former penal colony in the antipodes...
3. pass
4. Awk?
5. Liechtenstein
6. Vatican City
7. Kirk
8. 10 years (although there is some debate about potential non-consecutive terms)
Cameron looking shell-shocked in interview in Brussels tonight...
How would a 64-20-13 affect your by-election GE model ?
Not much. A 10.5% "swing to Labour", shifting the central 2015 forecast of a Labour lead from 1.2% to 1.5%. A Tory lead would still be well within the margin of error...
I give you 2 quiz questions - you can probably guess the first but I doubt you will get the second... 1. There are a number if languages appearing on a current British passport. The first is English - what is the second..... 2. Tesco sell a brand of clothing called F& F. What do the initials F and F stand for?
The threat to Cameron isn't Carswell, it is further defections.
The key is whether UKIP can maintain high media profile right through to the GE.
Whatever happens in Clacton, if it is done and dusted in October it will then fade. And far better for Cameron to put out some statement saying Carswell has a huge personal following, good constituency MP, no point wasting money challenging him. That may look bad but it turns it into a short-term story.
The killer for Cameron is more defections in Oct/Nov/Dec and by-elections in Jan/Feb/Mar.
I think any by-election post Christmas and he has no chance at the GE.
Con could refuse to move writs for by-elections but presumably Lab would move them so he has nowhere to go.
Technically I suppose the Chancellor could decline to appoint the defector as Royal Bailiff of Mornington Crescent or whatever, then there wouldn't be a vacancy to move a writ for.
The threat to Cameron isn't Carswell, it is further defections.
The key is whether UKIP can maintain high media profile right through to the GE.
Whatever happens in Clacton, if it is done and dusted in October it will then fade. And far better for Cameron to put out some statement saying Carswell has a huge personal following, good constituency MP, no point wasting money challenging him. That may look bad but it turns it into a short-term story.
The killer for Cameron is more defections in Oct/Nov/Dec and by-elections in Jan/Feb/Mar.
I think any by-election post Christmas and he has no chance at the GE.
Con could refuse to move writs for by-elections but presumably Lab would move them so he has nowhere to go.
Technically I suppose the Chancellor could decline to appoint the defector as Royal Bailiff of Mornington Crescent or whatever, then there wouldn't be a vacancy to move a writ for.
Last time that happened was in 1842, so he'd look fairly ludicrous if he did...
The threat to Cameron isn't Carswell, it is further defections.
The key is whether UKIP can maintain high media profile right through to the GE.
Whatever happens in Clacton, if it is done and dusted in October it will then fade. And far better for Cameron to put out some statement saying Carswell has a huge personal following, good constituency MP, no point wasting money challenging him. That may look bad but it turns it into a short-term story.
The killer for Cameron is more defections in Oct/Nov/Dec and by-elections in Jan/Feb/Mar.
I think any by-election post Christmas and he has no chance at the GE.
Con could refuse to move writs for by-elections but presumably Lab would move them so he has nowhere to go.
Technically I suppose the Chancellor could decline to appoint the defector as Royal Bailiff of Mornington Crescent or whatever, then there wouldn't be a vacancy to move a writ for.
Last time that happened was in 1842, so he'd look fairly ludicrous if he did...
Maybe better to look fairly ludicrous now than suffer a stream of by-election losses timed to cause maximum damage ahead of the general election, if that's what UKIP have got planned.
The threat to Cameron isn't Carswell, it is further defections.
The key is whether UKIP can maintain high media profile right through to the GE.
Whatever happens in Clacton, if it is done and dusted in October it will then fade. And far better for Cameron to put out some statement saying Carswell has a huge personal following, good constituency MP, no point wasting money challenging him. That may look bad but it turns it into a short-term story.
The killer for Cameron is more defections in Oct/Nov/Dec and by-elections in Jan/Feb/Mar.
I think any by-election post Christmas and he has no chance at the GE.
Con could refuse to move writs for by-elections but presumably Lab would move them so he has nowhere to go.
Technically I suppose the Chancellor could decline to appoint the defector as Royal Bailiff of Mornington Crescent or whatever, then there wouldn't be a vacancy to move a writ for.
Last time that happened was in 1842, so he'd look fairly ludicrous if he did...
Maybe better to look fairly ludicrous now than suffer a stream of by-election losses timed to cause maximum damage ahead of the general election, if that's what UKIP have got planned.
The fallout would not be worth it. The Opposition would say he was acting unconstitutionally and undemocratically. It would become a cause celebre, like Bradlaugh or Benn...
Carswell could just follow the Adams precedent of simply writing a letter to the Speaker to say he'd resigned...
The threat to Cameron isn't Carswell, it is further defections.
The key is whether UKIP can maintain high media profile right through to the GE.
Whatever happens in Clacton, if it is done and dusted in October it will then fade. And far better for Cameron to put out some statement saying Carswell has a huge personal following, good constituency MP, no point wasting money challenging him. That may look bad but it turns it into a short-term story.
The killer for Cameron is more defections in Oct/Nov/Dec and by-elections in Jan/Feb/Mar.
I think any by-election post Christmas and he has no chance at the GE.
Con could refuse to move writs for by-elections but presumably Lab would move them so he has nowhere to go.
Technically I suppose the Chancellor could decline to appoint the defector as Royal Bailiff of Mornington Crescent or whatever, then there wouldn't be a vacancy to move a writ for.
Last time that happened was in 1842, so he'd look fairly ludicrous if he did...
Maybe better to look fairly ludicrous now than suffer a stream of by-election losses timed to cause maximum damage ahead of the general election, if that's what UKIP have got planned.
The fallout would not be worth it. The Opposition would say he was acting unconstitutionally and undemocratically. It would become a cause celebre, like Bradlaugh or Benn...
Carswell could just follow the Adams precedent of simply writing a letter to the Speaker to say he'd resigned...
Yes, but unless he had accepted a paid job from the Crown then EiT is surely right that he would remain an MP.
And I'm sure that Labour wouldn't make too much fuss about it.
The threat to Cameron isn't Carswell, it is further defections.
The key is whether UKIP can maintain high media profile right through to the GE.
Whatever happens in Clacton, if it is done and dusted in October it will then fade. And far better for Cameron to put out some statement saying Carswell has a huge personal following, good constituency MP, no point wasting money challenging him. That may look bad but it turns it into a short-term story.
The killer for Cameron is more defections in Oct/Nov/Dec and by-elections in Jan/Feb/Mar.
I think any by-election post Christmas and he has no chance at the GE.
Con could refuse to move writs for by-elections but presumably Lab would move them so he has nowhere to go.
Technically I suppose the Chancellor could decline to appoint the defector as Royal Bailiff of Mornington Crescent or whatever, then there wouldn't be a vacancy to move a writ for.
Last time that happened was in 1842, so he'd look fairly ludicrous if he did...
Maybe better to look fairly ludicrous now than suffer a stream of by-election losses timed to cause maximum damage ahead of the general election, if that's what UKIP have got planned.
The fallout would not be worth it. The Opposition would say he was acting unconstitutionally and undemocratically. It would become a cause celebre, like Bradlaugh or Benn...
Carswell could just follow the Adams precedent of simply writing a letter to the Speaker to say he'd resigned...
Yes, but unless he had accepted a paid job from the Crown then EiT is surely right that he would remain an MP.
And I'm sure that Labour wouldn't make too much fuss about it.
That said, I can't see it happening.
Adams and McGuinness denied that they'd ever applied for or accepted an Office of Profit, yet by-elections ensued in the normal way.
But that's not the issue. Every MP, of whatever party, for whatever reason, has been granted the Chiltern Hundreds, etc - no questions asked - since 1842. Fifteen were processed within a couple of hours on one day in 1985.
The Opposition, and parliamentarians of all stripes, including Conservatives, supported by the Commentariat, would stir a shit storm if Osborne attempted to play silly-buggers with this convention...
1. Blue Peter 2. Julia Gillard 3. Snooker 4. Ostrich 5. Liechtenstein 6. Vatican City State 7. James T. Kirk (of the USS Enterprise) 8. 10 years (two 4-year terms, plus up to half of a predecessor’s term) 9. Westward Ho! 10. Augustus Caesar 11. Glasgow 12. on the Moon 13. Impressionism 14. Red (approximately 149 countries) (compared with white (134) and blue (97)) 15. 28 16. Harry Potter 17. Edam 18. 16 (4 children, 8 grandchildren, 4 great-grandchildren) 19. Tom Daley 20. Manju Shahul-Hameed 21. Western Australia 22. Shaggy 23. Titan 24. Hieroglyphics 25. 1966
With all the terrorists, perverts, and common criminals running around, it is truly pathetic that the police, both domestic and international are being employed to torment further, a family which is bereft with grief. A five year old boy, dying of an incurable brain tumour, has been taken from the hospital, which admits his condition is incurable, to be in the heart of a loving family. Here we have bureaucracy at its vilest: self-righteous, ‘we know what is best’ medical and social workers anxious to claw this dying child back into the hospital. Hospitals can be frightening places at the best of times, and with Jimmy Savilles and other monsters stalking the wards, any parent must be nervous to leave their offspring at the tender mercies of Britain’s child care. Why are valuable manpower and financial resources being wasted on a family who want to care for their own? Why are a decent family being labelled as religious maniacs by a society that mocks Christianity, Judaism and any other civilised ethos? Leave this family alone to love, care and later mourn for their beloved son. Use the resources available to go after the child abusers, and all the other criminals which haunt our land.
That was an absolutely hideous post, to go along with the recent hideous posts from various people insinuating that Cliff Richard was too famous, too old, or the alleged crimes too long ago to be investigated.
Just apply a few brain cells to this for a moment.
What were the hospital supposed to do? Ignore the disappearance of a child or report it to the police? If the former, what would happen if something bad happened, and it was shown that they ignored it? There have been many cases of the murder of ill children, even as part of murder/suicide events.
What were the police supposed to do? Again, they could have ignored the report, but if something happened then they would be getting it in the neck, again.
Worse, your post is full of assumptions that we know everything that is going on in this child's treatment and family.
The family are in the wrong, but their actions are probably understandable. But so are the authorities' actions.
But hopefully we can agree on one thing: that Ashya is kept as well as possible, and receives good treatment.
With all the terrorists, perverts, and common criminals running around, it is truly pathetic that the police, both domestic and international are being employed to torment further, a family which is bereft with grief. A five year old boy, dying of an incurable brain tumour, has been taken from the hospital, which admits his condition is incurable, to be in the heart of a loving family. Here we have bureaucracy at its vilest: self-righteous, ‘we know what is best’ medical and social workers anxious to claw this dying child back into the hospital. Hospitals can be frightening places at the best of times, and with Jimmy Savilles and other monsters stalking the wards, any parent must be nervous to leave their offspring at the tender mercies of Britain’s child care. Why are valuable manpower and financial resources being wasted on a family who want to care for their own? Why are a decent family being labelled as religious maniacs by a society that mocks Christianity, Judaism and any other civilised ethos? Leave this family alone to love, care and later mourn for their beloved son. Use the resources available to go after the child abusers, and all the other criminals which haunt our land.
Given the child is apparently terminally ill, it's surely up to the Parents whether or not they want him to receive treatment? If they don't want him to receive treatment, then it's surely up to them where and how he passes?
Maybe Spain held treasured memories for the boy and his family and they wanted him to re-live one last moment of beauty and love and peace, without the cold, mechanical interruption of tubes and machines, before he passed away? If so, what is that to do with anybody else?
Now, if his condition is treatable/curable its an entirely different matter, but as has currently been presented, I hope the authorities are as lenient to the parents as possible.
There are a number of child hospices in Britain, so if the child was truly terminal then that would be an option.
There may well be more to this than we can be told, as the hospital cannot breach confidentiality as to the cause of their concern.
The odd thing I read was that (although the kid was described as terminal), his eldest brother said that he was 'responding well to treatment'.
Strongly agree with all of that. But it shouldn't be down to the "authorities" to be "lenient" or otherwise. The State should not be involved in this private family matter.
The fact that not only are they involved but they have hounded an innocent family across an entire continent on a politically correct whim should scare us all.
Even worse that it is wrapped inside a rather fascist "we know best and although we can't think of a law you've broken yet we'll make something up if we want to" attitude. Which the police aren't even making any effort to disguise.
And following my earlier post the Hampshire head plod has indeed gone on tv to confirm that half of his staff are currently rummaging through cupboards for their buckets, spades and KissMeQuick hats.
Good for them. The beaches are fantastic this time of year. I might even get to meet some of them "on duty". Crime-solving is more pleasant here than it is in Rotherham, it seems!
Except that it is a question of balancing the rights of the child vs those of the parents.
*If* there is a way to treat/manage the disease but the parents' alternatives would have a negative impact, then the child has rights to be treated appropriately.
Clearly the best way to do this would have been to go to court to get a protective judgement granted (and who knows - may be they already had?)
I give you 2 quiz questions - you can probably guess the first but I doubt you will get the second... 1. There are a number if languages appearing on a current British passport. The first is English - what is the second..... 2. Tesco sell a brand of clothing called F& F. What do the initials F and F stand for?
I give you 2 quiz questions - you can probably guess the first but I doubt you will get the second... 1. There are a number if languages appearing on a current British passport. The first is English - what is the second..... 2. Tesco sell a brand of clothing called F& F. What do the initials F and F stand for?
1. French 2. Florence & Fred
But who were Florence & Fred? Did they die in vain? Is it one of the great unsolved mysteries of the dark grey clouds which are coming to envelop us all and send us into the Chasm of Clams?
If Roger Lord becomes Prime Minister, he will force all non-bumpkins into corrective internment concentration reconditioning labour camp centres where we will be tortured with pro-bumpkin propaganda.
I give you 2 quiz questions - you can probably guess the first but I doubt you will get the second... 1. There are a number if languages appearing on a current British passport. The first is English - what is the second..... 2. Tesco sell a brand of clothing called F& F. What do the initials F and F stand for?
1. French 2. Florence & Fred
But who were Florence & Fred? Did they die in vain? Is it one of the great unsolved mysteries of the dark grey clouds which are coming to envelop us all and send us into the Chasm of Clams?
They never existed. They were made up by a consulting company looking to provide background to the brand.
If this comment from the Daily Mail is true then the authorities have behaved *disgracefully*.
Mr King told how they had wanted to leave the hospital because the NHS could not fund the proton beam treatment that they wanted for their son.
Proton beam therapy is well established theoretically, although given the capital cost of installing the dedicated facilities it remains relatively rare. That said, there's probably been 100,000 patients treated with it, mainly in the US and Japan - a good friend of mine was looking at ways to bring Mevion's (www.mevion.com) technology to the UK precisely because he saw the benefits from the therapy approach.
It also has 501K approval in the US; Mevion states that their product complies with CE requirements in Europe - which looks to me odd wording suggesting they haven't got a CE mark.
But whatever. This *isn't* a case of no treatment or some kookie homepathic theory. This is serious medical therapy - and the parents should be entitled to treat their child using it even if the NHS doesn't want to pay for it.
If this comment from the Daily Mail is true then the authorities have behaved *disgracefully*.
Mr King told how they had wanted to leave the hospital because the NHS could not fund the proton beam treatment that they wanted for their son.
Proton beam therapy is well established theoretically, although given the capital cost of installing the dedicated facilities it remains relatively rare. That said, there's probably been 100,000 patients treated with it, mainly in the US and Japan - a good friend of mine was looking at ways to bring Mevion's (www.mevion.com) technology to the UK precisely because he saw the benefits from the therapy approach.
It also has 501K approval in the US; Mevion states that their product complies with CE requirements in Europe - which looks to me odd wording suggesting they haven't got a CE mark.
But whatever. This *isn't* a case of no treatment or some kookie homepathic theory. This is serious medical therapy - and the parents should be entitled to treat their child using it even if the NHS doesn't want to pay for it.
It's the fact they apparently took the kid out of hospital without telling them that's the problem for me. If the hospital were not told, then I cannot see what else they should have done aside from tell the police, and what the police could have done other than investigate.
It's also interesting that the father claims the hospital were wanting to get an emergency protection order. We've only got one side of the story here. Perhaps the hospital were utterly out of order, but on the evidence we have so far, I doubt it.
And the police are, for once, blameless. What could they do once the hospital had reported a child missing?
Comments
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2738796/Britain-s-supermarket-jihadi-ISIS-fighter-plans-bomb-UK-unmasked-Morrisons-security-guard-arrested-way-Syria-LET-GO-police.html
The nearest equivalent which I can remember was the Newbury by-election in 1993, which the Lib Dems won by a margin of 22,000. I had expected it to be reasonably close (or even a Conservative hold) and I remember being astonished when I heard the declaration.
(Paddy Ashdown was told when he woke up that "it was 22,000" and he asked "Yes, it was 22,000 votes, but what was the majority?").
1. Which children’s TV programme was first broadcast on 16th October 1958, and has been shown regularly ever since?
2. Who was the only Prime Minister born in Wales?
3. Allison Fisher was the world champion for 14 out of the 18 years from 1985 to 2003, in which sport?
4. What is the biggest species of bird?
5. Which European country is being described here?
(a) The 2 main political parties are the Patriotic Union & the Progressive Citizens’ Party.
(b) Those two parties were in coalition with each other continuously from 1938 to 1997.
(c) Mario Frick was the country’s Footballer of the Year four times in the 1990s.
(d) A different Mario Frick was the country’s Prime Minister for eight years in the 1990s.
(e) The national anthem of the country has the same tune as “God Save the Queen”.
6. What is the smallest country in the world?
7. Who was a famous ship’s captain whose middle name was Tiberius?
8. What is the maximum length of time that a person can be President of the United States of America?
9. Which town in England has an exclamation mark in its name?
10. Which Roman Emperor died 2,000 years ago this month?
11. Which is furthest west: London, Birmingham, Glasgow or Cardiff?
12. Where would you find the Marsh of Epidemics, the Bay of Rainbows, the Lake of Death and the Sea of Tranquility?
13. What style of painting was done by Monet, Manet and Renoir?
14. Which colour appears in the national flags of more countries than any other colour?
15. How many countries are members of the European Union?
16. Who was left, and then found, at number 4 Privet Drive?
17. Which type of cheese is made backwards?
18. How many descendants does the Queen have?
19. Who was the BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year in 2007, 2009, and 2010 (the only person to have won the title more than once)?
20. Who is currently the Mayor of Croydon?
21. What is the biggest state in Australia?
22. Who is Scooby Doo’s owner?
23. What is the biggest moon of Saturn?
24. What is the name of the picture-writing system which was used in ancient Egypt?
25. In what year did the England men’s football team last win the World Cup?
2. None, unless you mean that harpie who gouged herself into the position in a former penal colony in the antipodes...
3. pass
4. Awk?
5. Liechtenstein
6. Vatican City
7. Kirk
8. 10 years (although there is some debate about potential non-consecutive terms)
9. Westward Ho!
10. Augustus
11. Glasgow
12. Moon
1. There are a number if languages appearing on a current British passport. The first is English - what is the second.....
2. Tesco sell a brand of clothing called F& F. What do the initials F and F stand for?
Carswell could just follow the Adams precedent of simply writing a letter to the Speaker to say he'd resigned...
And I'm sure that Labour wouldn't make too much fuss about it.
That said, I can't see it happening.
But that's not the issue. Every MP, of whatever party, for whatever reason, has been granted the Chiltern Hundreds, etc - no questions asked - since 1842. Fifteen were processed within a couple of hours on one day in 1985.
The Opposition, and parliamentarians of all stripes, including Conservatives, supported by the Commentariat, would stir a shit storm if Osborne attempted to play silly-buggers with this convention...
1. Blue Peter
2. Julia Gillard
3. Snooker
4. Ostrich
5. Liechtenstein
6. Vatican City State
7. James T. Kirk (of the USS Enterprise)
8. 10 years (two 4-year terms, plus up to half of a predecessor’s term)
9. Westward Ho!
10. Augustus Caesar
11. Glasgow
12. on the Moon
13. Impressionism
14. Red (approximately 149 countries) (compared with white (134) and blue (97))
15. 28
16. Harry Potter
17. Edam
18. 16 (4 children, 8 grandchildren, 4 great-grandchildren)
19. Tom Daley
20. Manju Shahul-Hameed
21. Western Australia
22. Shaggy
23. Titan
24. Hieroglyphics
25. 1966
Just apply a few brain cells to this for a moment.
What were the hospital supposed to do? Ignore the disappearance of a child or report it to the police? If the former, what would happen if something bad happened, and it was shown that they ignored it? There have been many cases of the murder of ill children, even as part of murder/suicide events.
What were the police supposed to do? Again, they could have ignored the report, but if something happened then they would be getting it in the neck, again.
Worse, your post is full of assumptions that we know everything that is going on in this child's treatment and family.
The family are in the wrong, but their actions are probably understandable. But so are the authorities' actions.
But hopefully we can agree on one thing: that Ashya is kept as well as possible, and receives good treatment.
I suspect we are not being told everything.
*If* there is a way to treat/manage the disease but the parents' alternatives would have a negative impact, then the child has rights to be treated appropriately.
Clearly the best way to do this would have been to go to court to get a protective judgement granted (and who knows - may be they already had?)
Alex Salmond's currency union plans prove unpopular
FEWER than one in five Britons outside Scotland would support Alex Salmond’s calls for a currency union.
http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/505295/Alex-Salmond-s-currency-union-plans-prove-unpopular
2. Florence & Fred
http://www.boxerbranddesign.com/
Mr King told how they had wanted to leave the hospital because the NHS could not fund the proton beam treatment that they wanted for their son.
Proton beam therapy is well established theoretically, although given the capital cost of installing the dedicated facilities it remains relatively rare. That said, there's probably been 100,000 patients treated with it, mainly in the US and Japan - a good friend of mine was looking at ways to bring Mevion's (www.mevion.com) technology to the UK precisely because he saw the benefits from the therapy approach.
It also has 501K approval in the US; Mevion states that their product complies with CE requirements in Europe - which looks to me odd wording suggesting they haven't got a CE mark.
But whatever. This *isn't* a case of no treatment or some kookie homepathic theory. This is serious medical therapy - and the parents should be entitled to treat their child using it even if the NHS doesn't want to pay for it.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2738742/BREAKING-NEWS-Terminally-ill-boy-Ashya-5-alive-police-Spain-Jehovahs-Witness-father-explains-parents-snatched-hospital-went-run.html
It's also interesting that the father claims the hospital were wanting to get an emergency protection order. We've only got one side of the story here. Perhaps the hospital were utterly out of order, but on the evidence we have so far, I doubt it.
And the police are, for once, blameless. What could they do once the hospital had reported a child missing?
Rotherham child sex abuse scandal: Labour Home Office to be probed over what Tony Blair's government knew - and when
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/rotherham-child-sex-abuse-scandal-labour-home-office-to-be-probed-over-what-tony-blairs-government-knew--and-when-9701861.html
Politicians are getting scared how this is shaping up to be the biggest political scandal since WW2
.........and Cammo now hoping that the coattails of Polands new EU President will give him succor:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-28997123
Also playing the old game of you scratch my back I'll scratch yours. Very sad really
I think so.