'Reset relations' is Labour code for abandon any pretence to stand-up for British interests in the EU and get a seat back at the top table to nod along in pursuing a purely europhile agenda.
I'm a novice as far as economics is concerned, but I wonder whether western governments could stockpile huge quantities of oil whilst the price is low in preparation for a time when it's expensive again? Or is that economic illiteracy?
There is a 2 million barrel per day oversupply, until production and consumption closes that gap oil will continue to fall. And the US still recorded an increase in oil output recently, most of it extracted now at a loss, so many american oil companies will go bust soon if production doesn't fall by 1.5 million barrels per day by years end.
I thought a few months ago that oil will fall to 40$ a barrel, seeing that american oil companies are willing to increase production even if they lose money, i'm revising my prediction to free (well almost free) oil per barrel (because storage costs will outway the sales price so they will start pleading for buyers at any price).
In theory the price of oil can fall to almost 0$, however the price will fall until production collapses, and that is mostly determined now by how much cash oil companies have.
I would agree with that, its also not going to help the Labour party down South if the possibility of a future Lab/SNP Coalition or confidence and supply deal gains any more traction in the media in the run up to the GE.
Douglas Alexander batting for Europe in the Evening Standard tonight:
"The tragedy for Britain is that it doesn’t need to be like this. There is an alternative to Britain stumbling out of Europe. The right approach for Britain is not an exit from Europe, it is reform in Europe.
From day one in office, a newly elected Labour government would set about enhancing the UK’s influence in Europe and reset relations with other EU leaders after five years of Mr Cameron’s failed approach."
Bragging that the South East will pay for extra spending in Scotland is also a good way of getting people to vote Conservative.
Its no surprise that the NHS is featuring so highly in the polls given its prominence in the news of late. But Labour will definitely not find it the silver bullet it once might have been at election time due to the problems being experienced in the Welsh and Scottish NHS right now, neither of which is currently run by either the Conservatives or the Libdems. There may well be problems in the English NHS, but right now there are also very serious problems in the unreformed Welsh and Scottish NHS.
I'm a novice as far as economics is concerned, but I wonder whether western governments could stockpile huge quantities of oil whilst the price is low in preparation for a time when it's expensive again? Or is that economic illiteracy?
There is a 2 million barrel per day oversupply, until production and consumption closes that gap oil will continue to fall. And the US still recorded an increase in oil output recently, most of it extracted now at a loss, so many american oil companies will go bust soon if production doesn't fall by 1.5 million barrels per day by years end.
I thought a few months ago that oil will fall to 40$ a barrel, seeing that american oil companies are willing to increase production even if they lose money, i'm revising my prediction to free (well almost free) oil per barrel (because storage costs will outway the sales price so they will start pleading for buyers at any price).
In theory the price of oil can fall to almost 0$, however the price will fall until production collapses, and that is mostly determined now by how much cash oil companies have.
That would be similar to the stockpiling of coal which the Tories carried out before the miners strike, something which Scargill must have been aware of but chose to ignore for ideological reasons.
I detest the Tories for the way they acted then but Scargill was equally to blame, he sold the proud miners down the river for his own ego.
I'm a novice as far as economics is concerned, but I wonder whether western governments could stockpile huge quantities of oil whilst the price is low in preparation for a time when it's expensive again? Or is that economic illiteracy?
There is a 2 million barrel per day oversupply, until production and consumption closes that gap oil will continue to fall. And the US still recorded an increase in oil output recently, most of it extracted now at a loss, so many american oil companies will go bust soon if production doesn't fall by 1.5 million barrels per day by years end.
I thought a few months ago that oil will fall to 40$ a barrel, seeing that american oil companies are willing to increase production even if they lose money, i'm revising my prediction to free (well almost free) oil per barrel (because storage costs will outway the sales price so they will start pleading for buyers at any price).
In theory the price of oil can fall to almost 0$, however the price will fall until production collapses, and that is mostly determined now by how much cash oil companies have.
May as well just make a deal with Saudi Arabia to buy x million barrels of oil at a specific price every month for the next y years and save the storage & security costs of building gigantic tanks.
@Moses_ My fault of course, it was another way of asking how many A and E units there were in the Private sector. Subtlety is not a strong suit for you, I should have realised.
The NHS Trusts bidding to takeover Hinchinbrooke pulled out, leaving the three private bidders.
It seems that the accountants in the NHS beat those in the Private sector at spotting the financial problems at Hinchinbrooke. Circle lost £5 million, its CEO, its reputation and its share price took a battering.
Perhaps the private bidders should get better at assessing business propositions!
Hmmm "Alarm at sudden fall in life expectancy" front page of the Independent.
Must be a delayed reaction to "Stafford"?
I want to see the data and more information about this.
On a related note....
The BBC were running a piece on increased life expectancy and they quoted the figure of 1/3 people born today will live to 100 and were going on about people living far far longer.
The only problem is when you start to look at where that figure comes from it is nonsense. It is predicated on that assumption that AVERAGE life expectancy will continue to increase at the rate we have seen over the past 50-100 years.
However, if you actually look at the figures that make up AVERAGE life expectancy, one of the biggest drivers that has led to this increase over the past 100 years, the basic elimination of childhood mortality in the country. Yes people are living longer, but the AVERAGE figure and its increase have vastly increased, due to the negligible number of children dying after a few months or years, and that skews the figures. But now that childhood mortality is incredibly low, there isn't really much that can be done on that side of the equation.
On the other side, yes people live longer, and probably better to describe that people live healthy active lives for longer i.e All those 70+ year old now living very well.
None of this though, actually proves that 1/3 will live to 100 or that we really can make huge progress (which is what is needed and hasn't actually occurred despite the average number going up) in extending. That would require a massive massive improvement in both drugs to combat diseases that become more likely with age, and that people over their whole life have a better diet, more exercise, etc (and we know that there is major concern about this).
@Moses_ My fault of course, it was another way of asking how many A and E units there were in the Private sector. Subtlety is not a strong suit for you, I should have realised.
I am a broker in the private healthcare market, there are no private hospitals with A&E facilities.
@Moses_ My fault of course, it was another way of asking how many A and E units there were in the Private sector. Subtlety is not a strong suit for you, I should have realised.
I am a broker in the private healthcare market, there are no private hospitals with A&E facilities.
.. in the UK. Lots in most other Western nations, of course.
YouGov are teasing about something a young voters poll they have in the pipeline... My guess would be that the Greens have overtaken the Tories for second place in that age group...
@Moses_ My fault of course, it was another way of asking how many A and E units there were in the Private sector. Subtlety is not a strong suit for you, I should have realised.
I am a broker in the private healthcare market, there are no private hospitals with A&E facilities.
.. in the UK. Lots in most other Western nations, of course.
The NHS Trusts bidding to takeover Hinchinbrooke pulled out, leaving the three private bidders.
It seems that the accountants in the NHS beat those in the Private sector at spotting the financial problems at Hinchinbrooke. Circle lost £5 million, its CEO, its reputation and its share price took a battering.
Perhaps the private bidders should get better at assessing business propositions!
So Labour passed on an NHS hospital into the private sector knowing it had already got financial issues as accountancts had spotted. Well that's a very good point you make indeed and I agree.
Oh but wait.........!
After some 10 years of Labour "investment" and "protecting the NHS" to the point of the NHS being safe in Labours hands ......
Why did this hospital even have any financial problems?
Oh dear, oh dear dear me "from the mouth of babes"
@nigel4england So good is our A and E that the private sector use it when things go wrong.
If there was no private sector how do you think the NHS would cope with the extra demand?
I am not aware of any surgeons, consultants or anaethetists that work in the private sector exclusively, think you will find they all work in the NHS, fox can help with that one.
I'm intrigued by item 3 - keeping down the cost of everyday items such as food, energy and travel.
A major cause of the high cost of food is the cost of transportation, which translates to the eye watering taxes on patrol and diesel, and the high rate of VAT on vehicles, not to mention energy and other taxes to supermarkets.
Energy - the cost of natural gas is 3 times in the UK what it is in the USA. Petrol costs as above.
Travel = petrol costs again for driving, plus if you fly, APD, which on a transatlantic round trip ticket is 170 pounds.
@nigel4england Very few private hospitals have intensive care units, there is no profit in it, they just dump them on the NHS. Market forces and all that?
@Scott_P Was he one of the ones that saw the crash coming, or was he one of the majority who didn't?
I think it was the IFS that warned Brown in 2004 to cut back on the reckless spending so perhaps he was one that saw the crash coming. Where are Blanchflower and Krugman these days, still counting the 5 million unemployed?
Speedy It will be close I think if the GOP pick a moderate, though Hillary could be reelected in a landslide against, say, Cruz
Numbercruncher As Churchill said 'if you are young and not a socialist you have no heart, if you are middle aged and still a socialist you have no head!'
@nigel4england You could almost believe that economists pull figures from their anus, and if the boss likes them, they collect a big fat paycheck? (note the "almost" please)
@nigel4england Very few private hospitals have intensive care units, there is no profit in it, they just dump them on the NHS. Market forces and all that?
If you are going to have a private hospital working with the NHS, there has to be a contract. In such a contract costs and services have to be agreed, which presumably would include some sort of subsidy for an ICU. They are essential hospital services.
The private hospital would probably be able to recoup its costs on most functions, but ER and ICU might need help, but such subsidy would be partially offset by this.
@nigel4england Very few private hospitals have intensive care units, there is no profit in it, they just dump them on the NHS. Market forces and all that?
I think you need to clarify that, my local private hospital is not big by any means and they have one, I know because last year my wife was in it for one night.
To be frank I think you are talking absolute bollocks.
@nigel4england Very few private hospitals have intensive care units, there is no profit in it, they just dump them on the NHS. Market forces and all that?
I think you need to clarify that, my local private hospital is not big by any means and they have one, I know because last year my wife was in it for one night.
To be frank I think you are talking absolute bollocks.
I doubt it was an ITU, a HDU perhaps. Which one was it?
I can't help myself - last week Chris Christie - lifelong high profile Dallas Cowboys fan - was shown in an awkward hug in the owner's box with Jerry Jones and his son Steven following the Cowboys win over the Detroit Lions.
This week Christie was at Green Bay for the game against Dallas. Mysteriously there are no pictures of him, with or without his trademark orange sweater.
Dallas got totally hosed with the reversed call on Dez Bryant's 'catch' at the half yard line - the sports TV networks have talked about nothing else today and almost all think it was a catch.
Rep. Paul Ryan (Wisconsin) was at the game with his daughter and sent out a tweet afterwards asking if Christie could use a hug now. A+ for chutzpah Congressman!
Ryan announced today he will not run for prez in 2016. Romney said he's thinking about it.
I know I'm in a tiny minority, but I have a suspicion that Hillary might not run.
@Tim_B Top punning! For those that need a memory jog, it was the French company that used non medical grade silicone, and quite a few of the private sector surgeries decided it was A. not a problem, or B. it was nothing to do with them gov.
@Tim_B Top punning! For those that need a memory jog, it was the French company that used non medical grade silicone, and quite a few of the private sector surgeries decided it was A. not a problem, or B. it was nothing to do with them gov.
Do the Tories really want to cede immigration as an election issue to allow the NHS to be the top one?
I'm not there, with all the limitations that implies, but I would have thought that at this minute limits on immigration would be a potential vote winner for the Tories.
On the other hand the NHS - if Labour starts crowing that they will throw more money at it then it is a vote winner for them.
I have never understood the 'throwing more money at it' argument - you identify improvements you wish to make, cost them, and plan their implementation, then execute. The money is the last thing to quantify.
TimB Yes mentioned that, looks like Ryan bowed out after Romney told him he was considering running. Hillary has been plotting to be president her entire adult life, wild horses couldn't drag her away!
TimB Yes mentioned that, looks like Ryan bowed out after Romney told him he was considering running. Hillary has been plotting to be president her entire adult life, wild horses couldn't drag her away!
Watching her appearances, there's no energy, no enthusiasm, plus all the baggage as a major member of the Obama team. I was concerned about the age issue, then found out Elizabeth Warren is only 18 months younger than Hillary!
I have no logical reason for thinking this, just a feeling.
TimB Hillary has always been very dry and calculating, she also got out of the Obama team at the right time. She may not be that charismatic, but she is the most ruthless presidential candidate since Nixon with a political brain to match, and I expect her to win the White House at the second attempt as he did!
TimB Hillary has always been very dry and calculating, she also got out of the Obama team at the right time. She may not be that charismatic, but she is the most ruthless presidential candidate since Nixon with a political brain to match, and I expect her to win the White House at the second attempt as he did!
We're finally here - the first College Football National Championship playoff.
It's from Cowboys Stadium / AT&T Stadium / Jerry World. It's now been open for for a few years but is still amazingly impressive on TV. I plan to go there this year.
ESPN is going big on this - 5 different coverages on its 5 networks.
Benghazi was an issue in 2012 too, it did not stop Obama being re-elected, the news agenda has moved on and Hillary is probably the best and toughest candidate to deal with foreign policy challenges on either side of the aisle, goodnight!
Right, so if they actually do it what happens is that overseas tech companies block access to services to people with British IP addresses, and regular British teenagers end up connecting to the net via VPNs or Tor so they can use the same stuff that everybody else is using.
Meanwhile British tech companies... become overseas tech companies.
Seriously, I think George Osborne will kill this once he works out what's going on.
Everyone knows it's a mistake to react to a particular terrorist incident with knee-jerk policies like ressurecting the snooper's charter.
Except, it seems, David Cameron.
The hitch is that politically, it's probably not a mistake. I doubt Ed Miliband will dare run against it despite the potential to gee up young voters with "The Tories want to ban Facebook" that Nick Palmer notes upthread.
People who are paying attention will conclude that David Cameron is a twonk, but generally speaking people who are paying attention have already concluded that David Cameron is a twonk.
Comments
Lab 33.3%
Con 32.5%
UKIP 14.7%
LD 7.7%
Greens 6.3%
Qiute a way from a 7-point lead a la 2010, though.
"Alarm at sudden fall in life expectancy" front page of the Independent.
Must be a delayed reaction to "Stafford"?
I detest the Tories for the way they acted then but Scargill was equally to blame, he sold the proud miners down the river for his own ego.
A Leather chesterfield?
Jeez...... you and people like you are just not worth the O2
Good night
An average of 33.3% can't be where you thought Labour would be right now, this time two years ago?
No guarantees, of course, but that is the more common case than either nothing happening, or a swing in the opposite direction.
My fault of course, it was another way of asking how many A and E units there were in the Private sector.
Subtlety is not a strong suit for you, I should have realised.
The NHS Trusts bidding to takeover Hinchinbrooke pulled out, leaving the three private bidders.
It seems that the accountants in the NHS beat those in the Private sector at spotting the financial problems at Hinchinbrooke. Circle lost £5 million, its CEO, its reputation and its share price took a battering.
Perhaps the private bidders should get better at assessing business propositions!
On a related note....
The BBC were running a piece on increased life expectancy and they quoted the figure of 1/3 people born today will live to 100 and were going on about people living far far longer.
The only problem is when you start to look at where that figure comes from it is nonsense. It is predicated on that assumption that AVERAGE life expectancy will continue to increase at the rate we have seen over the past 50-100 years.
However, if you actually look at the figures that make up AVERAGE life expectancy, one of the biggest drivers that has led to this increase over the past 100 years, the basic elimination of childhood mortality in the country. Yes people are living longer, but the AVERAGE figure and its increase have vastly increased, due to the negligible number of children dying after a few months or years, and that skews the figures. But now that childhood mortality is incredibly low, there isn't really much that can be done on that side of the equation.
On the other side, yes people live longer, and probably better to describe that people live healthy active lives for longer i.e All those 70+ year old now living very well.
None of this though, actually proves that 1/3 will live to 100 or that we really can make huge progress (which is what is needed and hasn't actually occurred despite the average number going up) in extending. That would require a massive massive improvement in both drugs to combat diseases that become more likely with age, and that people over their whole life have a better diet, more exercise, etc (and we know that there is major concern about this).
The article online is not exactly heavy on detail,
http://www.independent.co.uk/
the printed version might be better.....or not?
https://twitter.com/jantalipinski/status/554663227976851456
https://twitter.com/NCPoliticsUK/status/554787670803906560
Therfore the correct answer to how many chesterfeilds they would need is exactly none?
A nice round number. You can always rely on PB.
A&E in this country do a magnificent job.
So good is our A and E that the private sector use it when things go wrong.
So Labour passed on an NHS hospital into the private sector knowing it had already got financial issues as accountancts had spotted. Well that's a very good point you make indeed and I agree.
Oh but wait.........!
After some 10 years of Labour "investment" and "protecting the NHS" to the point of the NHS being safe in Labours hands ......
Why did this hospital even have any financial problems?
Oh dear, oh dear dear me "from the mouth of babes"
That's is anyway late night and off
Instead, Hodgson plumped for Argentina midfielder Javier Mascherano as the world's best player of 2014.
Hodgson's other choices were Germany duo Philipp Lahm and Manuel Neuer.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/30789863
I don't know if to laugh or cry.
I am not aware of any surgeons, consultants or anaethetists that work in the private sector exclusively, think you will find they all work in the NHS, fox can help with that one.
Was he one of the ones that saw the crash coming, or was he one of the majority who didn't?
A major cause of the high cost of food is the cost of transportation, which translates to the eye watering taxes on patrol and diesel, and the high rate of VAT on vehicles, not to mention energy and other taxes to supermarkets.
Energy - the cost of natural gas is 3 times in the UK what it is in the USA. Petrol costs as above.
Travel = petrol costs again for driving, plus if you fly, APD, which on a transatlantic round trip ticket is 170 pounds.
Very few private hospitals have intensive care units, there is no profit in it, they just dump them on the NHS.
Market forces and all that?
Lab 33.3
Con 32.5
UKIP 14.5
LD 7.7
Grn 6.4
Numbercruncher As Churchill said 'if you are young and not a socialist you have no heart, if you are middle aged and still a socialist you have no head!'
You could almost believe that economists pull figures from their anus, and if the boss likes them, they collect a big fat paycheck?
(note the "almost" please)
The private hospital would probably be able to recoup its costs on most functions, but ER and ICU might need help, but such subsidy would be partially offset by this.
To be frank I think you are talking absolute bollocks.
You mean like they did with those dodgy boob implants?
(the link was posted earlier)
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/11043262/Safety-of-private-hospitals-questioned-as-report-reveals-hundreds-die-unexpectedly.html
Depends on your doctor and how much he wants your custom?
This week Christie was at Green Bay for the game against Dallas. Mysteriously there are no pictures of him, with or without his trademark orange sweater.
Dallas got totally hosed with the reversed call on Dez Bryant's 'catch' at the half yard line - the sports TV networks have talked about nothing else today and almost all think it was a catch.
Rep. Paul Ryan (Wisconsin) was at the game with his daughter and sent out a tweet afterwards asking if Christie could use a hug now. A+ for chutzpah Congressman!
Ryan announced today he will not run for prez in 2016. Romney said he's thinking about it.
I know I'm in a tiny minority, but I have a suspicion that Hillary might not run.
What is a 'dodgy' boob implant - I have not kept abreast of this.
Top punning!
For those that need a memory jog, it was the French company that used non medical grade silicone, and quite a few of the private sector surgeries decided it was A. not a problem, or B. it was nothing to do with them gov.
Maybe she was a swimmer and had trouble with the breast stroke.
How do you make 4 lbs of fat irresistible? Put a nipple on it.
Next!
On the other hand the NHS - if Labour starts crowing that they will throw more money at it then it is a vote winner for them.
I have never understood the 'throwing more money at it' argument - you identify improvements you wish to make, cost them, and plan their implementation, then execute. The money is the last thing to quantify.
But I'm in a minority again.
I have no logical reason for thinking this, just a feeling.
It's from Cowboys Stadium / AT&T Stadium / Jerry World. It's now been open for for a few years but is still amazingly impressive on TV. I plan to go there this year.
ESPN is going big on this - 5 different coverages on its 5 networks.
http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/jan/12/oil-slump-uk-petrol-prices-fall
http://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2014/08/07/yahoo-end-to-end-encryption/
https://www.facebook.com/notes/facebook/a-continued-commitment-to-security/486790652130
Meanwhile British tech companies... become overseas tech companies.
Seriously, I think George Osborne will kill this once he works out what's going on.
Except, it seems, David Cameron.
People who are paying attention will conclude that David Cameron is a twonk, but generally speaking people who are paying attention have already concluded that David Cameron is a twonk.