Mr L, recent posts make it sound as if you navigate the country by curry houses. "Redditch? That's easy to get to guvnor. Turn left at the Curry King, then continue to the Taj Mahal and then right to reach Manzils."
Mind you, I tend to do the same with long-distance trails. "Redditch? That's just off the Monarch's Way. Might take you a good fifteen days to get there mind, and you wouldn't half want a good curry after that sort of hike. I had that nice Mr L in the back of my cab the other day ..."
Its a sign of increasing age and perhaps the changing face of English society. I used to navigate by pubs, now curry houses suit me better,
@Plato Re curry houses in Eastbourne their used to be a very good, if traditional, one on Sea Side. No idea of its name but it was the Town end, if a bit of a walk. I used to use quite a lot when I had a boss who lived over there. Was a bugger getting home afterwards though.
OGH reports Populus on Twitter as Lab 36, Con 34, UKIP 12, LD 10:
twitter.com/MSmithsonPB/status/544440903595999232
Just the one then?
I noticed the Betfair price on Labour Overall Majority drifted out t0 7.2 this morning. Either I missed a poll or JackW was shaking the loose change out of his trouser turnups.
The ComRes phone poll is out at 10pm.
The Guardian/ICM should be out this week.
With the Good Lord deciding to rest on the First Day and The Guardian sitting on ICM (probably because it's bad for Lab) #megapollingmonday has turned into the biggest fiasco since that silly Yes2AV referendum campaign...
Folk on here appear to be getting extraordinarily excited about 10p off the price of a litre of 4* - How does £10,000 off the value of your house grab you?
Hyper inflation in house prices in the last 40 years has made it hard to get on the housing ladder and hard to move up the ladder.
Lower house prices would be good for the majority of people. The people who would suffer are those whose equity would be wiped out so they get stuck in their existing property and arguably not so good for people downsizing at retirement..
Your points are well made. However with the recent low mortgage rates people have had the opportunity to pay off their debts and so the negative equity is less of a risk. Deposits now are bigger as well aren't they.
I seem to recall that a while back every other comment was all about the govt fuelling a disastrous house price bubble. Why have people stopped talking about that?
Folk on here appear to be getting extraordinarily excited about 10p off the price of a litre of 4* - How does £10,000 off the value of your house grab you?
Hyper inflation in house prices in the last 40 years has made it hard to get on the housing ladder and hard to move up the ladder.
Lower house prices would be good for the majority of people. The people who would suffer are those whose equity would be wiped out so they get stuck in their existing property and arguably not so good for people downsizing at retirement..
Your points are well made. However with the recent low mortgage rates people have had the opportunity to pay off their debts and so the negative equity is less of a risk. Deposits now are bigger as well aren't they.
I seem to recall that a while back every other comment was all about the govt fuelling a disastrous house price bubble. Why have people stopped talking about that?
Oddly enough we are looking to do just that. We have been researching narrowboats as a semi-permanent mobile home for a while now. The idea being to sell the house buy some flats install the boy in one of them and let the others out. When we snuff it the lad can sell one of the flats to pay off the inheritance tax and still have an income from the others but if we go ga-ga before we can flog the boat and move into one of the flats and in the meantime we will have an income, plus a very pleasant lifestyle putting around rural England at 4mph tops.
We haven't yet found a boat on the market that matches our needs though. So next year we are thinking of having one built.
Oddly enough we are looking to do just that. We have been researching narrowboats as a semi-permanent mobile home for a while now. The idea being to sell the house buy some flats install the boy in one of them and let the others out. When we snuff it the lad can sell one of the flats to pay off the inheritance tax and still have an income from the others but if we go ga-ga before we can flog the boat and move into one of the flats and in the meantime we will have an income, plus a very pleasant lifestyle putting around rural England at 4mph tops.
We haven't yet found a boat on the market that matches our needs though. So next year we are thinking of having one built.
brave decision Mr L !
May I suggest you choose a stretch of water without too many locks :-)
Oddly enough we are looking to do just that. We have been researching narrowboats as a semi-permanent mobile home for a while now. The idea being to sell the house buy some flats install the boy in one of them and let the others out. When we snuff it the lad can sell one of the flats to pay off the inheritance tax and still have an income from the others but if we go ga-ga before we can flog the boat and move into one of the flats and in the meantime we will have an income, plus a very pleasant lifestyle putting around rural England at 4mph tops.
We haven't yet found a boat on the market that matches our needs though. So next year we are thinking of having one built.
The alternative to narrow boats is a lodge which from what I have seen can be very nice. Clearly it depends on the location but a 20x40 can be quite luxurious. If sited by or near the river you can get a river cruiser as well.
I hate Dylan - Rodriguez is clever like Dylan but with the most wonderful silky voice and superb guitar skills. Think Carlos Santana.
EDIT I've done something I didn't think I'd do - I've bought two Jethro Tull albums - I haven't listened to him in 30yrs. Frighteningly, I appear to still know most of the words...
Oddly enough we are looking to do just that. We have been researching narrowboats as a semi-permanent mobile home for a while now. The idea being to sell the house buy some flats install the boy in one of them and let the others out. When we snuff it the lad can sell one of the flats to pay off the inheritance tax and still have an income from the others but if we go ga-ga before we can flog the boat and move into one of the flats and in the meantime we will have an income, plus a very pleasant lifestyle putting around rural England at 4mph tops.
We haven't yet found a boat on the market that matches our needs though. So next year we are thinking of having one built.
brave decision Mr L !
May I suggest you choose a stretch of water without too many locks :-)
Financially, it isn't that brave. In fact it is a long term winner we think. The bravery comes in the complete change of lifestyle and being together much more. However, I have been semi-retired for eight years and fully retired for coming up three so we have adjusted to living all the time with each other's foibles by now.
Locks are just good exercise and shouldn't be avoided. One of the problems in finding a suitable boat on the second-hand market is that all of those fitted out they way we want are too big to go anywhere on the waterways due to the size of the locks found on the smaller canals.
Interesting changes in tonight's ComRes phone poll for Indy due at 10pm. It'll make one PBer very happy.
one and only one?
Looks like it: Andrew Hawkins @Andrew_ComRes 3h3 hours ago Introducing our #GE2015 livestock - #Camandclegg the piglets. Due to be slaughtered next May. http://ow.ly/i/7WKLr
Interesting changes in tonight's ComRes phone poll for Indy due at 10pm. It'll make one PBer very happy.
one and only one?
Looks like it: Andrew Hawkins @Andrew_ComRes 3h3 hours ago Introducing our #GE2015 livestock - #Camandclegg the piglets. Due to be slaughtered next May. http://ow.ly/i/7WKLr
Oddly enough we are looking to do just that. We have been researching narrowboats as a semi-permanent mobile home for a while now. The idea being to sell the house buy some flats install the boy in one of them and let the others out. When we snuff it the lad can sell one of the flats to pay off the inheritance tax and still have an income from the others but if we go ga-ga before we can flog the boat and move into one of the flats and in the meantime we will have an income, plus a very pleasant lifestyle putting around rural England at 4mph tops.
We haven't yet found a boat on the market that matches our needs though. So next year we are thinking of having one built.
brave decision Mr L !
May I suggest you choose a stretch of water without too many locks :-)
Financially, it isn't that brave. In fact it is a long term winner we think. The bravery comes in the complete change of lifestyle and being together much more. However, I have been semi-retired for eight years and fully retired for coming up three so we have adjusted to living all the time with each other's foibles by now.
Locks are just good exercise and shouldn't be avoided. One of the problems in finding a suitable boat on the second-hand market is that all of those fitted out they way we want are too big to go anywhere on the waterways due to the size of the locks found on the smaller canals.
problem is that UK canals are just too narrow so it's quite a tight squeeze just to get what you want on the boat. I'm mystified what you'll do about pets though, take them with you, adopt as you go, go pet free, get a goldfish ?
I'm not sure that the England-only Comres figures tell us anything. At the GE the Tories had a 7% lead over Labour across GB, and an 11% lead in England. Now they have a 1% lead, if Labour is ahead by 3% then it will be exactly the same differential. Will be interesting to see the full results of course.
Oddly enough we are looking to do just that. We have been researching narrowboats as a semi-permanent mobile home for a while now. The idea being to sell the house buy some flats install the boy in one of them and let the others out. When we snuff it the lad can sell one of the flats to pay off the inheritance tax and still have an income from the others but if we go ga-ga before we can flog the boat and move into one of the flats and in the meantime we will have an income, plus a very pleasant lifestyle putting around rural England at 4mph tops.
We haven't yet found a boat on the market that matches our needs though. So next year we are thinking of having one built.
brave decision Mr L !
May I suggest you choose a stretch of water without too many locks :-)
If "getting it" means believing your ridiculous anti-American conspiracy theories, then no, I don't. France has "stood up" to the US by getting an independent nuclear deterrent, leaving NATO etc. The US hasn't formented unrest there. I think you'll find that the US pushes for democratic change and giving people rights even for reliable allies: they pushed Musharraf aside, Ben Ali aside, Mubarak aside. Because they believe in democracy and liberalism.
Whereas you seem to have this weird double standard where you criticise Turkey for being autocratic, but ignore Russia doing exactly the same thing. The only time you care about authoritarianism is when it's a US-ally that does it.
And you keep on spreading lies about Ukraine. It was not "the government" that was toppled. The Ukrainian parliament is as much as part of the Ukrainian government as the president was, and they were the ones that voted him out of power. Even the previously pro-Russian Party of Regions turned against Yanukovyuch after he ordered snipers to kill unarmed civilians. And besides, there have been fresh elections since then, and Russia continues to back militias in the East.
It's shocking that you consider the territorial integrity of a sovereign country something to be sacrificed to Russia maintaining the military bases it wants. Your anti-Americanism trumps your respect for basic liberal principles every time.
No, you don't. And it has nothing to do with conspiracy theories, just the basic nuances of statecraft. When you have 'spheres of influence' you don't need occupation. They're cheaper to run without formal occupation. This was true in the heyday of Empire (it was much stronger before the world turned pink). When other countries become more powerful, that's when you need to put your marker down. The US owns us. We're covered in bases, and utterly compliant. Germany is less so, still very independent, but it has US and British bases on it. France was in NATO last time I checked -however, you wait and see if Madame Le Pen gets in and actually tries to leave. The gloves will come off, and the machine will go to work.
Delighted to see you acknowledge America was behind the 'Arab Spring' though -baby steps and all that.
Oh, and that quip about caring about democracy!! Brilliant! The country that supported all the fascist dictatorships in South America, and is now best mates with Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
Oddly enough we are looking to do just that. We have been researching narrowboats as a semi-permanent mobile home for a while now. The idea being to sell the house buy some flats install the boy in one of them and let the others out. When we snuff it the lad can sell one of the flats to pay off the inheritance tax and still have an income from the others but if we go ga-ga before we can flog the boat and move into one of the flats and in the meantime we will have an income, plus a very pleasant lifestyle putting around rural England at 4mph tops.
We haven't yet found a boat on the market that matches our needs though. So next year we are thinking of having one built.
brave decision Mr L !
May I suggest you choose a stretch of water without too many locks :-)
I'm afraid I just can't get in to boats, the only upside I can see to young Llama's proposal is he can park beside a different pub every night.
Until of course some nanny stater decides to ban pubs by canals.
Oh, I could happily tiddle about in a 60ft narrow boat instead of a house. And so long as your pets are obedient - you can let them roam about on shore.
Oddly enough we are looking to do just that. We have been researching narrowboats as a semi-permanent mobile home for a while now. The idea being to sell the house buy some flats install the boy in one of them and let the others out. When we snuff it the lad can sell one of the flats to pay off the inheritance tax and still have an income from the others but if we go ga-ga before we can flog the boat and move into one of the flats and in the meantime we will have an income, plus a very pleasant lifestyle putting around rural England at 4mph tops.
We haven't yet found a boat on the market that matches our needs though. So next year we are thinking of having one built.
brave decision Mr L !
May I suggest you choose a stretch of water without too many locks :-)
I'm afraid I just can't get in to boats, the only upside I can see to young Llama's proposal is he can park beside a different pub every night.
Until of course some nanny stater decides to ban pubs by canals.
Oddly enough we are looking to do just that. We have been researching narrowboats as a semi-permanent mobile home for a while now. The idea being to sell the house buy some flats install the boy in one of them and let the others out. When we snuff it the lad can sell one of the flats to pay off the inheritance tax and still have an income from the others but if we go ga-ga before we can flog the boat and move into one of the flats and in the meantime we will have an income, plus a very pleasant lifestyle putting around rural England at 4mph tops.
We haven't yet found a boat on the market that matches our needs though. So next year we are thinking of having one built.
brave decision Mr L !
May I suggest you choose a stretch of water without too many locks :-)
Financially, it isn't that brave. In fact it is a long term winner we think. The bravery comes in the complete change of lifestyle and being together much more. However, I have been semi-retired for eight years and fully retired for coming up three so we have adjusted to living all the time with each other's foibles by now.
Locks are just good exercise and shouldn't be avoided. One of the problems in finding a suitable boat on the second-hand market is that all of those fitted out they way we want are too big to go anywhere on the waterways due to the size of the locks found on the smaller canals.
problem is that UK canals are just too narrow so it's quite a tight squeeze just to get what you want on the boat. I'm mystified what you'll do about pets though, take them with you, adopt as you go, go pet free, get a goldfish ?
Dogs are fine on a narrowboat, they are fine just about anywhere. Moggies are different but The Brute and his sister both went through the big cat flap this autumn and now we just have Thomas the Rescue. He is 17ish and had to go to the vets today. Obviously we won't be implementing the full plan until he too has naturally shuffled off this mortal coil. Thereafter we will either go pet free (my plan) or get a suitable dog (Herself's plan).
Confirmation Trident renewal is key for any potential SNP agreement with Labour post GE2015 and that the SNP,PC and the Greens are working together as a common left group as UK politics becomes more and more Europeanised. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-30479621
And what do they do if Labour says no? Vote to bring down a minority Labour government? I can't see that happening somehow.
The Conservatives support Trident. So logic says there would be a majority for it in parliament post 2015. Where is the right for the SNP - a regional party, to oppose it?
On Foreign, National Finance and Defence matters , all parties have a right to vote. This has not been disputed by anyone.
Of course, the SNP can discuss trident. After all the Scots will be the first people to be blown apart in the event of a war.
The Tories are a regional party too !
Care to explain why Russia would bother nuking empty dockyards at Rosyth because you being a clever fellow obviously know in time of heightened tension anything fit for sea will be at sea. It's sort of the point.
This is why we don't have missile silos! I think the midwest in the US would have been decimated as the Soviets tried to take out the huge number of silos they have there.
ISTR we invented the concept of missile silos and built the first one somewhere up north, only to realise they weren't very practical in our country. As usual, the Americans than nicked our wonderful idea.
We also invented the chicken-warmed nuclear bomb as well. For some reason that did not catch on ...
Oh, I could happily tiddle about in a 60ft narrow boat instead of a house. And so long as your pets are obedient - you can let them roam about on shore.
Oddly enough we are looking to do just that. We have been researching narrowboats as a semi-permanent mobile home for a while now. The idea being to sell the house buy some flats install the boy in one of them and let the others out. When we snuff it the lad can sell one of the flats to pay off the inheritance tax and still have an income from the others but if we go ga-ga before we can flog the boat and move into one of the flats and in the meantime we will have an income, plus a very pleasant lifestyle putting around rural England at 4mph tops.
We haven't yet found a boat on the market that matches our needs though. So next year we are thinking of having one built.
brave decision Mr L !
May I suggest you choose a stretch of water without too many locks :-)
I'm afraid I just can't get in to boats, the only upside I can see to young Llama's proposal is he can park beside a different pub every night.
Until of course some nanny stater decides to ban pubs by canals.
Yet more technicolored bad news for the Tories here - quelle surprise - but it's not all bad for them. electionforecast.co.uk currently give the Blues 282 seats, three more than Labour's 279. As regards that recently launched market from Ladbrokes, they give the SNP 36 seats against the LibDems 27.
Confirmation Trident renewal is key for any potential SNP agreement with Labour post GE2015 and that the SNP,PC and the Greens are working together as a common left group as UK politics becomes more and more Europeanised. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-30479621
And what do they do if Labour says no? Vote to bring down a minority Labour government? I can't see that happening somehow.
The Conservatives support Trident. So logic says there would be a majority for it in parliament post 2015. Where is the right for the SNP - a regional party, to oppose it?
On Foreign, National Finance and Defence matters , all parties have a right to vote. This has not been disputed by anyone.
Of course, the SNP can discuss trident. After all the Scots will be the first people to be blown apart in the event of a war.
The Tories are a regional party too !
Care to explain why Russia would bother nuking empty dockyards at Rosyth because you being a clever fellow obviously know in time of heightened tension anything fit for sea will be at sea. It's sort of the point.
They'd be nuking the shed in Colport that has our warhead stockpile. We have way more warheads than we have missles to fit them on.
Confirmation Trident renewal is key for any potential SNP agreement with Labour post GE2015 and that the SNP,PC and the Greens are working together as a common left group as UK politics becomes more and more Europeanised. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-30479621
And what do they do if Labour says no? Vote to bring down a minority Labour government? I can't see that happening somehow.
The Conservatives support Trident. So logic says there would be a majority for it in parliament post 2015. Where is the right for the SNP - a regional party, to oppose it?
On Foreign, National Finance and Defence matters , all parties have a right to vote. This has not been disputed by anyone.
Of course, the SNP can discuss trident. After all the Scots will be the first people to be blown apart in the event of a war.
The Tories are a regional party too !
Care to explain why Russia would bother nuking empty dockyards at Rosyth because you being a clever fellow obviously know in time of heightened tension anything fit for sea will be at sea. It's sort of the point.
This is why we don't have missile silos! I think the midwest in the US would have been decimated as the Soviets tried to take out the huge number of silos they have there.
ISTR we invented the concept of missile silos and built the first one somewhere up north, only to realise they weren't very practical in our country. As usual, the Americans than nicked our wonderful idea.
We also invented the chicken-warmed nuclear bomb as well. For some reason that did not catch on ...
We did, a trials one, in Spadeadam. Someone recently published on its rediscovery - I can find this if needed.
The operational Blue Streak silos were going to be in Norfolk until someone realised that it was Tory constituency area. Charming.
Do you have a linky for that claim? I thought it had more to do with inter-service rivalry (the Navy wanted to host the nuclear deterrent), and the project's cost. But IANAE and it was before my time.
Oh, I could happily tiddle about in a 60ft narrow boat instead of a house. And so long as your pets are obedient - you can let them roam about on shore.
Oddly enough we are looking to do just that. We have been researching narrowboats as a semi-permanent mobile home for a while now. The idea being to sell the house buy some flats install the boy in one of them and let the others out. When we snuff it the lad can sell one of the flats to pay off the inheritance tax and still have an income from the others but if we go ga-ga before we can flog the boat and move into one of the flats and in the meantime we will have an income, plus a very pleasant lifestyle putting around rural England at 4mph tops.
We haven't yet found a boat on the market that matches our needs though. So next year we are thinking of having one built.
brave decision Mr L !
May I suggest you choose a stretch of water without too many locks :-)
I'm afraid I just can't get in to boats, the only upside I can see to young Llama's proposal is he can park beside a different pub every night.
Until of course some nanny stater decides to ban pubs by canals.
Bar the parking a Winnebago sounds fun.
I always fancied that sort of thing, albeit somewhat smaller, until we had one! Holidays were great if we just took one child but not if we had more.
Thought about it again when we retired, but decided "been there, done that!"
I'm trying to make a few bob from betting on football despite knowing almost nothing about the game.
Andy - it's difficult to make money out of footy betting, although I manage it .... just! A good start is to visit Decision Technology's website: http://www.dectech.co.uk/football_sites/football_dectech/gamesim.php?hid=-1&aid=-1&neu=0&hty=0&aty=0 and to read Daniel Finkelstein's brilliant but all too occasional football articles in The Times which are often betting or at least pobability related. Good luck!
Oh, I could happily tiddle about in a 60ft narrow boat instead of a house. And so long as your pets are obedient - you can let them roam about on shore.
Oddly enough we are looking to do just that. We have been researching narrowboats as a semi-permanent mobile home for a while now. The idea being to sell the house buy some flats install the boy in one of them and let the others out. When we snuff it the lad can sell one of the flats to pay off the inheritance tax and still have an income from the others but if we go ga-ga before we can flog the boat and move into one of the flats and in the meantime we will have an income, plus a very pleasant lifestyle putting around rural England at 4mph tops.
We haven't yet found a boat on the market that matches our needs though. So next year we are thinking of having one built.
brave decision Mr L !
May I suggest you choose a stretch of water without too many locks :-)
I'm afraid I just can't get in to boats, the only upside I can see to young Llama's proposal is he can park beside a different pub every night.
Until of course some nanny stater decides to ban pubs by canals.
Bar the parking a Winnebago sounds fun.
I always fancied that sort of thing, albeit somewhat smaller, until we had one! Holidays were great if we just took one child but not if we had more.
Thought about it again when we retired, but decided "been there, done that!"
without being too prying, aren't they a bit bigger these days ? Personally I'd be leaving the offspring behind and having a Smart car on tow,
Confirmation Trident renewal is key for any potential SNP agreement with Labour post GE2015 and that the SNP,PC and the Greens are working together as a common left group as UK politics becomes more and more Europeanised. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-30479621
And what do they do if Labour says no? Vote to bring down a minority Labour government? I can't see that happening somehow.
The Conservatives support Trident. So logic says there would be a majority for it in parliament post 2015. Where is the right for the SNP - a regional party, to oppose it?
Care to explain why Russia would bother nuking empty dockyards at Rosyth because you being a clever fellow obviously know in time of heightened tension anything fit for sea will be at sea. It's sort of the point.
This is why we don't have missile silos! I think the midwest in the US would have been decimated as the Soviets tried to take out the huge number of silos they have there.
ISTR we invented the concept of missile silos and built the first one somewhere up north, only to realise they weren't very practical in our country. As usual, the Americans than nicked our wonderful idea.
We also invented the chicken-warmed nuclear bomb as well. For some reason that did not catch on ...
We did, a trials one, in Spadeadam. Someone recently published on its rediscovery - I can find this if needed.
The operational Blue Streak silos were going to be in Norfolk until someone realised that it was Tory constituency area. Charming.
Do you have a linky for that claim? I thought it had more to do with inter-service rivalry (the Navy wanted to host the nuclear deterrent), and the project's cost. But IANAE and it was before my time.
Thor missiles were based at Feltwell in Norfolk for years, so the locals there weren't too bothered.
As for silos, they were above ground in the UK. Giant concrete coffins with massive lids. The Yanks used a total different design for Atlas and Titan.
Spadeadam was used for engine tests, as was a site on the Isle of Wight. Blue Streak was ultimately binned for technical reasons.
France withdrew from the NATO unified command structure - you knew what I meant.
As for the rest, one at a time: 1) "Spheres of influence" means political exclusivity. Even if we pretend this country has no independence at all, this still clearly isn't the case for the US over us, seeing as the main foreign influence over our politics is the EU. 2) Global influence through mutually agreed defence pacts with democratic politicians are indeed preferable to military occupation. Mainly because they're moral and legitimate, whereas illegally invading and annexing parts of your neighbours isn't. 3) Not that it's relevant for our argument, but your history is incorrect. The "spheres of influence" concept existed in the latter stages of the "imperial heyday", not before it. 4) No, I did not acknowledge that America was behind the Arab Spring. There were mass popular uprisings in a range of countries, both under pro-American and pro-Russian dictators. Where the Americans realised it was regimes they were backing that were standing in the way of democracy, they removed their support. Russia had no such moral qualms. You're reduced to responding to this with inane quips, because it completely undoes your whole "any popular protests the world over is an American plot to get a client state" belief system. Why on Earth would the US create these against its own allied dictators? 5) In case you hadn't noticed, virtually all of the fascist dictators of south America have passed into thriving democratic regimes, due to the US cajoling and pushing these countries in this direction over the last 30 years. 6) Saudi Arabia and Qatar - who the hell do you think are the political opposition in these countries? It's AQAP, and you'd be the first person screaming about how America was backing Islamists if they called for the House of Saud to stand down. The US wants democracies over autocrats, but they're not blind utopians. And again, this is a situation where you dismiss powerful arguments with glib comments. You can't actually defend to the specific evidence I'm bringing up. It's a classic sign of epistemological closure.
Confirmation Trident renewal is key for any potential SNP agreement with Labour post GE2015 and that the SNP,PC and the Greens are working together as a common left group as UK politics becomes more and more Europeanised. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-30479621
And what do they do if Labour says no? Vote to bring down a minority Labour government? I can't see that happening somehow.
The Conservatives support Trident. So logic says there would be a majority for it in parliament post 2015. Where is the right for the SNP - a regional party, to oppose it?
On Foreign, National Finance and Defence matters , all parties have a right to vote. This has not been disputed by anyone.
Of course, the SNP can discuss trident. After all the Scots will be the first people to be blown apart in the event of a war.
The Tories are a regional party too !
Care to explain why Russia would bother nuking empty dockyards at Rosyth because you being a clever fellow obviously know in time of heightened tension anything fit for sea will be at sea. It's sort of the point.
They'd be nuking the shed in Colport that has our warhead stockpile. We have way more warheads than we have missles to fit them on.
Why? There would be no chance of any vessel returning to resup. Anything left in the stockpile after the first exchange is staying there.
ISTR we invented the concept of missile silos and built the first one somewhere up north, only to realise they weren't very practical in our country. As usual, the Americans than nicked our wonderful idea.
We also invented the chicken-warmed nuclear bomb as well. For some reason that did not catch on ...
We did, a trials one, in Spadeadam. Someone recently published on its rediscovery - I can find this if needed.
The operational Blue Streak silos were going to be in Norfolk until someone realised that it was Tory constituency area. Charming.
Do you have a linky for that claim? I thought it had more to do with inter-service rivalry (the Navy wanted to host the nuclear deterrent), and the project's cost. But IANAE and it was before my time.
I was thinking perhaps wrongly of the English Heritage big glossy book 'Cold War' by Wayne Cocroft (though I would need to fish out my copy and check it)
But to be fair it was probably academic anyway as so easily targeted in so small an area, hence the need to move to Polaris (and keep with the V-bombers).
I'm trying to make a few bob from betting on football despite knowing almost nothing about the game.
Football is a terrible game to bet on these days. The edges are razor thin, there are several companies whose sole purpose is to provide incredibly complex and sophisticated analysis which is only open to big players in the markets, and above all the margins for error in football are tiny, as so many games are 1-0, 2-1, etc, one slip, one miss can swing the result.
It is why sports like basketball and cricket should in theory provide far better opportunities. One missed basket or mishitting a drive that doesn't quite get to the boundary in the grand scheme of things are minor mistakes.
However, big money now controls the basketball markets and cricket, well does anybody trust that lots of the games are being played 100% straight?
It is interesting that Daily Fantasy Sports where you can make good money is becoming huge in the US, and big edges for serious gamblers, but it isn't taking off here at all. The reason for the edge is you are putting your money up against a pool of other players, rather than the big money moving the whole market.
Confirmation Trident renewal is key for any potential SNP agreement with Labour post GE2015 and that the SNP,PC and the Greens are working together as a common left group as UK politics becomes more and more Europeanised. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-30479621
And what do they do if Labour says no? Vote to bring down a minority Labour government? I can't see that happening somehow.
The Conservatives support Trident. So logic says there would be a majority for it in parliament post 2015. Where is the right for the SNP - a regional party, to oppose it?
On Foreign, National Finance and Defence matters , all parties have a right to vote. This has not been disputed by anyone.
Of course, the SNP can discuss trident. After all the Scots will be the first people to be blown apart in the event of a war.
The Tories are a regional party too !
Care to explain why Russia would bother nuking empty dockyards at Rosyth because you being a clever fellow obviously know in time of heightened tension anything fit for sea will be at sea. It's sort of the point.
This is why we don't have missile silos! I think the midwest in the US would have been decimated as the Soviets tried to take out the huge number of silos they have there.
ISTR we invented the concept of missile silos and built the first one somewhere up north, only to realise they weren't very practical in our country. As usual, the Americans than nicked our wonderful idea.
We also invented the chicken-warmed nuclear bomb as well. For some reason that did not catch on ...
We did, a trials one, in Spadeadam. Someone recently published on its rediscovery - I can find this if needed.
The operational Blue Streak silos were going to be in Norfolk until someone realised that it was Tory constituency area. Charming.
I think Spadeadam, was just an engine test facility. I had a look over what remains of the concrete emplacements, which are enormous, while on a trip there.
ISTR we invented the concept of missile silos and built the first one somewhere up north, only to realise they weren't very practical in our country. As usual, the Americans than nicked our wonderful idea.
We also invented the chicken-warmed nuclear bomb as well. For some reason that did not catch on ...
We did, a trials one, in Spadeadam. Someone recently published on its rediscovery - I can find this if needed.
The operational Blue Streak silos were going to be in Norfolk until someone realised that it was Tory constituency area. Charming.
Do you have a linky for that claim? I thought it had more to do with inter-service rivalry (the Navy wanted to host the nuclear deterrent), and the project's cost. But IANAE and it was before my time.
I was thinking perhaps wrongly of the English Heritage big glossy book 'Cold War' by Wayne Cocroft (though I would need to fish out my copy and check it)
But to be fair it was probably academic anyway as so easily targeted in so small an area, hence the need to move to Polaris (and keep with the V-bombers).
Interesting drawing! Never knew about that. Missiles were based in Norfolk, so I'd be sceptical about the constituency aspect. More likely local geology.
Oddly enough we are looking to do just that. We have been researching narrowboats as a semi-permanent mobile home for a while now. The idea being to sell the house buy some flats install the boy in one of them and let the others out. When we snuff it the lad can sell one of the flats to pay off the inheritance tax and still have an income from the others but if we go ga-ga before we can flog the boat and move into one of the flats and in the meantime we will have an income, plus a very pleasant lifestyle putting around rural England at 4mph tops.
We haven't yet found a boat on the market that matches our needs though. So next year we are thinking of having one built.
brave decision Mr L !
May I suggest you choose a stretch of water without too many locks :-)
I'm afraid I just can't get in to boats, the only upside I can see to young Llama's proposal is he can park beside a different pub every night.
Until of course some nanny stater decides to ban pubs by canals.
It is now a criminal offence to be in charge of a canal boat while over the limit :-( Not sure anyone has ever been nicked for it, though.
My pipe dream is to move to Belgium (for the beer and food, and it is quite close to home) and buy a camper van. Europe is then your mollusc. I still have a few years to learn Dutch.
ISTR we invented the concept of missile silos and built the first one somewhere up north, only to realise they weren't very practical in our country. As usual, the Americans than nicked our wonderful idea.
We also invented the chicken-warmed nuclear bomb as well. For some reason that did not catch on ...
We did, a trials one, in Spadeadam. Someone recently published on its rediscovery - I can find this if needed.
The operational Blue Streak silos were going to be in Norfolk until someone realised that it was Tory constituency area. Charming.
Do you have a linky for that claim? I thought it had more to do with inter-service rivalry (the Navy wanted to host the nuclear deterrent), and the project's cost. But IANAE and it was before my time.
I was thinking perhaps wrongly of the English Heritage big glossy book 'Cold War' by Wayne Cocroft (though I would need to fish out my copy and check it)
But to be fair it was probably academic anyway as so easily targeted in so small an area, hence the need to move to Polaris (and keep with the V-bombers).
Interesting drawing! Never knew about that. Missiles were based in Norfolk, so I'd be sceptical about the constituency aspect. More likely local geology.
IIRC it was despite the Tories that the missiles were based there - it was the deep clay, presumably Jurassic clays, that was the attraction. It was their immobility that killed them off in the end, the Tories having a bit of an agitation meanwhile I expect.
Why on earth should Dave listen to the man who nearly lost the referendum?
David Cameron ignored a 5am plea from Alistair Darling in the immediate aftermath of the Scottish referendum to avoid throwing the Scottish National party a lifeline by announcing plans to restrict the voting rights of Scottish MPs, the Guardian can reveal.
The former chancellor told Cameron in a telephone call that the planned announcement would allow the SNP a route back from defeat as he waited with the Better Together campaign at the Marriott Hotel in Glasgow for the declaration of the historic result.
ISTR we invented the concept of missile silos and built the first one somewhere up north, only to realise they weren't very practical in our country. As usual, the Americans than nicked our wonderful idea.
We also invented the chicken-warmed nuclear bomb as well. For some reason that did not catch on ...
We did, a trials one, in Spadeadam. Someone recently published on its rediscovery - I can find this if needed.
The operational Blue Streak silos were going to be in Norfolk until someone realised that it was Tory constituency area. Charming.
Do you have a linky for that claim? I thought it had more to do with inter-service rivalry (the Navy wanted to host the nuclear deterrent), and the project's cost. But IANAE and it was before my time.
I was thinking perhaps wrongly of the English Heritage big glossy book 'Cold War' by Wayne Cocroft (though I would need to fish out my copy and check it)
But to be fair it was probably academic anyway as so easily targeted in so small an area, hence the need to move to Polaris (and keep with the V-bombers).
Thanks for the links - I'll have to read them further when the little 'un finally goes to bed.
I'd never heard the claim that Conservative constituencies were the reason behind the silo scrapping, and I still doubt that was anything other than a side consideration. I've just been reading up on it, and vulnerability seems to have been the major factor. Besides, times were different back then, and nukes were not as big an issue as they are now. For instance Aldermaston was in a solidly Conservative constituency until the '93 by-election.
Confirmation Trident renewal is key for any potential SNP agreement with Labour post GE2015 and that the SNP,PC and the Greens are working together as a common left group as UK politics becomes more and more Europeanised. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-30479621
And what do they do if Labour says no? Vote to bring down a minority Labour government? I can't see that happening somehow.
They can say No to a government motion too ! Unless, there is a Con - Lab pact, it won't go through.
Chances are , it will be deferred yet again.
That's hardly a killer blow though, is it? If Labour wind most seats and the SNP has 20 plus MPs it probably means Labour will have most MPs in England. That will be enough for Labour to govern as they know there is no way that the SNP will vote with the Tories to bring a Labour government down. They did that once before and it destroyed them for a generation. Whatever the SNP says in public, what they want is 20 plus seats and a minority Tory government. Then they will have some leverage.
More than that. For both it is win - win. The Tories will give Scotland more powers to dilute their representation in the HoC. Also introduce EV4EL or something similar. The SNP couldn't care less.
The SNP's ideal situation will be holding the balance of power with the Tories. Let the Tories run the government [ the opposite of the first SNP Holyrood administration ] without entering into a formal coalition. So not breaking any campaign promises.
But the SNP will not allow Trident either. The Tories will have no option but to defer it yet again !
OT Anyone on here do origami? I used to do it a very long time ago, and just got myself some paper and a design book. I'd like to try some big complex stuff once I get back into the swing - any suggestions for authors to look at?
Confirmation Trident renewal is key for any potential SNP agreement with Labour post GE2015 and that the SNP,PC and the Greens are working together as a common left group as UK politics becomes more and more Europeanised. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-30479621
And what do they do if Labour says no? Vote to bring down a minority Labour government? I can't see that happening somehow.
The Conservatives support Trident. So logic says there would be a majority for it in parliament post 2015. Where is the right for the SNP - a regional party, to oppose it?
On Foreign, National Finance and Defence matters , all parties have a right to vote. This has not been disputed by anyone.
Of course, the SNP can discuss trident. After all the Scots will be the first people to be blown apart in the event of a war.
The Tories are a regional party too !
Care to explain why Russia would bother nuking empty dockyards at Rosyth because you being a clever fellow obviously know in time of heightened tension anything fit for sea will be at sea. It's sort of the point.
Stockpile of weapons for one. Also a submarine cannot be at sea forever. Needs a home port. There won't be one to slip into. I suppose somewhere in Virginia, if there is one left.
What are we talking about ? In such a scenario there won't be a world to surface up to.
Can No10 point to any time in British political discourse where ‘cutting deficit by a half’ referred to a GDP ratio rather than, em, the deficit? This is entirely new, entirely fake, entirely dishonest and entirely unacceptable. If the spin is bad, the defence tactics are worse.
I was thinking perhaps wrongly of the English Heritage big glossy book 'Cold War' by Wayne Cocroft (though I would need to fish out my copy and check it)
But to be fair it was probably academic anyway as so easily targeted in so small an area, hence the need to move to Polaris (and keep with the V-bombers).
Thanks for the links - I'll have to read them further when the little 'un finally goes to bed.
I'd never heard the claim that Conservative constituencies were the reason behind the silo scrapping, and I still doubt that was anything other than a side consideration. I've just been reading up on it, and vulnerability seems to have been the major factor. Besides, times were different back then, and nukes were not as big an issue as they are now. For instance Aldermaston was in a solidly Conservative constituency until the '93 by-election.
This has made me fish out my copy of 'Cold War' - a ver nice isometric drawing of the silo design and much else on BS and other things that will no doubt interest you so worth getting from the local library? No mention of the Tories so I must have read it elsewhere, but it does appear on various Google hits so it's not a figment of my imagination- though whether it is someone else's is another matter. In any case, however, its vulnerability would have ensured the change.
(There was also a question of firing test/civil BS from Norfolk, but that is a different matter.) I did find this though ...
Confirmation Trident renewal is key for any potential SNP agreement with Labour post GE2015 and that the SNP,PC and the Greens are working together as a common left group as UK politics becomes more and more Europeanised. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-30479621
And what do they do if Labour says no? Vote to bring down a minority Labour government? I can't see that happening somehow.
The Conservatives support Trident. So logic says there would be a majority for it in parliament post 2015. Where is the right for the SNP - a regional party, to oppose it?
On Foreign, National Finance and Defence matters , all parties have a right to vote. This has not been disputed by anyone.
Of course, the SNP can discuss trident. After all the Scots will be the first people to be blown apart in the event of a war.
The Tories are a regional party too !
Care to explain why Russia would bother nuking empty dockyards at Rosyth because you being a clever fellow obviously know in time of heightened tension anything fit for sea will be at sea. It's sort of the point.
Stockpile of weapons for one. Also a submarine cannot be at sea forever. Needs a home port. There won't be one to slip into. I suppose somewhere in Virginia, if there is one left.
What are we talking about ? In such a scenario there won't be a world to surface up to.
You haven't really got an understanding of the issue, so I'll leave it here, it would be pointless to carry on discussing it with you.
I was thinking perhaps wrongly of the English Heritage big glossy book 'Cold War' by Wayne Cocroft (though I would need to fish out my copy and check it)
But to be fair it was probably academic anyway as so easily targeted in so small an area, hence the need to move to Polaris (and keep with the V-bombers).
Thanks for the links - I'll have to read them further when the little 'un finally goes to bed.
I'd never heard the claim that Conservative constituencies were the reason behind the silo scrapping, and I still doubt that was anything other than a side consideration. I've just been reading up on it, and vulnerability seems to have been the major factor. Besides, times were different back then, and nukes were not as big an issue as they are now. For instance Aldermaston was in a solidly Conservative constituency until the '93 by-election.
This has made me fish out my copy of 'Cold War' - a ver nice isometric drawing of the silo design and much else on BS and other things that will no doubt interest you so worth getting from the local library? No mention of the Tories so I must have read it elsewhere, but it does appear on various Google hits so it's not a figment of my imagination- though whether it is someone else's is another matter. In any case, however, its vulnerability would have ensured the change.
(There was also a question of firing test/civil BS from Norfolk, but that is a different matter.) I did find this though ...
Thanks. I might put that on my to-read list. But my list of books is getting rather long - for some odd reason I've got less time for reading.
An early Christmas present to myself came today - a copy of Sims' and D.K. Clark's 'Practical Tunnelling', from 1896. I expect it'll be a boring read ... ;-)
Confirmation Trident renewal is key for any potential SNP agreement with Labour post GE2015 and that the SNP,PC and the Greens are working together as a common left group as UK politics becomes more and more Europeanised. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-30479621
And what do they do if Labour says no? Vote to bring down a minority Labour government? I can't see that happening somehow.
The Conservatives support Trident. So logic says there would be a majority for it in parliament post 2015. Where is the right for the SNP - a regional party, to oppose it?
On Foreign, National Finance and Defence matters , all parties have a right to vote. This has not been disputed by anyone.
Of course, the SNP can discuss trident. After all the Scots will be the first people to be blown apart in the event of a war.
The Tories are a regional party too !
Care to explain why Russia would bother nuking empty dockyards at Rosyth because you being a clever fellow obviously know in time of heightened tension anything fit for sea will be at sea. It's sort of the point.
Stockpile of weapons for one. Also a submarine cannot be at sea forever. Needs a home port. There won't be one to slip into. I suppose somewhere in Virginia, if there is one left.
What are we talking about ? In such a scenario there won't be a world to surface up to.
You haven't really got an understanding of the issue, so I'll leave it here, it would be pointless to carry on discussing it with you.
I was thinking perhaps wrongly of the English Heritage big glossy book 'Cold War' by Wayne Cocroft (though I would need to fish out my copy and check it)
But to be fair it was probably academic anyway as so easily targeted in so small an area, hence the need to move to Polaris (and keep with the V-bombers).
Thanks for the links - I'll have to read them further when the little 'un finally goes to bed.
I'd never heard the claim that Conservative constituencies were the reason behind the silo scrapping, and I still doubt that was anything other than a side consideration. I've just been reading up on it, and vulnerability seems to have been the major factor. Besides, times were different back then, and nukes were not as big an issue as they are now. For instance Aldermaston was in a solidly Conservative constituency until the '93 by-election.
This has made me fish out my copy of 'Cold War' - a ver nice isometric drawing of the silo design and much else on BS and other things that will no doubt interest you so worth getting from the local library? No mention of the Tories so I must have read it elsewhere, but it does appear on various Google hits so it's not a figment of my imagination- though whether it is someone else's is another matter. In any case, however, its vulnerability would have ensured the change.
(There was also a question of firing test/civil BS from Norfolk, but that is a different matter.) I did find this though ...
Thanks. I might put that on my to-read list. But my list of books is getting rather long - for some odd reason I've got less time for reading.
An early Christmas present to myself came today - a copy of Sims' and D.K. Clark's 'Practical Tunnelling', from 1896. I expect it'll be a boring read ... ;-)
Having a laugh at the notion David Cameron would pay the slightest bit of attention to any failed Labour politician as regards the future governance of the UK. Let the SNP and SLAB fight it out in the rotten burghs and Tories concentrate on the shires and South of Scotland. Then once Scots decide they actually don't love the SNP much, it will be the Tories, the real unionist party which will be the alternative to the SNP.
Meanwhile trade union funded poll by Labour favouring pollster shows that UKIP, not Labour is main opposition to the 2 most hated Tories, David Cameron and Jeremy Hunt.
Ed Miliband launches attack on legitimate recruitment companies and employers because a generation of young people who either don't want to work or can't work because they are too illiterate need to be replaced by Eastern Europeans who often have a better command of the English language and can read, write, count and spell.
I advertise on Universal JobMatch the government operated website and get the same feedback from clients. The British born applicants (few in number) either don't turn up for interview or last no more than a week. As one 17 year said, "do I have to start work at 8am every day?". He jacked the job when he was told he would. He was replaced within days by someone from Hungary who is still in the job months later.
None of my clients pay below the NMW. Few pay below the Living Wage. None are looking for cheap labour. They want reliable, interested employees who take pride in their work and believe in doing a day's work for a day's pay.
Tomorrow one of my clients will almost certainly sack an apprentice. Said 17 year old who is being well paid, cheated at college, told a tutor to fcuk off when caught cheating and when asked to wait outside just decided to go home. Out of 3 first year apprentices, only 1 is likely to make it to 2nd year. Of the 2nd year apprentices, 1 of the 3 is now on a shooglie peg on account of his inability to do as he is told and the shop stewards getting fed up with him.
Labour fcuked up the education system and the entire country is paying the price. Instead of apologising, Ed Bland is trying to blame everyone else for the incompetence of his party's policies over 13 years.
Confirmation Trident renewal is key for any potential SNP agreement with Labour post GE2015 and that the SNP,PC and the Greens are working together as a common left group as UK politics becomes more and more Europeanised. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-30479621
And what do they do if Labour says no? Vote to bring down a minority Labour government? I can't see that happening somehow.
The Conservatives support Trident. So logic says there would be a majority for it in parliament post 2015. Where is the right for the SNP - a regional party, to oppose it?
On Foreign, National Finance and Defence matters , all parties have a right to vote. This has not been disputed by anyone.
Of course, the SNP can discuss trident. After all the Scots will be the first people to be blown apart in the event of a war.
The Tories are a regional party too !
Care to explain why Russia would bother nuking empty dockyards at Rosyth because you being a clever fellow obviously know in time of heightened tension anything fit for sea will be at sea. It's sort of the point.
Stockpile of weapons for one. Also a submarine cannot be at sea forever. Needs a home port. There won't be one to slip into. I suppose somewhere in Virginia, if there is one left.
What are we talking about ? In such a scenario there won't be a world to surface up to.
You haven't really got an understanding of the issue, so I'll leave it here, it would be pointless to carry on discussing it with you.
It is possible to walk around the missile launching site at the Needles on the Isle of Wight. Hardly Cape Canaveral, but worth a look and quite good views. We have a Blue Streak in the Leicester Space Centre too. For what it is worth...
My mother and I today received envelopes from LibDem HQ in London. Both contained shiny leaflets from our noble cousin and MP the Viscount Thurso. In said leaflet John Thurso was acknowledging that we had not supported him at past GEs but invited us to lend him our votes in May to keep the nasty SNP out.
Clearly this is the LibDem strategy for GE 2015. I doubt it will work in Scotland. Scots Tories don't tend to go in for tactical voting. Both leaflets have assisted in keeping the Aga hot this evening and the Tory PPC whoever he or she turns out to be will continue to get our votes. One of my pals is thinking about voting LibDem for the 1st time instead of Tory but I will work on him to ensure he votes Tory. It will be much easier for the Scottish Tory party to win back seats in 2020 etc if we ensure the Scottish LibDems are almost wiped out next year. I frankly don't care how many seats the SNP win as long as David Cameron remains in No 10. The SNP won 11 seats in October 1974 and 2 in 1979.
I always think of the Public Information films about it - it seems so impossible nowadays. When Mrs T bombed Libya - my heart fell through my shoes. I really did wonder if we'd kicked off something terrible.
It is possible to walk around the missile launching site at the Needles on the Isle of Wight. Hardly Cape Canaveral, but worth a look and quite good views. We have a Blue Streak in the Leicester Space Centre too. For what it is worth...
Before anyone bets loads of dosh based on this thread.. we are talking Comres. How did Comres stack up at the GE, and what was their error percentage.. What was the mix male/female and mix of age groups??.
I am no analyst but I doubt you can determine anything from Comres's latest poll, only that they aren't usually on the button.
It is possible to walk around the missile launching site at the Needles on the Isle of Wight. Hardly Cape Canaveral, but worth a look and quite good views. We have a Blue Streak in the Leicester Space Centre too. For what it is worth...
Yes, been there (on a walk, naturally). It's an interesting space-age addition to a Palmerston Folly. The walk there from Freshwater over Tennyson Down is probably the best walking the Isle has to offer.
Before anyone bets loads of dosh based on this thread.. we are talking Comres. How did Comres stack up at the GE, and what was their error percentage.. What was the mix male/female and mix of age groups??.
I am no analyst but I doubt you can determine anything from Comres's latest poll, only that they aren't usually on the button.
My mother and I today received envelopes from LibDem HQ in London. Both contained shiny leaflets from our noble cousin and MP the Viscount Thurso. In said leaflet John Thurso was acknowledging that we had not supported him at past GEs but invited us to lend him our votes in May to keep the nasty SNP out.
Clearly this is the LibDem strategy for GE 2015. I doubt it will work in Scotland. Scots Tories don't tend to go in for tactical voting. Both leaflets have assisted in keeping the Aga hot this evening and the Tory PPC whoever he or she turns out to be will continue to get our votes. One of my pals is thinking about voting LibDem for the 1st time instead of Tory but I will work on him to ensure he votes Tory. It will be much easier for the Scottish Tory party to win back seats in 2020 etc if we ensure the Scottish LibDems are almost wiped out next year. I frankly don't care how many seats the SNP win as long as David Cameron remains in No 10. The SNP won 11 seats in October 1974 and 2 in 1979.
You've recently clearly been knocked senseless by a recalcitrant apprentice and as yet have failed to regain your full faculties.
Accordingly I shall forgive such a treacherous diatribe against the very vitals of "Our Viscount" and not place you on the naughty step over the festive season.
I wish we had some scottish constituency polls and not this: Mike Smithson @MSmithsonPB · 2h 2 hours ago Survation/UNITE polls in Witney (Cameron) & SW Surrey (J Hunt) have CON with comfortable leads but still down
It is possible to walk around the missile launching site at the Needles on the Isle of Wight. Hardly Cape Canaveral, but worth a look and quite good views. We have a Blue Streak in the Leicester Space Centre too. For what it is worth...
Indeed. A very fine walk - I once had a friend who lived down there and we used to take his pooch for walks over West Wight. Which is what got me started on Palmerston Forts, Brennan Torpedoes, Blue Streak etc. in the first place.
To be pedantic in the best PB style, the IoW site was IIRC a static test site - not a firing [edit: sensu launching] one. But it must have been impressive none the less. Superb location, too.
There's a Blue Streak at the Museum of Flight at East Fortune near North Berwick too, and a Black Knight in the Royal Museum in Edinburgh. .
Oh, I could happily tiddle about in a 60ft narrow boat instead of a house. And so long as your pets are obedient - you can let them roam about on shore.
Oddly enough we are looking to do just that. We have been researching narrowboats as a semi-permanent mobile home for a while now. The idea being to sell the house buy some flats install the boy in one of them and let the others out. When we snuff it the lad can sell one of the flats to pay off the inheritance tax and still have an income from the others but if we go ga-ga before we can flog the boat and move into one of the flats and in the meantime we will have an income, plus a very pleasant lifestyle putting around rural England at 4mph tops.
We haven't yet found a boat on the market that matches our needs though. So next year we are thinking of having one built.
brave decision Mr L !
May I suggest you choose a stretch of water without too many locks :-)
I'm afraid I just can't get in to boats, the only upside I can see to young Llama's proposal is he can park beside a different pub every night.
Until of course some nanny stater decides to ban pubs by canals.
Bar the parking a Winnebago sounds fun.
I always fancied that sort of thing, albeit somewhat smaller, until we had one! Holidays were great if we just took one child but not if we had more.
Thought about it again when we retired, but decided "been there, done that!"
without being too prying, aren't they a bit bigger these days ? Personally I'd be leaving the offspring behind and having a Smart car on tow,
Indeed, by the time we got to retirement the eldest set of grandchildren were teenagers! Even taking into account that there were only two of us, still felt that bird had flown! (Or something like that!) Besides which, a) my wife now likes a bit more room about her and b) shortly after retirement we acquired family in Thailand, which means annual visits. And it's a tricky drive there nowadays.
My mother and I today received envelopes from LibDem HQ in London. Both contained shiny leaflets from our noble cousin and MP the Viscount Thurso. In said leaflet John Thurso was acknowledging that we had not supported him at past GEs but invited us to lend him our votes in May to keep the nasty SNP out.
Clearly this is the LibDem strategy for GE 2015. I doubt it will work in Scotland. Scots Tories don't tend to go in for tactical voting. Both leaflets have assisted in keeping the Aga hot this evening and the Tory PPC whoever he or she turns out to be will continue to get our votes. One of my pals is thinking about voting LibDem for the 1st time instead of Tory but I will work on him to ensure he votes Tory. It will be much easier for the Scottish Tory party to win back seats in 2020 etc if we ensure the Scottish LibDems are almost wiped out next year. I frankly don't care how many seats the SNP win as long as David Cameron remains in No 10. The SNP won 11 seats in October 1974 and 2 in 1979.
Current Caithness betting.Evens SNP,6-4 Lib,4-1 Lab,100-1 Con.My best guess is that the Libs will go from 11 seats to 4.Even that may be over optimistic as the Scottish poll for Sky News had them on 3%.Much has been made about the SNP threat to Labour but the SNP threaten the Libs equally if not more.
Comments
@Plato
Re curry houses in Eastbourne their used to be a very good, if traditional, one on Sea Side. No idea of its name but it was the Town end, if a bit of a walk. I used to use quite a lot when I had a boss who lived over there. Was a bugger getting home afterwards though.
I seem to recall that a while back every other comment was all about the govt fuelling a disastrous house price bubble.
Why have people stopped talking about that?
We haven't yet found a boat on the market that matches our needs though. So next year we are thinking of having one built.
Does anyone have any tips for betting on tonight's match between Everton and QPR?
http://www.betfair.com/exchange/football/event?id=27317442
Rodriguez is described as the Detroit Dylan and I can see some influences in the songs Establishment Blues and Like Janis.
http://atlas.cid.harvard.edu/
For instance 11% of Saudi imports and 7% of Russian imports in 2012 were cars. (The ones regularly featured on Top Gear I suspect)
May I suggest you choose a stretch of water without too many locks :-)
EDIT I've done something I didn't think I'd do - I've bought two Jethro Tull albums - I haven't listened to him in 30yrs. Frighteningly, I appear to still know most of the words...
Locks are just good exercise and shouldn't be avoided. One of the problems in finding a suitable boat on the second-hand market is that all of those fitted out they way we want are too big to go anywhere on the waterways due to the size of the locks found on the smaller canals.
Andrew Hawkins @Andrew_ComRes 3h3 hours ago
Introducing our #GE2015 livestock - #Camandclegg the piglets. Due to be slaughtered next May. http://ow.ly/i/7WKLr
Delighted to see you acknowledge America was behind the 'Arab Spring' though -baby steps and all that.
Oh, and that quip about caring about democracy!! Brilliant! The country that supported all the fascist dictatorships in South America, and is now best mates with Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
Until of course some nanny stater decides to ban pubs by canals.
I rather fancy blowing my £200k on a Winnebago.
The operational Blue Streak silos were going to be in Norfolk until someone realised that it was Tory constituency area. Charming.
electionforecast.co.uk currently give the Blues 282 seats, three more than Labour's 279.
As regards that recently launched market from Ladbrokes, they give the SNP 36 seats against the LibDems 27.
Thought about it again when we retired, but decided "been there, done that!"
A good start is to visit Decision Technology's website: http://www.dectech.co.uk/football_sites/football_dectech/gamesim.php?hid=-1&aid=-1&neu=0&hty=0&aty=0
and to read Daniel Finkelstein's brilliant but all too occasional football articles in The Times which are often betting or at least pobability related.
Good luck!
12 hours 12 minutes 12 seconds
It'll make one PBer very happy ....
As for silos, they were above ground in the UK. Giant concrete coffins with massive lids. The Yanks used a total different design for Atlas and Titan.
Spadeadam was used for engine tests, as was a site on the Isle of Wight. Blue Streak was ultimately binned for technical reasons.
France withdrew from the NATO unified command structure - you knew what I meant.
As for the rest, one at a time:
1) "Spheres of influence" means political exclusivity. Even if we pretend this country has no independence at all, this still clearly isn't the case for the US over us, seeing as the main foreign influence over our politics is the EU.
2) Global influence through mutually agreed defence pacts with democratic politicians are indeed preferable to military occupation. Mainly because they're moral and legitimate, whereas illegally invading and annexing parts of your neighbours isn't.
3) Not that it's relevant for our argument, but your history is incorrect. The "spheres of influence" concept existed in the latter stages of the "imperial heyday", not before it.
4) No, I did not acknowledge that America was behind the Arab Spring. There were mass popular uprisings in a range of countries, both under pro-American and pro-Russian dictators. Where the Americans realised it was regimes they were backing that were standing in the way of democracy, they removed their support. Russia had no such moral qualms. You're reduced to responding to this with inane quips, because it completely undoes your whole "any popular protests the world over is an American plot to get a client state" belief system. Why on Earth would the US create these against its own allied dictators?
5) In case you hadn't noticed, virtually all of the fascist dictators of south America have passed into thriving democratic regimes, due to the US cajoling and pushing these countries in this direction over the last 30 years.
6) Saudi Arabia and Qatar - who the hell do you think are the political opposition in these countries? It's AQAP, and you'd be the first person screaming about how America was backing Islamists if they called for the House of Saud to stand down. The US wants democracies over autocrats, but they're not blind utopians. And again, this is a situation where you dismiss powerful arguments with glib comments. You can't actually defend to the specific evidence I'm bringing up. It's a classic sign of epistemological closure.
Oh, and are you pro-Marie Le Pen now? Really!?
https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/professional/research/landscapes-and-areas/archaeological-field-survey-and-investigation/cold-war/
and a piece I saw in British Archaeology which was in March/April 2005 on a quick check, but this might do, no?
http://www.spaceuk.org/journal/prospero3.pdf
Drawing here
http://www.spaceuk.org/bstreak/bs/k11.html
But to be fair it was probably academic anyway as so easily targeted in so small an area, hence the need to move to Polaris (and keep with the V-bombers).
It is why sports like basketball and cricket should in theory provide far better opportunities. One missed basket or mishitting a drive that doesn't quite get to the boundary in the grand scheme of things are minor mistakes.
However, big money now controls the basketball markets and cricket, well does anybody trust that lots of the games are being played 100% straight?
It is interesting that Daily Fantasy Sports where you can make good money is becoming huge in the US, and big edges for serious gamblers, but it isn't taking off here at all. The reason for the edge is you are putting your money up against a pool of other players, rather than the big money moving the whole market.
My pipe dream is to move to Belgium (for the beer and food, and it is quite close to home) and buy a camper van. Europe is then your mollusc. I still have a few years to learn Dutch.
Oil price is now at $60.54, thats just 86% growth required to get up to the SNP target….. 86 PERCENT!
IIRC it was despite the Tories that the missiles were based there - it was the deep clay, presumably Jurassic clays, that was the attraction. It was their immobility that killed them off in the end, the Tories having a bit of an agitation meanwhile I expect.
David Cameron ignored a 5am plea from Alistair Darling in the immediate aftermath of the Scottish referendum to avoid throwing the Scottish National party a lifeline by announcing plans to restrict the voting rights of Scottish MPs, the Guardian can reveal.
The former chancellor told Cameron in a telephone call that the planned announcement would allow the SNP a route back from defeat as he waited with the Better Together campaign at the Marriott Hotel in Glasgow for the declaration of the historic result.
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/dec/15/cameron-darling-referendum-english-votes-snp?CMP=twt_gu
He truly is the greatest.
I'd never heard the claim that Conservative constituencies were the reason behind the silo scrapping, and I still doubt that was anything other than a side consideration. I've just been reading up on it, and vulnerability seems to have been the major factor. Besides, times were different back then, and nukes were not as big an issue as they are now. For instance Aldermaston was in a solidly Conservative constituency until the '93 by-election.
Spectator on deficit reduction.
The SNP's ideal situation will be holding the balance of power with the Tories. Let the Tories run the government [ the opposite of the first SNP Holyrood administration ] without entering into a formal coalition. So not breaking any campaign promises.
But the SNP will not allow Trident either. The Tories will have no option but to defer it yet again !
What are we talking about ? In such a scenario there won't be a world to surface up to.
Spectator seems annoyed about the new definition
(There was also a question of firing test/civil BS from Norfolk, but that is a different matter.) I did find this though ...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Collard
An early Christmas present to myself came today - a copy of Sims' and D.K. Clark's 'Practical Tunnelling', from 1896. I expect it'll be a boring read ... ;-)
I'm not part of the Labour Party Immigration Strategy Team
Meanwhile trade union funded poll by Labour favouring pollster shows that UKIP, not Labour is main opposition to the 2 most hated Tories, David Cameron and Jeremy Hunt.
Ed Miliband launches attack on legitimate recruitment companies and employers because a generation of young people who either don't want to work or can't work because they are too illiterate need to be replaced by Eastern Europeans who often have a better command of the English language and can read, write, count and spell.
I advertise on Universal JobMatch the government operated website and get the same feedback from clients. The British born applicants (few in number) either don't turn up for interview or last no more than a week. As one 17 year said, "do I have to start work at 8am every day?". He jacked the job when he was told he would. He was replaced within days by someone from Hungary who is still in the job months later.
None of my clients pay below the NMW. Few pay below the Living Wage. None are looking for cheap labour. They want reliable, interested employees who take pride in their work and believe in doing a day's work for a day's pay.
Tomorrow one of my clients will almost certainly sack an apprentice. Said 17 year old who is being well paid, cheated at college, told a tutor to fcuk off when caught cheating and when asked to wait outside just decided to go home. Out of 3 first year apprentices, only 1 is likely to make it to 2nd year. Of the 2nd year apprentices, 1 of the 3 is now on a shooglie peg on account of his inability to do as he is told and the shop stewards getting fed up with him.
Labour fcuked up the education system and the entire country is paying the price. Instead of apologising, Ed Bland is trying to blame everyone else for the incompetence of his party's policies over 13 years.
I can cope with French and a bit of Portuguese - but Cyrillic is way off my radar.
sergio @serg_pvl
Здравствуйте! Спасиб за подписку. Зайдите на мой сайт el-montage.ru - это может быть полезно. - via @unfollowersme
It is possible to walk around the missile launching site at the Needles on the Isle of Wight. Hardly Cape Canaveral, but worth a look and quite good views. We have a Blue Streak in the Leicester Space Centre too. For what it is worth...
i.e spam
My mother and I today received envelopes from LibDem HQ in London. Both contained shiny leaflets from our noble cousin and MP the Viscount Thurso. In said leaflet John Thurso was acknowledging that we had not supported him at past GEs but invited us to lend him our votes in May to keep the nasty SNP out.
Clearly this is the LibDem strategy for GE 2015. I doubt it will work in Scotland. Scots Tories don't tend to go in for tactical voting. Both leaflets have assisted in keeping the Aga hot this evening and the Tory PPC whoever he or she turns out to be will continue to get our votes. One of my pals is thinking about voting LibDem for the 1st time instead of Tory but I will work on him to ensure he votes Tory. It will be much easier for the Scottish Tory party to win back seats in 2020 etc if we ensure the Scottish LibDems are almost wiped out next year. I frankly don't care how many seats the SNP win as long as David Cameron remains in No 10. The SNP won 11 seats in October 1974 and 2 in 1979.
Protect & Survive https://youtube.com/watch?v=m6U9T3R3EQg
I am no analyst but I doubt you can determine anything from Comres's latest poll, only that they aren't usually on the button.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/election_2010/8667801.stm
I read earlier today that the Pope's Latin Twitter account has 300k subscribers! Avery would be impressed.
Accordingly I shall forgive such a treacherous diatribe against the very vitals of "Our Viscount" and not place you on the naughty step over the festive season.
My guess is that L/Dems have gained at greens expense.
Mike Smithson @MSmithsonPB · 2h 2 hours ago
Survation/UNITE polls in Witney (Cameron) & SW Surrey (J Hunt) have CON with comfortable leads but still down
I'm calling it early today.
Goodnight.
To be pedantic in the best PB style, the IoW site was IIRC a static test site - not a firing [edit: sensu launching] one. But it must have been impressive none the less. Superb location, too.
There's a Blue Streak at the Museum of Flight at East Fortune near North Berwick too, and a Black Knight in the Royal Museum in Edinburgh. .
Besides which, a) my wife now likes a bit more room about her and b) shortly after retirement we acquired family in Thailand, which means annual visits. And it's a tricky drive there nowadays.
I'm observing the embargo