I’m certain that Tesco are also in China and Japan.
No Tesco in Japan - there were a few tiny little "mini Tesco" stores and a little cheapo chain they operated under a different brand, but apparently they coughed up a load of money and got out. It was the same story with Carrefour, which IIUC has done pretty well in a lot of other countries.
Nearly all the big foreign supermarkets fail in Japan for some reason. The only ones close to a success I can think of are Costco (a dozen or so stores, all under its own brand) and Walmart, which owns a chain called Seiyu, but doesn't use its own brand. (Mrs in Tokyo worked for them for a bit.)
UKIP's whole prospectus is either outright lies or lies of omission. That it is the most disliked party despite never having held office (i.e. had to do anything unpopular) says that most people see through them.
Specifically, UKIP has no intention whatsoever, literally zero, of ever leaving the EU because it knows full well that the type of semi-detached membership it seeks will cost more than what we have now. Its claims to aspire to do so are thus a lie, in that it knows perfectly well it can never, ever win any such referendum and is actively avoiding one. Abject fear of such a referendum is why UKIP is desperate for any GE other result than a Conservative majority. The latter will result in the referendum defeat that they dread; in the wake of an In vote they will have little choice but to disband.
UKIP needs the bogeyman of the EU. They are symbiotically linked. And they will bleed it of salaries and expenses while they are.
But imagine a world where UKIP gets its way and despite the will of the people expressed in a referendum, we leave the EU.
Who the feck are they going to blame for our ills then? That will be the time to be really scared. Then we really would see the Neo-Nasty Party in its true colours.
Assuming it wasn't a UKIP that negotiated the exit deal they'll be able to run against that instead, especially if it involves some other trade area.
My scenario most likely envisions a situation where there is a very narrow vote to stay in the EU in 2017 but UKIP manages to get a majority by 2020 on a pledge to withdraw anyway. In that situation UKIP would own the exit deal.
Hmmm... let's imagine that in 2017, there is a 55:45 vote to stay in.
Then in 2020, UKIP won 326 seats in the House of Commons on 35% of the vote, where the Cons, Labour and the LibDems (and the nationalists) who campaigned to stay in had garnered 65% of the vote.
If UKIP unilaterally, and without a referendum, took the UK out of the EU (especially if they skipped the whole EEA/EFTA thing) then I think British politics could get very ugly.
I use AVG - it's available free or paid for - never been compromised on email or website - every virus quarantined immediately and sorted. Can't give it too high a rating.
I'm in brain picking mode, so sorry to be off topic.
Any views on a decent anti virus package for a small office and a few laptops? Mine expires in a couple of weeks and I have no idea what is a good package these days. Any help much appreciated.
Microsoft Security Essentials free from MS, recommended by my IT mates
I’m certain that Tesco are also in China and Japan.
No Tesco in Japan - there were a few tiny little "mini Tesco" stores and a little cheapo chain they operated under a different brand, but apparently they coughed up a load of money and got out. It was the same story with Carrefour, which IIUC has done pretty well in a lot of other countries.
Nearly all the big foreign supermarkets fail in Japan for some reason. The only ones close to a success I can think of are Costco (a dozen or so stores, all under its own brand) and Walmart, which owns a chain called Seiyu, but doesn't use its own brand. (Mrs in Tokyo worked for them for a bit.)
Food retailing - except for Aldi and Lidl - very rarely travels well. Tesco, M&S, Sainsbury, Walmart, etc., have all tried to internationalise, and have failed across the board.
Interestingly, clothing retail is another story. Zara (Spain's Inditex) and H&M (from Sweden) are massive international success stories.
UKIP's whole prospectus is either outright lies or lies of omission. That it is the most disliked party despite never having held office (i.e. had to do anything unpopular) says that most people see through them.
Specifically, UKIP has no intention whatsoever, literally zero, of ever leaving the EU because it knows full well that the type of semi-detached membership it seeks will cost more than what we have now. Its claims to aspire to do so are thus a lie, in that it knows perfectly well it can never, ever win any such referendum and is actively avoiding one. Abject fear of such a referendum is why UKIP is desperate for any GE other result than a Conservative majority. The latter will result in the referendum defeat that they dread; in the wake of an In vote they will have little choice but to disband.
UKIP needs the bogeyman of the EU. They are symbiotically linked. And they will bleed it of salaries and expenses while they are.
But imagine a world where UKIP gets its way and despite the will of the people expressed in a referendum, we leave the EU.
Who the feck are they going to blame for our ills then? That will be the time to be really scared. Then we really would see the Neo-Nasty Party in its true colours.
Assuming it wasn't a UKIP that negotiated the exit deal they'll be able to run against that instead, especially if it involves some other trade area.
My scenario most likely envisions a situation where there is a very narrow vote to stay in the EU in 2017 but UKIP manages to get a majority by 2020 on a pledge to withdraw anyway. In that situation UKIP would own the exit deal.
Hmmm... let's imagine that in 2017, there is a 55:45 vote to stay in.
Then in 2020, UKIP won 326 seats in the House of Commons on 35% of the vote, where the Cons, Labour and the LibDems (and the nationalists) who campaigned to stay in had garnered 65% of the vote.
If UKIP unilaterally, and without a referendum, took the UK out of the EU (especially if they skipped the whole EEA/EFTA thing) then I think British politics could get very ugly.
I think that underestimates the amount of trimming in modern politics, if there was the remotest chance of UKIP getting a majority on those terms, the main parties would be killing themselves to find an excuse to tack in that direction and pick up some votes. Both Tories and Labour would come over all eurosceptic, and hope to steal enough votes from UKIP to be a attractive and necessary coalition partner.
UKIP is to politics what Aldi and Lidl are to supermarkets.
For years, British shoppers have been paying over the odds for everyday groceries. And because most of the retailers were at it, no one seemed to see it.
Then along came Aldi and Lidl. Two decades after they started to show customers what good value looks like, they have reached a tipping point. The established players aren't just losing market share. If they don't adapt fast, there's even talk they may go under.
A touch ironic that ALDI and LIDL trade here because of the EU.
And yet they also trade in the US which is not, as far as I know, a member of the EU.
Successfully, I think as well, which is more than can be said for Tesco!
I think in that context there aren’t that many retailers which are cross-border. IIRC Carrefour tried to move across the Channel unsuccessfuly. M&S have some stores in France I think, but elsewhere?
M&S is much bigger than that, we have 18 stores here in the Philippines. M&S Global has something like 300 stores across 40 countries, and are building 80 in India to open in a couple of years.
There are small M&S units (with cheaper than usual wine, too) in Thailand. Tesco and Boots also big players there, at least in the Bangkok area. I’m certain that Tesco are also in China and Japan.
I was really thinking of the EU.
Its eye wateringly expensive here. I used to rather enjoy their Tinned Steak in Gravy when I was in England which cost about £3.50, I found it here in my local M&S for the equivalent of almost £8, I couldn't bring myself to buy it at that price and considering it was going to cost probably more than the sales assistant made that day.
Wine is horrendously expensive in Thailand ....... often the equivalent of £20 per bottle for what we would pay £5, due, allegedly to government tax. Even the locally produced stuff is expensive. However M&S seem to import Aussie stuff through Vietnam which brings it down by about 60%. Shall make further and more detailed inquiries when I visit again next year!
UKIP's whole prospectus is either outright lies or lies of omission. That it is the most disliked party despite never having held office (i.e. had to do anything unpopular) says that most people see through them.
Specifically, UKIP has no intention whatsoever, literally zero, of ever leaving the EU because it knows full well that the type of semi-detached membership it seeks will cost more than what we have now. Its claims to aspire to do so are thus a lie, in that it knows perfectly well it can never, ever win any such referendum and is actively avoiding one. Abject fear of such a referendum is why UKIP is desperate for any GE other result than a Conservative majority. The latter will result in the referendum defeat that they dread; in the wake of an In vote they will have little choice but to disband.
UKIP needs the bogeyman of the EU. They are symbiotically linked. And they will bleed it of salaries and expenses while they are.
But imagine a world where UKIP gets its way and despite the will of the people expressed in a referendum, we leave the EU.
Who the feck are they going to blame for our ills then? That will be the time to be really scared. Then we really would see the Neo-Nasty Party in its true colours.
Assuming it wasn't a UKIP that negotiated the exit deal they'll be able to run against that instead, especially if it involves some other trade area.
My scenario most likely envisions a situation where there is a very narrow vote to stay in the EU in 2017 but UKIP manages to get a majority by 2020 on a pledge to withdraw anyway. In that situation UKIP would own the exit deal.
Hmmm... let's imagine that in 2017, there is a 55:45 vote to stay in.
Then in 2020, UKIP won 326 seats in the House of Commons on 35% of the vote, where the Cons, Labour and the LibDems (and the nationalists) who campaigned to stay in had garnered 65% of the vote.
If UKIP unilaterally, and without a referendum, took the UK out of the EU (especially if they skipped the whole EEA/EFTA thing) then I think British politics could get very ugly.
It's a bit more subtle than that because Cameron's setting up a referendum based his "renegotiation", which will consist of a bunch of reforms that will be over-promised and never delivered. Three years after the referendum with no sign of the thing people voted on actually happening, UKIP might have a decent case for running for election on "This is bullshit, let's just leave".
I’m certain that Tesco are also in China and Japan.
No Tesco in Japan - there were a few tiny little "mini Tesco" stores and a little cheapo chain they operated under a different brand, but apparently they coughed up a load of money and got out. It was the same story with Carrefour, which IIUC has done pretty well in a lot of other countries.
Nearly all the big foreign supermarkets fail in Japan for some reason. The only ones close to a success I can think of are Costco (a dozen or so stores, all under its own brand) and Walmart, which owns a chain called Seiyu, but doesn't use its own brand. (Mrs in Tokyo worked for them for a bit.)
Food retailing - except for Aldi and Lidl - very rarely travels well. Tesco, M&S, Sainsbury, Walmart, etc., have all tried to internationalise, and have failed across the board.
Interestingly, clothing retail is another story. Zara (Spain's Inditex) and H&M (from Sweden) are massive international success stories.
There's an M&S food place in Wanchai near our office there and also quite a few Prets scattered around Hong Kong island (they only give you one half of a sandwich, though, not the two you get here).
With 90,000 SNP members it has to have a chance, especially if the Scottish government finds a way to subsidise it (bulk subscriptions, presumably). Long-term, though, its success will depend on its non-political coverage - sport, entertainment news etc. It may force one or two other papers into a more pro-independence stance, however.
It was actually another Scottish political party, which I will not bother naming, which tried to subsidise newspapers by forcing local councils to spend lots of money on advertising and notices (though there were to be sure difficult to resolve issues of public spending vs public access).
Anyway, I bagged a copy of the National. Early days yet, but what strikes me is the width of editorial content of the National. It is certainly not pro-SNP in its coverage and editorial in the way that most of the Scottish media has sometimes seemed the newsletter of the same party which will not be named here. Much broader: pieces covering the STUC, RIC, Scottish charities, the Labour leadership tussle (with Mr Findlay and Ms Boyack getting a fairish lookin), Mr Brown's departure, etc., much of which is reported as part of the normal news rather than token opinion pieces. What is reall striking is an " ---- accused" headline and this time it's not Mr Salmnd or Mr Sturgeon!
Plenty of business news, not much sport - and that last is balanced by a piece on the Old Firm's refusal to engage with the anti-sectarianism initiative.
I’m certain that Tesco are also in China and Japan.
No Tesco in Japan - there were a few tiny little "mini Tesco" stores and a little cheapo chain they operated under a different brand, but apparently they coughed up a load of money and got out. It was the same story with Carrefour, which IIUC has done pretty well in a lot of other countries.
Nearly all the big foreign supermarkets fail in Japan for some reason. The only ones close to a success I can think of are Costco (a dozen or so stores, all under its own brand) and Walmart, which owns a chain called Seiyu, but doesn't use its own brand. (Mrs in Tokyo worked for them for a bit.)
Food retailing - except for Aldi and Lidl - very rarely travels well. Tesco, M&S, Sainsbury, Walmart, etc., have all tried to internationalise, and have failed across the board.
Interestingly, clothing retail is another story. Zara (Spain's Inditex) and H&M (from Sweden) are massive international success stories.
I think thats a little rough on Walmart, 6000+ stores in 26 countries must on any terms be seen as a modest success.
I’m certain that Tesco are also in China and Japan.
No Tesco in Japan - there were a few tiny little "mini Tesco" stores and a little cheapo chain they operated under a different brand, but apparently they coughed up a load of money and got out. It was the same story with Carrefour, which IIUC has done pretty well in a lot of other countries.
Nearly all the big foreign supermarkets fail in Japan for some reason. The only ones close to a success I can think of are Costco (a dozen or so stores, all under its own brand) and Walmart, which owns a chain called Seiyu, but doesn't use its own brand. (Mrs in Tokyo worked for them for a bit.)
Food retailing - except for Aldi and Lidl - very rarely travels well. Tesco, M&S, Sainsbury, Walmart, etc., have all tried to internationalise, and have failed across the board.
Interestingly, clothing retail is another story. Zara (Spain's Inditex) and H&M (from Sweden) are massive international success stories.
I think thats a little rough on Walmart, 6000+ stores in 26 countries must on any terms be seen as a modest success.
Isn't ROCE on international for Walmart less than half their US level?
the expectation management of the Tory vote remained rock solid in Rochester.
Last time I looked Nigel Farage is leader of UKIP, not a Tory. I quoted from a TV interview I watched him give on Saturday in an office with a large map of Rochester and Strood behind him so no management or expectation by any Tory, just the words of the UKIP leader.
The previous thread and this one just gave me (yet another) strange idea: Why don't we or OHG award an "Ig Poll-bel" prize each year just as there is an established "Ig Nobel" prize for the most peculiar bit of science each year?
Not to decry the basic thrust of your suggestion, but just to note that some of the existing Ig Nobels this year are relevant to PB and its denizens, such as UKIP enthusiasts and cat lovers:
I’m certain that Tesco are also in China and Japan.
No Tesco in Japan - there were a few tiny little "mini Tesco" stores and a little cheapo chain they operated under a different brand, but apparently they coughed up a load of money and got out. It was the same story with Carrefour, which IIUC has done pretty well in a lot of other countries.
Nearly all the big foreign supermarkets fail in Japan for some reason. The only ones close to a success I can think of are Costco (a dozen or so stores, all under its own brand) and Walmart, which owns a chain called Seiyu, but doesn't use its own brand. (Mrs in Tokyo worked for them for a bit.)
Food retailing - except for Aldi and Lidl - very rarely travels well. Tesco, M&S, Sainsbury, Walmart, etc., have all tried to internationalise, and have failed across the board.
Interestingly, clothing retail is another story. Zara (Spain's Inditex) and H&M (from Sweden) are massive international success stories.
I think thats a little rough on Walmart, 6000+ stores in 26 countries must on any terms be seen as a modest success.
Isn't ROCE on international for Walmart less than half their US level?
I dont have the figures to hand but I wouldn't be surprised. In a lot of countries they have a problem of not being legally allowed to directly enter the food retail business. Thats definitely the case in India, its probably the case here. Most businesses then end up having to take on and share profit with a local partner which probably doesn't carry its weight. Presumably its still looks fair enough on the bottom line, if you have saturated your local market, as they probably have in the USA, what's the alternative for increasing profits.
It's a bit more subtle than that because Cameron's setting up a referendum based his "renegotiation", which will consist of a bunch of reforms that will be over-promised and never delivered. Three years after the referendum with no sign of the thing people voted on actually happening, UKIP might have a decent case for running for election on "This is bullshit, let's just leave".
Nevertheless, I suspect skipping a referendum, if they only got (say) 35% of the vote, would probably lead to the break-up of the Union. If pretty much every Scottish MP (for example) was pro-EU (as looks likely) and they chose to take the Scotland out of the EU, and against (say) a 60:40 in vote in Scotland, I can't see them choosing to stay in the UK. Likewise, if London voted overwhelmingly to stay in the EU, and for pro-EU parties, I think that would look similarly horrible.
I really think that something of the magnitude of leaving the EU has to be done through a referendum. Of course, if UKIP were to get 40-45% of the vote, or if there were "out" parties with 50+% of the vote, then it would be less problematic. But a 35% UKIP vote putting through "out" legislation without a referendum would be explosive - just as the SNP passing UDI would be.
I’m certain that Tesco are also in China and Japan.
No Tesco in Japan - there were a few tiny little "mini Tesco" stores and a little cheapo chain they operated under a different brand, but apparently they coughed up a load of money and got out. It was the same story with Carrefour, which IIUC has done pretty well in a lot of other countries.
Nearly all the big foreign supermarkets fail in Japan for some reason. The only ones close to a success I can think of are Costco (a dozen or so stores, all under its own brand) and Walmart, which owns a chain called Seiyu, but doesn't use its own brand. (Mrs in Tokyo worked for them for a bit.)
Food retailing - except for Aldi and Lidl - very rarely travels well. Tesco, M&S, Sainsbury, Walmart, etc., have all tried to internationalise, and have failed across the board.
Interestingly, clothing retail is another story. Zara (Spain's Inditex) and H&M (from Sweden) are massive international success stories.
I think thats a little rough on Walmart, 6000+ stores in 26 countries must on any terms be seen as a modest success.
Isn't ROCE on international for Walmart less than half their US level?
I dont have the figures to hand but I wouldn't be surprised. In a lot of countries they have a problem of not being legally allowed to directly enter the food retail business. Thats definitely the case in India, its probably the case here. Most businesses then end up having to take on and share profit with a local partner which probably doesn't carry its weight. Presumably its still looks fair enough on the bottom line, if you have saturated your local market, as they probably have in the USA, what's the alternative for increasing profits.
the expectation management of the Tory vote remained rock solid in Rochester.
Last time I looked Nigel Farage is leader of UKIP, not a Tory. I quoted from a TV interview I watched him give on Saturday in an office with a large map of Rochester and Strood behind him so no management or expectation by any Tory, just the words of the UKIP leader.
Farage wants to pull in the Labour vote so its in his interest to make his party look like an acceptable and well frequented option for Labour voters, so I would be cautious about those sort of claims.
It's a bit more subtle than that because Cameron's setting up a referendum based his "renegotiation", which will consist of a bunch of reforms that will be over-promised and never delivered. Three years after the referendum with no sign of the thing people voted on actually happening, UKIP might have a decent case for running for election on "This is bullshit, let's just leave".
Nevertheless, I suspect skipping a referendum, if they only got (say) 35% of the vote, would probably lead to the break-up of the Union. If pretty much every Scottish MP (for example) was pro-EU (as looks likely) and they chose to take the Scotland out of the EU, and against (say) a 60:40 in vote in Scotland, I can't see them choosing to stay in the UK. Likewise, if London voted overwhelmingly to stay in the EU, and for pro-EU parties, I think that would look similarly horrible.
The irony being that if they had got 51% not 45% they would have de facto taken themselves out of the EU anyway.
I’m certain that Tesco are also in China and Japan.
No Tesco in Japan - there were a few tiny little "mini Tesco" stores and a little cheapo chain they operated under a different brand, but apparently they coughed up a load of money and got out. It was the same story with Carrefour, which IIUC has done pretty well in a lot of other countries.
Nearly all the big foreign supermarkets fail in Japan for some reason. The only ones close to a success I can think of are Costco (a dozen or so stores, all under its own brand) and Walmart, which owns a chain called Seiyu, but doesn't use its own brand. (Mrs in Tokyo worked for them for a bit.)
Food retailing - except for Aldi and Lidl - very rarely travels well. Tesco, M&S, Sainsbury, Walmart, etc., have all tried to internationalise, and have failed across the board.
Interestingly, clothing retail is another story. Zara (Spain's Inditex) and H&M (from Sweden) are massive international success stories.
I think thats a little rough on Walmart, 6000+ stores in 26 countries must on any terms be seen as a modest success.
Isn't ROCE on international for Walmart less than half their US level?
I dont have the figures to hand but I wouldn't be surprised. In a lot of countries they have a problem of not being legally allowed to directly enter the food retail business. Thats definitely the case in India, its probably the case here. Most businesses then end up having to take on and share profit with a local partner which probably doesn't carry its weight. Presumably its still looks fair enough on the bottom line, if you have saturated your local market, as they probably have in the USA, what's the alternative for increasing profits.
Franchising, as with 7/11?
7/11 is a weird case - the Japanese franchise bought out the US parent company...
What does UK law say about the need for a referendum to exit? I assume a government (with a mandate / manifesto pledge) could just exit. We got to where we are today without any referendums since the 1970s. I presume we could quite legally just turn the clock back without a referendum. But I'm not a constitutional lawyer!
I’m certain that Tesco are also in China and Japan.
No Tesco in Japan - there were a few tiny little "mini Tesco" stores and a little cheapo chain they operated under a different brand, but apparently they coughed up a load of money and got out. It was the same story with Carrefour, which IIUC has done pretty well in a lot of other countries.
Nearly all the big foreign supermarkets fail in Japan for some reason. The only ones close to a success I can think of are Costco (a dozen or so stores, all under its own brand) and Walmart, which owns a chain called Seiyu, but doesn't use its own brand. (Mrs in Tokyo worked for them for a bit.)
Food retailing - except for Aldi and Lidl - very rarely travels well. Tesco, M&S, Sainsbury, Walmart, etc., have all tried to internationalise, and have failed across the board.
Interestingly, clothing retail is another story. Zara (Spain's Inditex) and H&M (from Sweden) are massive international success stories.
I think thats a little rough on Walmart, 6000+ stores in 26 countries must on any terms be seen as a modest success.
Isn't ROCE on international for Walmart less than half their US level?
I dont have the figures to hand but I wouldn't be surprised. In a lot of countries they have a problem of not being legally allowed to directly enter the food retail business. Thats definitely the case in India, its probably the case here. Most businesses then end up having to take on and share profit with a local partner which probably doesn't carry its weight. Presumably its still looks fair enough on the bottom line, if you have saturated your local market, as they probably have in the USA, what's the alternative for increasing profits.
Franchising, as with 7/11?
7/11 is a weird case - the Japanese franchise bought out the US parent company...
I’m certain that Tesco are also in China and Japan.
No Tesco in Japan - there were a few tiny little "mini Tesco" stores and a little cheapo chain they operated under a different brand, but apparently they coughed up a load of money and got out. It was the same story with Carrefour, which IIUC has done pretty well in a lot of other countries.
Nearly all the big foreign supermarkets fail in Japan for some reason. The only ones close to a success I can think of are Costco (a dozen or so stores, all under its own brand) and Walmart, which owns a chain called Seiyu, but doesn't use its own brand. (Mrs in Tokyo worked for them for a bit.)
Food retailing - except for Aldi and Lidl - very rarely travels well. Tesco, M&S, Sainsbury, Walmart, etc., have all tried to internationalise, and have failed across the board.
Interestingly, clothing retail is another story. Zara (Spain's Inditex) and H&M (from Sweden) are massive international success stories.
Tesco employees 500,000 people, 310,000 in the UK.
What does UK law say about the need for a referendum to exit? I assume a government (with a mandate / manifesto pledge) could just exit. We got to where we are today without any referendums since the 1970s. I presume we could quite legally just turn the clock back without a referendum. But I'm not a constitutional lawyer!
I am not a lawyer either, but I was under the impression that parliament being sovereign, all referenda in the UK are in effect advisory, although it would take a government with a pretty serious deathwish to hold a referendum and then ignore the result.
It's a bit more subtle than that because Cameron's setting up a referendum based his "renegotiation", which will consist of a bunch of reforms that will be over-promised and never delivered. Three years after the referendum with no sign of the thing people voted on actually happening, UKIP might have a decent case for running for election on "This is bullshit, let's just leave".
Nevertheless, I suspect skipping a referendum, if they only got (say) 35% of the vote, would probably lead to the break-up of the Union. If pretty much every Scottish MP (for example) was pro-EU (as looks likely) and they chose to take the Scotland out of the EU, and against (say) a 60:40 in vote in Scotland, I can't see them choosing to stay in the UK. Likewise, if London voted overwhelmingly to stay in the EU, and for pro-EU parties, I think that would look similarly horrible.
I really think that something of the magnitude of leaving the EU has to be done through a referendum. Of course, if UKIP were to get 40-45% of the vote, or if there were "out" parties with 50+% of the vote, then it would be less problematic. But a 35% UKIP vote putting through "out" legislation without a referendum would be explosive - just as the SNP passing UDI would be.
Referendum or not, I'd say the UK leaving the EU would lead to the break-up of the Union in any case...
What does UK law say about the need for a referendum to exit? I assume a government (with a mandate / manifesto pledge) could just exit. We got to where we are today without any referendums since the 1970s. I presume we could quite legally just turn the clock back without a referendum. But I'm not a constitutional lawyer!
The previous thread and this one just gave me (yet another) strange idea: Why don't we or OHG award an "Ig Poll-bel" prize each year just as there is an established "Ig Nobel" prize for the most peculiar bit of science each year?
Not to decry the basic thrust of your suggestion, but just to note that some of the existing Ig Nobels this year are relevant to PB and its denizens, such as UKIP enthusiasts and cat lovers:
It's a bit more subtle than that because Cameron's setting up a referendum based his "renegotiation", which will consist of a bunch of reforms that will be over-promised and never delivered. Three years after the referendum with no sign of the thing people voted on actually happening, UKIP might have a decent case for running for election on "This is bullshit, let's just leave".
Nevertheless, I suspect skipping a referendum, if they only got (say) 35% of the vote, would probably lead to the break-up of the Union. If pretty much every Scottish MP (for example) was pro-EU (as looks likely) and they chose to take the Scotland out of the EU, and against (say) a 60:40 in vote in Scotland, I can't see them choosing to stay in the UK. Likewise, if London voted overwhelmingly to stay in the EU, and for pro-EU parties, I think that would look similarly horrible.
I really think that something of the magnitude of leaving the EU has to be done through a referendum. Of course, if UKIP were to get 40-45% of the vote, or if there were "out" parties with 50+% of the vote, then it would be less problematic. But a 35% UKIP vote putting through "out" legislation without a referendum would be explosive - just as the SNP passing UDI would be.
Referendum or not, I'd say the UK leaving the EU would lead to the break-up of the Union in any case...
That said, I think UKIP would have a referendum.
If it was 45/55 with a Dave government cheerleading for an IN, they would have to be fairly confident 51/49 or better with a Nige government cheering for OUT, with the evidence in having done a deal with the EU which they reneged on.
Hmm - Seems that Labour does not maintain it's vote-seat strength so readily when it pulls clear of the Conservatives. Add in Scotland+UKIP (Which these calculators never adjust properly for) and it makes a majority tricky.
@LordAshcroft: The first Ashcroft National Poll since the Rochester & Strood by-election makes interesting reading. Here at 4pm with commentary @ConHome
I know there's a few mobile phone industry fans on here (and sports media rights fans)
Well life just became a little bit more interesting, BT are in talks about buying o2 or possibly EE.
The potential implications on so many sectors is fascinating.
Its been a few years since I was in the mobile industry, is it still the case that a corporation cannot control more than one 3G License? Presumably if these mergers happen they will be selling off one of their licenses to someone else.
It's a bit more subtle than that because Cameron's setting up a referendum based his "renegotiation", which will consist of a bunch of reforms that will be over-promised and never delivered. Three years after the referendum with no sign of the thing people voted on actually happening, UKIP might have a decent case for running for election on "This is bullshit, let's just leave".
Nevertheless, I suspect skipping a referendum, if they only got (say) 35% of the vote, would probably lead to the break-up of the Union. If pretty much every Scottish MP (for example) was pro-EU (as looks likely) and they chose to take the Scotland out of the EU, and against (say) a 60:40 in vote in Scotland, I can't see them choosing to stay in the UK. Likewise, if London voted overwhelmingly to stay in the EU, and for pro-EU parties, I think that would look similarly horrible.
I really think that something of the magnitude of leaving the EU has to be done through a referendum. Of course, if UKIP were to get 40-45% of the vote, or if there were "out" parties with 50+% of the vote, then it would be less problematic. But a 35% UKIP vote putting through "out" legislation without a referendum would be explosive - just as the SNP passing UDI would be.
Referendum or not, I'd say the UK leaving the EU would lead to the break-up of the Union in any case...
That said, I think UKIP would have a referendum.
In the 1974 common market entry referendum Scotland was markedly more eurosceptical than England. I think you're overestimating Scottish europhilia. Leaving the EU would arguably strengthen the Union.
I know there's a few mobile phone industry fans on here (and sports media rights fans)
Well life just became a little bit more interesting, BT are in talks about buying o2 or possibly EE.
The potential implications on so many sectors is fascinating.
Its been a few years since I was in the mobile industry, is it still the case that a corporation cannot control more than one 3G License? Presumably if these mergers happen they will be selling off one of their licenses to someone else.
The whole thing is complicated by the 4G licenses and the fact BT were planning to launch their own mobile service with 4g next year and their MVNO deal is with Vodafone.
Vodafone also have cash to burn and bought Cable and Wireless last year and are are also looking to move into the quad play market.
Speaking to The Huffington Post UK in the aftermath of the Tory defeat, Brian Binley, MP for Northampton South, issued a blistering attack on his party's tactics. "If you want the term I would use to talk straight, I would say that is a load of bollocks to try and play the 'elitist' card," he said.
What does UK law say about the need for a referendum to exit? I assume a government (with a mandate / manifesto pledge) could just exit. We got to where we are today without any referendums since the 1970s. I presume we could quite legally just turn the clock back without a referendum. But I'm not a constitutional lawyer!
Quite simple really, a government achieves a Bill through both Houses (unless a Manifesto commitment in which case Parliament Act applies and Lords neutered) declaring that on a specific date the UK will leave the EU, that is that. Clearly there would be arguments with Brussels about money but we would leave.
Referenda have no status in UK Constitutional Law unless Parliament creates it for them.
If a UK wide vote to leave does occur and FM Nippy Sweetie still has her fingers on the control knobs of Holyrood, she would certainly want Scotland to have another Indy Ref because the Scots are generally perceived to be more EU friendly.
@LordAshcroft: The first Ashcroft National Poll since the Rochester & Strood by-election makes interesting reading. Here at 4pm with commentary @ConHome
It's a bit more subtle than that because Cameron's setting up a referendum based his "renegotiation", which will consist of a bunch of reforms that will be over-promised and never delivered. Three years after the referendum with no sign of the thing people voted on actually happening, UKIP might have a decent case for running for election on "This is bullshit, let's just leave".
Nevertheless, I suspect skipping a referendum, if they only got (say) 35% of the vote, would probably lead to the break-up of the Union. If pretty much every Scottish MP (for example) was pro-EU (as looks likely) and they chose to take the Scotland out of the EU, and against (say) a 60:40 in vote in Scotland, I can't see them choosing to stay in the UK. Likewise, if London voted overwhelmingly to stay in the EU, and for pro-EU parties, I think that would look similarly horrible.
I really think that something of the magnitude of leaving the EU has to be done through a referendum. Of course, if UKIP were to get 40-45% of the vote, or if there were "out" parties with 50+% of the vote, then it would be less problematic. But a 35% UKIP vote putting through "out" legislation without a referendum would be explosive - just as the SNP passing UDI would be.
Referendum or not, I'd say the UK leaving the EU would lead to the break-up of the Union in any case...
That said, I think UKIP would have a referendum.
In the 1974 common market entry referendum Scotland was markedly more eurosceptic than England. I think your overestimating Scottish europhilia. Leaving the EU would arguably strengthen the Union.
Using data from 40 years ago doesn't help your argument.
The latest polling is showing completely the opposite, pretty consistently.
In the 1974 common market entry referendum Scotland was markedly more eurosceptical than England. I think you're overestimating Scottish europhilia. Leaving the EU would arguably strengthen the Union.
Would you like a spread on England-Scotland 'out' percentage? (Assuming referendum before 2020.)
For every point more than 3 that England has higher 'out', you pay me £10, and vice-versa.
So: if it's 50 for out in England, and 47 for out in Scotland, then nobody pays anybody anything. If it's 50 for our in Scotland, 47 in England, I pay you £60. If it's 60 out in England, and 50 in Scotland, then you pay me £70.
CON drops & LAB lead widens with Populus online - the first full poll after "White Van" gate Lab 36 (=) Con 31 (-2), LD 9 (=), UKIP 15 (+1)
On the face of it the Tories should be quite concerned about this Populus poll. However Populus has over several recent polls recorded Labour with a higher vote share than other pollsters so I have my doubts particularly as the last few months of local elections results (real elections if you like) have with some exceptions been moderately encouraging for the Tories. Is the 36% with or without Scottish Labour votes?
I must say I'm surprised by this given when the fieldwork took place. You do have to wonder exactly what EdM has to do before the tories have a lead?
There was school of thought, perhaps even a consensus, on here before the last election that unless an event was of major significance it took about 14 days before it fed through into the polls and very minor events seldom if ever did shift cause any movement in themselves (though a succession of such events may contribute to a longer term, and more enduring, shift). That wisdom seems to have been forgotten and a fair number of posters seem to expect instant effects from what are in reality fairly trivial happenings.
Good point, it takes time for the full effects of many of these to come through. But we are now about to enter the Xmas period when such matters are postponed for January. Xmas could save EdM which is good for the Conservatives.
It's a bit more subtle than that because Cameron's setting up a referendum based his "renegotiation", which will consist of a bunch of reforms that will be over-promised and never delivered. Three years after the referendum with no sign of the thing people voted on actually happening, UKIP might have a decent case for running for election on "This is bullshit, let's just leave".
Nevertheless, I suspect skipping a referendum, if they only got (say) 35% of the vote, would probably lead to the break-up of the Union. If pretty much every Scottish MP (for example) was pro-EU (as looks likely) and they chose to take the Scotland out of the EU, and against (say) a 60:40 in vote in Scotland, I can't see them choosing to stay in the UK. Likewise, if London voted overwhelmingly to stay in the EU, and for pro-EU parties, I think that would look similarly horrible.
I really think that something of the magnitude of leaving the EU has to be done through a referendum. Of course, if UKIP were to get 40-45% of the vote, or if there were "out" parties with 50+% of the vote, then it would be less problematic. But a 35% UKIP vote putting through "out" legislation without a referendum would be explosive - just as the SNP passing UDI would be.
Referendum or not, I'd say the UK leaving the EU would lead to the break-up of the Union in any case...
That said, I think UKIP would have a referendum.
If it was 45/55 with a Dave government cheerleading for an IN, they would have to be fairly confident 51/49 or better with a Nige government cheering for OUT, with the evidence in having done a deal with the EU which they reneged on.
If a UK wide vote to leave does occur and FM Nippy Sweetie still has her fingers on the control knobs of Holyrood, she would certainly want Scotland to have another Indy Ref because the Scots are generally perceived to be more EU friendly.
I dont understand this bit. The SNP wanted to leave the UK, the EU told them categorically that doing so would require a new application to rejoin the EU, so they would by leaving the UK de facto leave the EU. If the UK left the EU due to an act passing parliament, and the Scots voted to leave the UK, they would still be outside the EU, there isn't a circumstance here where Scotland stays in the EU if the UK does not.
If a UK wide vote to leave does occur and FM Nippy Sweetie still has her fingers on the control knobs of Holyrood, she would certainly want Scotland to have another Indy Ref because the Scots are generally perceived to be more EU friendly.
I dont understand this bit. The SNP wanted to leave the UK, the EU told them categorically that doing so would require a new application to rejoin the EU, so they would by leaving the UK de facto leave the EU. If the UK left the EU due to an act passing parliament, and the Scots voted to leave the UK, they would still be outside the EU, there isn't a circumstance here where Scotland stays in the EU if the UK does not.
There was never any categorical statement from the EU, which insisted that only the respective member government, ie the UK, could ask for, and be given, such a statement. And of course that was the last thing Mr Cameron and his Labour allies wanted to do, keen as they were on maximising uncertainty and doubt in indyref.
You are also perhaps forgetting the time factor. It would need say 2-3 years to leave the EU, so there isn't any instant departure from the EU.
In the 1974 common market entry referendum Scotland was markedly more eurosceptical than England. I think you're overestimating Scottish europhilia. Leaving the EU would arguably strengthen the Union.
Would you like a spread on England-Scotland 'out' percentage? (Assuming referendum before 2020.)
For every point more than 3 that England has higher 'out', you pay me £10, and vice-versa.
So: if it's 50 for out in England, and 47 for out in Scotland, then nobody pays anybody anything. If it's 50 for our in Scotland, 47 in England, I pay you £60. If it's 60 out in England, and 50 in Scotland, then you pay me £70.
Deal?
I didnt say that, MonikerDiCanio did, error in the blockquotes somewhere!
If a UK wide vote to leave does occur and FM Nippy Sweetie still has her fingers on the control knobs of Holyrood, she would certainly want Scotland to have another Indy Ref because the Scots are generally perceived to be more EU friendly.
I dont understand this bit. The SNP wanted to leave the UK, the EU told them categorically that doing so would require a new application to rejoin the EU, so they would by leaving the UK de facto leave the EU. If the UK left the EU due to an act passing parliament, and the Scots voted to leave the UK, they would still be outside the EU, there isn't a circumstance here where Scotland stays in the EU if the UK does not.
Actually, it might make life very simple. If Scotland wanted independence and to stay in the EU, then it could be the 'continuing entity' and carry over Britain's opt-outs, with its exit from the UK and the UK's exit from the EU happening simultaneously.
It's a bit more subtle than that because Cameron's setting up a referendum based his "renegotiation", which will consist of a bunch of reforms that will be over-promised and never delivered. Three years after the referendum with no sign of the thing people voted on actually happening, UKIP might have a decent case for running for election on "This is bullshit, let's just leave".
Nevertheless, I suspect skipping a referendum, if they only got (say) 35% of the vote, would probably lead to the break-up of the Union. If pretty much every Scottish MP (for example) was pro-EU (as looks likely) and they chose to take the Scotland out of the EU, and against (say) a 60:40 in vote in Scotland, I can't see them choosing to stay in the UK. Likewise, if London voted overwhelmingly to stay in the EU, and for pro-EU parties, I think that would look similarly horrible.
I really think that something of the magnitude of leaving the EU has to be done through a referendum. Of course, if UKIP were to get 40-45% of the vote, or if there were "out" parties with 50+% of the vote, then it would be less problematic. But a 35% UKIP vote putting through "out" legislation without a referendum would be explosive - just as the SNP passing UDI would be.
Referendum or not, I'd say the UK leaving the EU would lead to the break-up of the Union in any case...
That said, I think UKIP would have a referendum.
In the 1974 common market entry referendum Scotland was markedly more eurosceptical than England. I think you're overestimating Scottish europhilia. Leaving the EU would arguably strengthen the Union.
It's not just Europhilia although that's part of it. It also means: 1) Assuming Salmond can wangle another referendum he'll be able to deploy FUD as well as fend it off. You'll get unpredictable changes either way. 2) A Scotland in the EU while rUK was out would be attractive to English companies that still want to be in the EU. 3) The EU will be much more cooperative...
In the 1974 common market entry referendum Scotland was markedly more eurosceptical than England. I think you're overestimating Scottish europhilia. Leaving the EU would arguably strengthen the Union.
Would you like a spread on England-Scotland 'out' percentage? (Assuming referendum before 2020.)
For every point more than 3 that England has higher 'out', you pay me £10, and vice-versa.
So: if it's 50 for out in England, and 47 for out in Scotland, then nobody pays anybody anything. If it's 50 for our in Scotland, 47 in England, I pay you £60. If it's 60 out in England, and 50 in Scotland, then you pay me £70.
Deal?
I didnt say that, MonikerDiCanio did, error in the blockquotes somewhere!
Ed Miliband is not the son of a millionaire and he went to a comprehensive whose intake was (and is) very socially mixed. His background is very different to any of the other party leaders, including Farage. It's as far removed as theirs is from the lives of most people though.
lets be honest the School Ed went to is nowhere near being a "standard" comprehensive.
It's a bit more subtle than that because Cameron's setting up a referendum based his "renegotiation", which will consist of a bunch of reforms that will be over-promised and never delivered. Three years after the referendum with no sign of the thing people voted on actually happening, UKIP might have a decent case for running for election on "This is bullshit, let's just leave".
Nevertheless, I suspect skipping a referendum, if they only got (say) 35% of the vote, would probably lead to the break-up of the Union. If pretty much every Scottish MP (for example) was pro-EU (as looks likely) and they chose to take the Scotland out of the EU, and against (say) a 60:40 in vote in Scotland, I can't see them choosing to stay in the UK. Likewise, if London voted overwhelmingly to stay in the EU, and for pro-EU parties, I think that would look similarly horrible.
I really think that something of the magnitude of leaving the EU has to be done through a referendum. Of course, if UKIP were to get 40-45% of the vote, or if there were "out" parties with 50+% of the vote, then it would be less problematic. But a 35% UKIP vote putting through "out" legislation without a referendum would be explosive - just as the SNP passing UDI would be.
Referendum or not, I'd say the UK leaving the EU would lead to the break-up of the Union in any case...
That said, I think UKIP would have a referendum.
In the 1974 common market entry referendum Scotland was markedly more eurosceptic than England. I think your overestimating Scottish europhilia. Leaving the EU would arguably strengthen the Union.
Using data from 40 years ago doesn't help your argument.
The latest polling is showing completely the opposite, pretty consistently.
From yesterday:
stay/leave: OA: 40/41 Scot: 59/22
Now it is a 'Scottish subsample' - but that's quite a gap.......
I’m certain that Tesco are also in China and Japan.
No Tesco in Japan - there were a few tiny little "mini Tesco" stores and a little cheapo chain they operated under a different brand, but apparently they coughed up a load of money and got out. It was the same story with Carrefour, which IIUC has done pretty well in a lot of other countries.
Nearly all the big foreign supermarkets fail in Japan for some reason. The only ones close to a success I can think of are Costco (a dozen or so stores, all under its own brand) and Walmart, which owns a chain called Seiyu, but doesn't use its own brand. (Mrs in Tokyo worked for them for a bit.)
Food retailing - except for Aldi and Lidl - very rarely travels well. Tesco, M&S, Sainsbury, Walmart, etc., have all tried to internationalise, and have failed across the board.
Interestingly, clothing retail is another story. Zara (Spain's Inditex) and H&M (from Sweden) are massive international success stories.
I think thats a little rough on Walmart, 6000+ stores in 26 countries must on any terms be seen as a modest success.
If a UK wide vote to leave does occur and FM Nippy Sweetie still has her fingers on the control knobs of Holyrood, she would certainly want Scotland to have another Indy Ref because the Scots are generally perceived to be more EU friendly.
I dont understand this bit. The SNP wanted to leave the UK, the EU told them categorically that doing so would require a new application to rejoin the EU, so they would by leaving the UK de facto leave the EU. If the UK left the EU due to an act passing parliament, and the Scots voted to leave the UK, they would still be outside the EU, there isn't a circumstance here where Scotland stays in the EU if the UK does not.
There was never any categorical statement from the EU, which insisted that only the respective member government, ie the UK, could ask for, and be given, such a statement. And of course that was the last thing Mr Cameron and his Labour allies wanted to do, keen as they were on maximising uncertainty and doubt in indyref.
You are also perhaps forgetting the time factor. It would need say 2-3 years to leave the EU, so there isn't any instant departure from the EU.
It was Salmond who was keenest to muddy the waters with his infamous non-existent legal advice on EU membership.
If a UK wide vote to leave does occur and FM Nippy Sweetie still has her fingers on the control knobs of Holyrood, she would certainly want Scotland to have another Indy Ref because the Scots are generally perceived to be more EU friendly.
I dont understand this bit. The SNP wanted to leave the UK, the EU told them categorically that doing so would require a new application to rejoin the EU, so they would by leaving the UK de facto leave the EU. If the UK left the EU due to an act passing parliament, and the Scots voted to leave the UK, they would still be outside the EU, there isn't a circumstance here where Scotland stays in the EU if the UK does not.
Actually, it might make life very simple. If Scotland wanted independence and to stay in the EU, then it could be the 'continuing entity' and carry over Britain's opt-outs, with its exit from the UK and the UK's exit from the EU happening simultaneously.
I very much doubt rUK would agree to Scotland being the 'continuator state'.....and give up its seat on the Security Council and so forth. The state which joined the EU - the UK - would leave - and if Scotland wished to re-join that would be up to it.
Mike, I get different figures to you. Using the last poll from each of the four phone pollsters:
Con 30.5% Lab 30.25%
The very smallest of Tory leads. Amazing how we've been misled by the deluge of online polls, when the phone polls all did better than the online polls for GE2010.
Thanks for looking into this. Important difference.
If a UK wide vote to leave does occur and FM Nippy Sweetie still has her fingers on the control knobs of Holyrood, she would certainly want Scotland to have another Indy Ref because the Scots are generally perceived to be more EU friendly.
I dont understand this bit. The SNP wanted to leave the UK, the EU told them categorically that doing so would require a new application to rejoin the EU, so they would by leaving the UK de facto leave the EU. If the UK left the EU due to an act passing parliament, and the Scots voted to leave the UK, they would still be outside the EU, there isn't a circumstance here where Scotland stays in the EU if the UK does not.
Actually, it might make life very simple. If Scotland wanted independence and to stay in the EU, then it could be the 'continuing entity' and carry over Britain's opt-outs, with its exit from the UK and the UK's exit from the EU happening simultaneously.
I very much doubt rUK would agree to Scotland being the 'continuator state'.....and give up its seat on the Security Council and so forth. The state which joined the EU - the UK - would leave - and if Scotland wished to re-join that would be up to it.
Good luck with getting a unanimous vote of the existing members given the current situation in Catalonia!
If a UK wide vote to leave does occur and FM Nippy Sweetie still has her fingers on the control knobs of Holyrood, she would certainly want Scotland to have another Indy Ref because the Scots are generally perceived to be more EU friendly.
I dont understand this bit. The SNP wanted to leave the UK, the EU told them categorically that doing so would require a new application to rejoin the EU, so they would by leaving the UK de facto leave the EU. If the UK left the EU due to an act passing parliament, and the Scots voted to leave the UK, they would still be outside the EU, there isn't a circumstance here where Scotland stays in the EU if the UK does not.
Actually, it might make life very simple. If Scotland wanted independence and to stay in the EU, then it could be the 'continuing entity' and carry over Britain's opt-outs, with its exit from the UK and the UK's exit from the EU happening simultaneously.
I very much doubt rUK would agree to Scotland being the 'continuator state'.....and give up its seat on the Security Council and so forth. The state which joined the EU - the UK - would leave - and if Scotland wished to re-join that would be up to it.
I dont follow this bit, how does the UK dealing with the EU affect its dealing with the UN?
Theresa May is getting some stick this morning because she has admitted the obvious: that immigration is never going to get below the ‘tens of thousands’ target that David Cameron stupidly agreed to in opposition. She can only control immigration from outside the EU which she has successfully reduced to its lowest levels for about 15 years......
...The very existence of the ‘tens of thousands’ target shows that the Prime Minister was not serious about immigration. Why agree to a ‘net immigration’ target – i.e., one that includes how many Brits emigrate? If Cameron is doing his job, more will want to stay (as has proven to be the case). He only has control over non-EU immigration, and should only ever have made promises in that area. And thanks to Mrs May, he’d have kept them
I would say so. Most people dont have a problem with people that come and contribute. It might well cut down on the number of people who come to essentially sell a couple of Big Issues a week and live on benefits.
And to be fair, its non EU immigration that really angers people. The Kippers on here spend far more time talking about Burqas and Rotherham than they do about Eastern Europeans.
If a UK wide vote to leave does occur and FM Nippy Sweetie still has her fingers on the control knobs of Holyrood, she would certainly want Scotland to have another Indy Ref because the Scots are generally perceived to be more EU friendly.
I dont understand this bit. The SNP wanted to leave the UK, the EU told them categorically that doing so would require a new application to rejoin the EU, so they would by leaving the UK de facto leave the EU. If the UK left the EU due to an act passing parliament, and the Scots voted to leave the UK, they would still be outside the EU, there isn't a circumstance here where Scotland stays in the EU if the UK does not.
Actually, it might make life very simple. If Scotland wanted independence and to stay in the EU, then it could be the 'continuing entity' and carry over Britain's opt-outs, with its exit from the UK and the UK's exit from the EU happening simultaneously.
I very much doubt rUK would agree to Scotland being the 'continuator state'.....and give up its seat on the Security Council and so forth. The state which joined the EU - the UK - would leave - and if Scotland wished to re-join that would be up to it.
I dont follow this bit, how does the UK dealing with the EU affect its dealing with the UN?
You can't 'pick n'mix' which is the successor state - in any case, getting anyone to agree that 8% of the population was the successor state might be ambitious. If the UK leaves the EU, then the loathed cheque Anglais is for the bin......
And to be fair, its non EU immigration that really angers people. The Kippers on here spend far more time talking about Burqas and Rotherham than they do about Eastern Europeans.
Its not even that. How many times have we heard someone complain about immigrants from China, or the Philippines, or any number of other countries where people turn up, get a job, work hard, and blend in with the people already here. As I have said a number of times, except for a few nutters in the BNP its not about race, people dont care what colour peoples skin is, they care if they upset their way of life, its about culture.
And to be fair, its non EU immigration that really angers people. The Kippers on here spend far more time talking about Burqas and Rotherham than they do about Eastern Europeans.
Net migration from non-EU countries is still comfortably above 100,000. Will it fall below in 2014?
Ed Miliband is not the son of a millionaire and he went to a comprehensive whose intake was (and is) very socially mixed. His background is very different to any of the other party leaders, including Farage. It's as far removed as theirs is from the lives of most people though.
lets be honest the School Ed went to is nowhere near being a "standard" comprehensive.
And to be fair, its non EU immigration that really angers people. The Kippers on here spend far more time talking about Burqas and Rotherham than they do about Eastern Europeans.
Its not even that. How many times have we heard someone complain about immigrants from China, or the Philippines, or any number of other countries where people turn up, get a job, work hard, and blend in with the people already here. As I have said a number of times, except for a few nutters in the BNP its not about race, people dont care what colour peoples skin is, they care if they upset their way of life, its about culture.
Well, my issue is the volume of immigration. It should go without saying that some immigrants are more useful/valuable than others, and we should prefer those more skilled to less skilled. However, as many seem to have a tin ear when it comes to this subject, I feel I have to.
Net migration for 2013/14 was 243,000 (that's 560k in, 316k out). Net migration has been in the ballpark of 200k (or north of it) for the last decade.
Add issues with culture, religion and whatnot into the mix; it doesn't help matters. But I wouldn't care if they were all _exactly_ like me (noble, kind, intelligent, hard working etc), it's the rate that bothers me, particularly given our sclerotic planning regime, and piss poor record on building infrastructure.
I would have thought so, but it shows the futility of "tough crackdowns" on EU migrants benefits
The crackdown should help to reduce some migration but it's not enough. LibDems and Labour won't agree to actual migrant number limits so there's not enough votes in parliament to take stronger action. A majority Conservative government is required!
Ed Miliband is not the son of a millionaire and he went to a comprehensive whose intake was (and is) very socially mixed. His background is very different to any of the other party leaders, including Farage. It's as far removed as theirs is from the lives of most people though.
lets be honest the School Ed went to is nowhere near being a "standard" comprehensive.
I would have thought so, but it shows the futility of "tough crackdowns" on EU migrants benefits
The crackdown should help to reduce some migration but it's not enough. LibDems and Labour won't agree to actual migrant number limits so there's not enough votes in parliament to take stronger action. A majority Conservative government is required!
Limits are also futile, as there may well be a case for increasing immigration if necessity demanded.
What I believe we need to regain is the ability to be flexible about immigration
If a UK wide vote to leave does occur and FM Nippy Sweetie still has her fingers on the control knobs of Holyrood, she would certainly want Scotland to have another Indy Ref because the Scots are generally perceived to be more EU friendly.
I dont understand this bit. The SNP wanted to leave the UK, the EU told them categorically that doing so would require a new application to rejoin the EU, so they would by leaving the UK de facto leave the EU. If the UK left the EU due to an act passing parliament, and the Scots voted to leave the UK, they would still be outside the EU, there isn't a circumstance here where Scotland stays in the EU if the UK does not.
Actually, it might make life very simple. If Scotland wanted independence and to stay in the EU, then it could be the 'continuing entity' and carry over Britain's opt-outs, with its exit from the UK and the UK's exit from the EU happening simultaneously.
I very much doubt rUK would agree to Scotland being the 'continuator state'.....and give up its seat on the Security Council and so forth. The state which joined the EU - the UK - would leave - and if Scotland wished to re-join that would be up to it.
I dont follow this bit, how does the UK dealing with the EU affect its dealing with the UN?
The UN Security Council seat is something that is always brought up by EU enthusiasts. Also by the trendy moderns. Normally by those on the Left who despise what Britain (and specifically England stand for). I somehow doubt that anyone in France questions their own UN Security Council seat.
And to be fair, its non EU immigration that really angers people. The Kippers on here spend far more time talking about Burqas and Rotherham than they do about Eastern Europeans.
And to be fair, its non EU immigration that really angers people. The Kippers on here spend far more time talking about Burqas and Rotherham than they do about Eastern Europeans.
Its not even that. How many times have we heard someone complain about immigrants from China, or the Philippines, or any number of other countries where people turn up, get a job, work hard, and blend in with the people already here. As I have said a number of times, except for a few nutters in the BNP its not about race, people dont care what colour peoples skin is, they care if they upset their way of life, its about culture.
I use AVG - it's available free or paid for - never been compromised on email or website - every virus quarantined immediately and sorted. Can't give it too high a rating.
I'm in brain picking mode, so sorry to be off topic.
Any views on a decent anti virus package for a small office and a few laptops? Mine expires in a couple of weeks and I have no idea what is a good package these days. Any help much appreciated.
Microsoft Security Essentials free from MS, recommended by my IT mates
MSE as mentioned above. It works, is free and isn't the resource hog the other anti-virus tools have become...
Turnout for the next London mayoral elections should be interesting. My guess is that it will be a whole lot lower than the last two times.
Why do you think that? I can't be the only one who didn't feel able to vote for any of the main candidates last time. Khan or Lammy would both be acceptable as far as I'm concerned. If, however, Simon Hughes were to run for the LDs I'd vote for him ahead of them.
F1: only a rumour, reportedly from Eddie Jordan, but it'd by substantial if true - Ross Brawn to join Audi for their F1 team in 2017.
That's a few years off. However, sorting the engine (let alone the other bits and pieces) does take quite some development time. One of the main reasons Hamilton went to Mercedes was because of what he heard of their engine due once the current regulations came in.
I think you're deluded if you don't sincerely believe that Nigel Farage and co. genuinely believe that the UK would be better off outside the EU.
He may or may not believe it, but he'd say he did anyway, because there's a market niche for people who want to vote for that. In the same way, most boy bands realise that they are abject crap, but it doesn't stop them.
There are three central dishonesties to the UKIP worldview. One is the syllogism that everything is immigrants' fault, so let's leave the EU. The second dishonesty is that leaving the EU will reduce the need to knuckle under to the EU. The third is that UKIP is campaigning to leave the EU.
UKIPpers either honestly believe these propositions, in which case they are stupid, or they don't but they assert them anyway, in which case they're dishonest. To claim to believe them affords an elite in UKIP a stupendous opportunity to fiddle a tax free unaudited income from the EU. What a convenient alignment of personal interest with political principle!
Miss Fitalass, I pity the pollsters trying to predict the 2015 result. Whilst Scotland seems likely to change a lot, that's a straightforward Party B winning, Party A losing scenario. In England, and maybe Wales, we could get some very odd results indeed.
If a UK wide vote to leave does occur and FM Nippy Sweetie still has her fingers on the control knobs of Holyrood, she would certainly want Scotland to have another Indy Ref because the Scots are generally perceived to be more EU friendly.
I dont understand this bit. The SNP wanted to leave the UK, the EU told them categorically that doing so would require a new application to rejoin the EU, so they would by leaving the UK de facto leave the EU. If the UK left the EU due to an act passing parliament, and the Scots voted to leave the UK, they would still be outside the EU, there isn't a circumstance here where Scotland stays in the EU if the UK does not.
As Robert (RCS) succinctly summarised the position, if the UK chooses to leave the EU and at the same time Scotland chooses to leave the UK, the other 27 EU members are perfectly at liberty to determine that Scotland retains the existing UK member nation status of the EU.
Clearly Carlotta was getting her institutions mixed up. The UK's membership at any level of the EU is entirely separate and independent of its position on the UN and in particular as one of the 5 permanent members of the Security Council. Even if the UK leaves the EU, the ECJ, the ECHR and NATO, we would remain members of the UN institutions unless we voluntarily renounce them too.
Although not my favourite subject, I was lucky enough to study in one of the best Constitutional Law departments in any UK university and even after 30 years remember much of what I was taught.
Miss Fitalass, I pity the pollsters trying to predict the 2015 result. Whilst Scotland seems likely to change a lot, that's a straightforward Party B winning, Party A losing scenario. In England, and maybe Wales, we could get some very odd results indeed.
If a UK wide vote to leave does occur and FM Nippy Sweetie still has her fingers on the control knobs of Holyrood, she would certainly want Scotland to have another Indy Ref because the Scots are generally perceived to be more EU friendly.
I dont understand this bit. The SNP wanted to leave the UK, the EU told them categorically that doing so would require a new application to rejoin the EU, so they would by leaving the UK de facto leave the EU. If the UK left the EU due to an act passing parliament, and the Scots voted to leave the UK, they would still be outside the EU, there isn't a circumstance here where Scotland stays in the EU if the UK does not.
There was never any categorical statement from the EU, which insisted that only the respective member government, ie the UK, could ask for, and be given, such a statement. And of course that was the last thing Mr Cameron and his Labour allies wanted to do, keen as they were on maximising uncertainty and doubt in indyref.
You are also perhaps forgetting the time factor. It would need say 2-3 years to leave the EU, so there isn't any instant departure from the EU.
It was Salmond who was keenest to muddy the waters with his infamous non-existent legal advice on EU membership.
Do we have to post the letter again? The EC has repeatedly said that only if asked by a competent member of standing (i.e. the UK government) will it look into what it would mean for Scotland to become independent vis EU membership)
Looking out of my window in Bedford there's a Saltire flying looking magnificent on a bright cold morning. Is this some cybernat trick? No. Our local church is St. Andrew's
You need to tweet that, Mike, captioned "Image from #Bedford"
Comments
Nearly all the big foreign supermarkets fail in Japan for some reason. The only ones close to a success I can think of are Costco (a dozen or so stores, all under its own brand) and Walmart, which owns a chain called Seiyu, but doesn't use its own brand. (Mrs in Tokyo worked for them for a bit.)
Then in 2020, UKIP won 326 seats in the House of Commons on 35% of the vote, where the Cons, Labour and the LibDems (and the nationalists) who campaigned to stay in had garnered 65% of the vote.
If UKIP unilaterally, and without a referendum, took the UK out of the EU (especially if they skipped the whole EEA/EFTA thing) then I think British politics could get very ugly.
Interestingly, clothing retail is another story. Zara (Spain's Inditex) and H&M (from Sweden) are massive international success stories.
Shall make further and more detailed inquiries when I visit again next year!
Carrefour have at least one store in Bangkok.
Anyway, I bagged a copy of the National. Early days yet, but what strikes me is the width of editorial content of the National. It is certainly not pro-SNP in its coverage and editorial in the way that most of the Scottish media has sometimes seemed the newsletter of the same party which will not be named here. Much broader: pieces covering the STUC, RIC, Scottish charities, the Labour leadership tussle (with Mr Findlay and Ms Boyack getting a fairish lookin), Mr Brown's departure, etc., much of which is reported as part of the normal news rather than token opinion pieces. What is reall striking is an " ---- accused" headline and this time it's not Mr Salmnd or Mr Sturgeon!
Plenty of business news, not much sport - and that last is balanced by a piece on the Old Firm's refusal to engage with the anti-sectarianism initiative.
EICIPM
http://www.improbable.com/ig/winners/#ig2014
I really think that something of the magnitude of leaving the EU has to be done through a referendum. Of course, if UKIP were to get 40-45% of the vote, or if there were "out" parties with 50+% of the vote, then it would be less problematic. But a 35% UKIP vote putting through "out" legislation without a referendum would be explosive - just as the SNP passing UDI would be.
http://www.tescoplc.com/index.asp?pageid=71
Well life just became a little bit more interesting, BT are in talks about buying o2 or possibly EE.
The potential implications on so many sectors is fascinating.
That said, I think UKIP would have a referendum.
Hmm - Seems that Labour does not maintain it's vote-seat strength so readily when it pulls clear of the Conservatives. Add in Scotland+UKIP (Which these calculators never adjust properly for) and it makes a majority tricky.
The Ukip Cookbook Is Here To Guide You Through The Foreign Food Minefield
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/11/23/the-ukip-cookbook-is-here_n_6207418.html
Vodafone also have cash to burn and bought Cable and Wireless last year and are are also looking to move into the quad play market.
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/11/21/brian-binley-tory-rochester-camapign_n_6197536.html
Speaking to The Huffington Post UK in the aftermath of the Tory defeat, Brian Binley, MP for Northampton South, issued a blistering attack on his party's tactics. "If you want the term I would use to talk straight, I would say that is a load of bollocks to try and play the 'elitist' card," he said.
Referenda have no status in UK Constitutional Law unless Parliament creates it for them.
If a UK wide vote to leave does occur and FM Nippy Sweetie still has her fingers on the control knobs of Holyrood, she would certainly want Scotland to have another Indy Ref because the Scots are generally perceived to be more EU friendly.
UKIP 20
Con 28
Lab 28
LD 8
Green 7
The latest polling is showing completely the opposite, pretty consistently.
For every point more than 3 that England has higher 'out', you pay me £10, and vice-versa.
So: if it's 50 for out in England, and 47 for out in Scotland, then nobody pays anybody anything. If it's 50 for our in Scotland, 47 in England, I pay you £60. If it's 60 out in England, and 50 in Scotland, then you pay me £70.
Deal?
I remember reading a post on here months ago from Sean Fear that polls before 2015 would show UKIP/Labour/Tory all in the 20s.
or 'Guru Fear' as he soon may be called.
You are also perhaps forgetting the time factor. It would need say 2-3 years to leave the EU, so there isn't any instant departure from the EU.
1) Assuming Salmond can wangle another referendum he'll be able to deploy FUD as well as fend it off. You'll get unpredictable changes either way.
2) A Scotland in the EU while rUK was out would be attractive to English companies that still want to be in the EU.
3) The EU will be much more cooperative...
stay/leave:
OA: 40/41
Scot: 59/22
Now it is a 'Scottish subsample' - but that's quite a gap.......
http://d25d2506sfb94s.cloudfront.net/cumulus_uploads/document/q4rrapo5ra/SunOnSundayResults_141121_whole_sample_Website.pdf
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/immigration/11249752/Ending-in-work-benefits-wont-stop-Poles-coming-to-Britain-says-ambassador.html
Thanks for looking into this. Important difference.
That's a good thing, isn;t it?
Theresa May is getting some stick this morning because she has admitted the obvious: that immigration is never going to get below the ‘tens of thousands’ target that David Cameron stupidly agreed to in opposition. She can only control immigration from outside the EU which she has successfully reduced to its lowest levels for about 15 years......
...The very existence of the ‘tens of thousands’ target shows that the Prime Minister was not serious about immigration. Why agree to a ‘net immigration’ target – i.e., one that includes how many Brits emigrate? If Cameron is doing his job, more will want to stay (as has proven to be the case). He only has control over non-EU immigration, and should only ever have made promises in that area. And thanks to Mrs May, he’d have kept them
http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/fraser-nelson/2014/11/dont-blame-theresa-may-she-did-her-part-in-the-immigration-battle-the-problem-is-the-eu/
And to be fair, its non EU immigration that really angers people. The Kippers on here spend far more time talking about Burqas and Rotherham than they do about Eastern Europeans.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/ivan-massow-becomes-the-first-tory-to-declare-he-is-standing-for-mayor-of-london-in-2016-9879445.html
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2012/oct/07/ed-miliband-haverstock-comprehensive-school
Net migration for 2013/14 was 243,000 (that's 560k in, 316k out). Net migration has been in the ballpark of 200k (or north of it) for the last decade.
Add issues with culture, religion and whatnot into the mix; it doesn't help matters. But I wouldn't care if they were all _exactly_ like me (noble, kind, intelligent, hard working etc), it's the rate that bothers me, particularly given our sclerotic planning regime, and piss poor record on building infrastructure.
F1: as widely rumoured, Ferrari has replaced its team principal.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/30179916
What I believe we need to regain is the ability to be flexible about immigration
The UN Security Council seat is something that is always brought up by EU enthusiasts. Also by the trendy moderns. Normally by those on the Left who despise what Britain (and specifically England stand for). I somehow doubt that anyone in France questions their own UN Security Council seat.
But it can't be said openly as it'd be wacist.
Muslim immigration
By my reckoning he must have left the Tory party/rejoined the Tory party at least 8 times.
That's a few years off. However, sorting the engine (let alone the other bits and pieces) does take quite some development time. One of the main reasons Hamilton went to Mercedes was because of what he heard of their engine due once the current regulations came in.
Be good to see Brawn back in F1.
There are three central dishonesties to the UKIP worldview. One is the syllogism that everything is immigrants' fault, so let's leave the EU. The second dishonesty is that leaving the EU will reduce the need to knuckle under to the EU. The third is that UKIP is campaigning to leave the EU.
UKIPpers either honestly believe these propositions, in which case they are stupid, or they don't but they assert them anyway, in which case they're dishonest. To claim to believe them affords an elite in UKIP a stupendous opportunity to fiddle a tax free unaudited income from the EU. What a convenient alignment of personal interest with political principle!
ICM Unlimited @ICMResearch now58 seconds ago
RT @researchlive: Great blog on pollsters' dilemma from @ICMResearch @martinboon http://www.research-live.com/blogs/the-spiral-of-silence-in-polling/4012573.article …
Clearly Carlotta was getting her institutions mixed up. The UK's membership at any level of the EU is entirely separate and independent of its position on the UN and in particular as one of the 5 permanent members of the Security Council. Even if the UK leaves the EU, the ECJ, the ECHR and NATO, we would remain members of the UN institutions unless we voluntarily renounce them too.
Although not my favourite subject, I was lucky enough to study in one of the best Constitutional Law departments in any UK university and even after 30 years remember much of what I was taught.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-30175708
One suspects the Christmas special (will it be in February, again?) will get record viewing figures, based on the furore.
I've tried posting the latest Hodges troll-a-kipper but it's disappearing... has it naughty words in it???