@CarolineLucas: Painful to watch @UKLabour wriggling on the hook, unable to explain why they are not opposing cuts of £30bn - no consistency & no courage
Getting cheered on by the Coalition benches laughing at Labour
Osborne says Labour are running the "Basil Fawlty" deficit reduction plan...
"Don't mention the Deficit!"
Whereas the Tories seem to be trying to 'mention it away', as if just by talking about deficit reduction and assuming the mantle of economic responsibility, the deficit will magically reduce.
Cricket: Good to see Trott getting his head back together with a century for the Lions. Be very nervous about picking him for the Ashes though, the sledging he'd get would be monstrous.
So will there be two GEs this year? If we end up in a place where neither party can form a government even with the LDs, it's surely minority for 6 months, then another GE in November?
Genuine question: How does the Fixed Term Parliament Act pan out then? I assume it continues unless repealed post May 7th (?). You need 55% to trigger an election I think which means a lot of parties are going to have to fancy their chances at the same time to get an election called assuming nobody get 358 seats on May 7th (seems unlikely).
Its best to look at Polling averages, for last Month the Labour lead was 3.2%, for this Month so far its about 0.5%. Thats a pretty big fall over less than a Month. I expect the fall to continue.
What do you think the Lab lead was in October/November?
So will there be two GEs this year? If we end up in a place where neither party can form a government even with the LDs, it's surely minority for 6 months, then another GE in November?
Genuine question: How does the Fixed Term Parliament Act pan out then? I assume it continues unless repealed post May 7th (?). You need 55% to trigger an election I think which means a lot of parties are going to have to fancy their chances at the same time to get an election called assuming nobody get 358 seats on May 7th (seems unlikely).
If nobody can form a government you get an election.
Basically all the Fixed Term Parliament Act does is to prevent somebody from becoming PM then calling an early election to screw his coalition/minority partners. In that situation the other side now get a chance to offer them a deal. This was already effectively the situation immediately after an election (at least it has been since somebody changed the UK constitution by writing a letter to The Times under a pseudonyn) but it's now been extended so the same rules apply for the full five years.
Incidentally, to get rid of that stupid Chrome button, use the flags (chrome://flags), find the new avatar option and disable it [on closing and reopening the button will be gone].
The gun licences issue is just weird. It'd be like if someone said "Why should I buy this book?" and the writer said "The font is very nice."
Miss P, the great thing about the kindle is that with a bit of thought, a pair of pliers and a couple of metal coat-hangers it is possible to construct a rest for it that enables one to read in bed without having to put so much as a finger out from under the duvet. That fact alone makes the Kindle the greatest single invention since the advent of the printing press.
As for what to read on the Device, I thoroughly recommend you start with Sir Edric's Temple. Then you can join me in beating up Mr Dancer for not making his books longer and you will have had many giggles, some chorttles, and a few down-right belly laughs on the way.
@bbcnickrobinson: Interesting to see how Osborne's inviting SNP & Greens into Commons austerity debate in effort to embarrass Labour. Cf leaders debates
@AngusMacNeilMP: Labour's Ed Balls unable to tell SNP in #Commons how Labour now differs from the Tories #austerity
Mr. Llama, well, Treasure will be a tiny bit longer. I'm trying to make the third one roughly twice the length of Temple. Not sure if that'll work, though.
Not only that, we can then run a steganography thing on it so you can't tell the difference between it and some normal communication. Inspired by Fluffy Thoughts, which I think is somebody communicating in this way, I've been tinkering around with tools that pull a load of text from a document and put it back together in almost-coherent English. What I'm hoping is that I can make a way of encoding encrypted messages in the YouTube comments section or in the Daily Mail comments thread in a way that makes them indistinguishable from standard incoherent bigotry.
What all governments have failed to grasp as yet is that short of shutting down the internet there is absolutely no way for them to stop hidden communication. There are two many highly motivated and clever people of an activist mindset willing to churn out tools that will make it easy for Joe public to hide their communication.
While the governments undoubtedly have clever people on their own side it takes a lot more to decrypt a message or even recognise it is an encrypted message than it does to encrypt it in the first place. This is one arms race the governments cannot win and the more they try the more they will drive perfectly innocent individuals to use such method. The more encrypted messages they face the more they will struggle and the more the communications of interest will be buried in the chaff of non interesting but nevertheless encrypted messages
There's a new international survey on Internet security and trust, of '23,376 Internet users in 24 countries,' including 'Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Egypt, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Poland, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, Tunisia, Turkey and the United States.' Amongst the findings, 60% of Internet users have heard of Edward Snowden, and 39% of those 'have taken steps to protect their online privacy and security as a result of his revelations.'
So will there be two GEs this year? If we end up in a place where neither party can form a government even with the LDs, it's surely minority for 6 months, then another GE in November?
Genuine question: How does the Fixed Term Parliament Act pan out then? I assume it continues unless repealed post May 7th (?). You need 55% to trigger an election I think which means a lot of parties are going to have to fancy their chances at the same time to get an election called assuming nobody get 358 seats on May 7th (seems unlikely).
If nobody can form a government you get an election.
Basically all the Fixed Term Parliament Act does is to prevent somebody from becoming PM then calling an early election to screw his coalition/minority partners. In that situation the other side now get a chance to offer them a deal. This was already effectively the situation immediately after an election (at least it has been since somebody changed the UK constitution by writing a letter to The Times under a pseudonyn) but it's now been extended so the same rules apply for the full five years.
Ah, Labour have at last found a demographic which they can tax 'till the pips squeak without losing a single vote.
You might be surprised by how many 'working class' voters shoot.
They might as well tax fishing rods next.
Shooting, or at least beating for shooting very popular weekend "nice little earner" round here. No, I don't know if they declare it and I'm not daft enough to ask. Think it's "just" tips, actually
Paying beaters? Never heard of such a thing. Might be given a brace of pheasants if more were shot than the guns wanted to take but that is all (except on the old-old Duke's shoots when you got a lunch and a bottle of beer). On our local shoot beaters did it for the fun of the thing.
There was the last shoot of the season when the guns did the beating and the beaters did the shooting if they wanted to (not many did) followed by a wonderfully boozy barbecue during which some envelopes containing little thank-yous were handed out but nobody did a couple of months beating for those. The shoot was a social event and not an earner.
I find navigating a Maine Coon with a runny bottom and attention seeking personality a trial. If I move a nanometer - I get jumped on. And bothered with MeowTalk for hours...
I'd rather a spouse who wanted to spend all weekend in B&Q or a garden centre.
PS That's very Blue Peter. All you need to add is sponges in green finger paint and tinsel.
Incidentally, to get rid of that stupid Chrome button, use the flags (chrome://flags), find the new avatar option and disable it [on closing and reopening the button will be gone].
The gun licences issue is just weird. It'd be like if someone said "Why should I buy this book?" and the writer said "The font is very nice."
Miss P, the great thing about the kindle is that with a bit of thought, a pair of pliers and a couple of metal coat-hangers it is possible to construct a rest for it that enables one to read in bed without having to put so much as a finger out from under the duvet. That fact alone makes the Kindle the greatest single invention since the advent of the printing press.
As for what to read on the Device, I thoroughly recommend you start with Sir Edric's Temple. Then you can join me in beating up Mr Dancer for not making his books longer and you will have had many giggles, some chorttles, and a few down-right belly laughs on the way.
Anyone else coming to the conclusion the only guaranteed way to make money on this election is not to bet at all?
No, the guaranteed way is to have followed my advice in 2011/12 by betting on Labour then, then followed my advice in 2014 by backing the Conservatives.
I find navigating a Maine Coon with a runny bottom and attention seeking personality a trial. If I move a nanometer - I get jumped on. And bothered with MeowTalk for hours...
I'd rather a spouse who wanted to spend all weekend in B&Q or a garden centre.
PS That's very Blue Peter. All you need to add is sponges in green finger paint and tinsel.
Incidentally, to get rid of that stupid Chrome button, use the flags (chrome://flags), find the new avatar option and disable it [on closing and reopening the button will be gone].
The gun licences issue is just weird. It'd be like if someone said "Why should I buy this book?" and the writer said "The font is very nice."
Miss P, the great thing about the kindle is that with a bit of thought, a pair of pliers and a couple of metal coat-hangers it is possible to construct a rest for it that enables one to read in bed without having to put so much as a finger out from under the duvet. That fact alone makes the Kindle the greatest single invention since the advent of the printing press.
As for what to read on the Device, I thoroughly recommend you start with Sir Edric's Temple. Then you can join me in beating up Mr Dancer for not making his books longer and you will have had many giggles, some chorttles, and a few down-right belly laughs on the way.
Ah! A Maine Coon with a runny bottom..
A long shot has landed, I have this exact problem... what to do? He smells! He wont let the furminator near him either.
I blame meaty/duck cat food.. he only like fishy flavours and Aldi ran out
Anyone else coming to the conclusion the only guaranteed way to make money on this election is not to bet at all?
No guarantees with any sort of bet, but it's this sort of uncertainty that creates the potential for big wins. If it were predictable you might make a guaranteed profit of ~1%, but where's the fun in that?
Anyone else coming to the conclusion the only guaranteed way to make money on this election is not to bet at all?
No, the guaranteed way is to have followed my advice in 2011/12 by betting on Labour then, then followed my advice in 2014 by backing the Conservatives.
I followed that.
I meant in relation to any new bets going forward on the spreads.
That Money-Saving Expert guy (Martin something?) was on R5 yesterday and waded in with a surprisingly vehement criticism of Ed Miliband, over the energy price saga.
He said the timing was terrible and Miliband's comment has led to the Big Six being unwilling to lower prices over fears of a Labour government.
I thought ooooh, well said dude. Very to the point.
He then waded-into politicians of all colours for making politically-driven decisions over ones which benefit us poor people.
I suppose being a multi, multi millionaire enables you to say whatever you like, even when it clashes with the Beeb's sensibilities!
All in all, it was a sentiment which will resonate with voters I think. And Miliband won't like it being said.
Anyone else coming to the conclusion the only guaranteed way to make money on this election is not to bet at all?
No, the guaranteed way is to have followed my advice in 2011/12 by betting on Labour then, then followed my advice in 2014 by backing the Conservatives.
I followed that.
I meant in relation to any new bets going forward on the spreads.
Ah, well of course from here nothing is guaranteed, but poking around with various combinations of the SNP and UKIP bets might be fruitful.
Anyone else coming to the conclusion the only guaranteed way to make money on this election is not to bet at all?
No, the guaranteed way is to have followed my advice in 2011/12 by betting on Labour then, then followed my advice in 2014 by backing the Conservatives.
I followed that.
I meant in relation to any new bets going forward on the spreads.
Ah, well of course from here nothing is guaranteed, but poking around with various combinations of the SNP and UKIP bets might be fruitful.
If the Spin mid price on UKIP was 102 I'd be in there like a shot.
Mr. 1000, if they get 20 I agree with you. If they get 30-35 or more, that's a different kettle of monkeys.
In order to hold the balance of power the number of Lib Dem seats needs to be greater than the number of "other party" seats. At the 2010 election the 57 seats won by the Lib Dems was comfortably greater than the 33 seats won by other parties [and the speaker]. Even then, the margin between Labour and the Conservatives was large enough that the Lib Dems were not in a position to freely choose their Coalition partner. There weren't enough seats to make Lab+Lib work.
Mathematically and psephologically, given an increase in SNP and UKIP seats compared to 2010, it looks like it is impossible for the Lib Dems to win enough seats in 2015 to be kingmakers in a well-hung Parliament. They probably need a minimum of 40, and realistically probably more than 50* to be in such a position.
This means that any result where Labour and the Conservatives are close to level on seats is one where no two-party coalition [excepting a Grand Coalition] will have a majority.
* Suppose +5 UKIP [on 2010] and +15 SNP on 2010. This takes "other parties" to 53 seats. You can take that down to 47 by excluding the Speaker and Sinn Fein, but it still presents a massive barrier to the Lib Dems being able to choose a Coalition partner.
I think what Ed was trying to say is: you cannot know the "third" year of the rolling five year period - as it keep changing. But it was a Balls up.
The great thing is that he had a point, but he managed to make himself look like a complete numpty nevertheless. He must be seething at himself right now. Poor lamb.
I notice that another elected hereditary peer has retired , Lady Saltoun of Abernethy. This means that there will be another HofL by-election within the next couple of months for a crossbench hereditary peer.
It could be a few things - first try a binding diet of white fish, white rice, scrambled eggs and cat milk for kittens such as cimicat [readily available on eBay or Amazon - great for building up a thin kitty or old one too]. Basically anything to cause a more constipated digestion and stop the runs.
Never feed cow's milk.
If these don't work - your kitty may have a bacterial infection - so a trip to the vet with a blob sample. There are several antis that work but take several days to solve it.
It may take a few meals to fix it or something longer - bit of a lottery to be honest.
If all else fails - you can't go wrong with Crommesol - made by WallaceCameron, it's the default top drawer disinfectant used by Crufts and nursing homes. Very cheap and fantastic/smells lovely. Very effective against germs/neutralises wee stains in corners totally. I can't recommend it highly enough if you've a pet or infant or eldery incontinence problem.
The gun licences issue is just weird. It'd be like if someone said "Why should I buy this book?" and the writer said "The font is very nice."
Miss P, the great thing about the kindle is that with a bit of thought, a pair of pliers and a couple of metal coat-hangers it is possible to construct a rest for it that enables one to read in bed without having to put so much as a finger out from under the duvet. That fact alone makes the Kindle the greatest single invention since the advent of the printing press.
As for what to read on the Device, I thoroughly recommend you start with Sir Edric's Temple. Then you can join me in beating up Mr Dancer for not making his books longer and you will have had many giggles, some chorttles, and a few down-right belly laughs on the way.
Ah! A Maine Coon with a runny bottom..
A long shot has landed, I have this exact problem... what to do? He smells! He wont let the furminator near him either.
I blame meaty/duck cat food.. he only like fishy flavours and Aldi ran out
That Money-Saving Expert guy (Martin something?) was on R5 yesterday and waded in with a surprisingly vehement criticism of Ed Miliband, over the energy price saga.
He said the timing was terrible and Miliband's comment has led to the Big Six being unwilling to lower prices over fears of a Labour government.
I thought ooooh, well said dude. Very to the point.
He then waded-into politicians of all colours for making politically-driven decisions over ones which benefit us poor people.
I suppose being a multi, multi millionaire enables you to say whatever you like, even when it clashes with the Beeb's sensibilities!
All in all, it was a sentiment which will resonate with voters I think. And Miliband won't like it being said.
Of course we might be being unfair to Labour. Perhaps they've spent the last year doing some really innovative, blue-sky, bottom-up thinking, and they've finally come up with a game-changer for raising revenue without tax increases: Auction gun licences to drug-dealers.
Key recommendation: "Taxes, benefits and regulated prices should not be linked to the RPI."
Do we know if that change would actually improve the Governments finances? I get the impression Osborne has already tweaked most numbers so that anything that raises money for the Government goes up by RPI and anything that the Government pays out goes up by CPI or a lower fixed amount (although after today's news, a 1% public pay offering is suddenly a inflation busting payrise)
I'm sure that HMG could implement tax band rises in line with CPI rather than RPI, and defer making switches that cost money until public finances were under less of a strain (insert quote about "tough decisions" and "difficult times" and "we're all in this together" etc).
I think it's about two billion a year we could save by switching Gilt payments from RPI to CPI but that was rejected a couple of years ago despite acknowledgement that RPI was a fundamentally mathematically flawed calculation (don't ask me how the maths was way above my pay grade), but it was rejected essentially on the grounds of "continuity" (ie it would look a bit like a mini default to those who had bought gilts). As an inevitable result pension valuations and liabilities have all had to remain in RPI too.
Probably the best thing would be to start issuing CPI linked gilts to phase them in, but again that would only work if you let pension schemes calculate in CPI not RPI otherwise there'd be precious little demand for CPI Gilts.
Still it'd save more than taxing the odd shotgun licence I suppose.
CPI gilts would not save anything since the floatation price of a new CPI gilt issue would have to reflect the lower return from CPI than RPI, cancelling any supposed benefit.
Existing RPI gilts have to continue being based on RPI otherwise it would be a breach of contract.
Similarly past company pension funds which employees have paid into (eg additional voluntary contributions) and pay inflation proof pensions (up to 3% or 5% max normally) are also normally contracted to use the RPI basis.
Mr. Eagles, didn't SNP private polling show they'd win the referendum handsomely?
Mr. Owls, on the other hand, Ammianus Marcellinus rightly excoriated the policy of price-fixing more than sixteen centuries before Miliband's idiotic utterances on the subject. Great foresight from a great historian.
I think it is interesting to look at demographic support. I've canvassed a few different sort of areas now and it seems its the more middle class Labour support that is solid and a good number of WWC are seeping away to UKIP. I suspect this is something populus does not pick up on given its low level of Lab to UKIP switchers.from what I am finding there is no way they are anywhere near 37%.
Looking at the Ashcroft, Labour there had lost the "Red Liberals", who switched from Liberal-voting in 2010 to Red Miliband-supporting by 2011. Those voters told Ashcroft they would now vote for the genuinely red-centred watermelons in the Green parties.
Populus squashes respondents from Green supporters, on the assumption that eager tech-savvy Green supporters have stuffed their online panel.
Mr. Eagles, didn't SNP private polling show they'd win the referendum handsomely?
Mr. Owls, on the other hand, Ammianus Marcellinus rightly excoriated the policy of price-fixing more than sixteen centuries before Miliband's idiotic utterances on the subject. Great foresight from a great historian.
They used some Canadians who looked at Facebook and Twitter and said the Nats are winning there so they will win the referendum.
On topic, I think we will see lots of vicissitudes in the polling between now and May and there will be reason to cheer and sweat on all sides.
Before the last GE we had years of Tory leads. I know many think that the debates had a huge effect on the voting (and perhaps it cost the Tories some marginals) but the outcome of the campaign undoubtedly lowered the overall Tory vote share and the Labour vote undoubtedly held up enough in - what, 30, 40? - key marginals to prevent a Tory majority.
I reckon - and this is where I'm completely lacking in science - that Gordon Brown's speech (after the debates) at some church or cathedral somewhere up north, swung a lot of votes back Labour's way. It was a proper tub-thumper of a speech to the faithful. Full of his passion for the under-privileged and unashamed class-warrior stuff. Dripping with fear of what the Tories will do to the poor. The stuff he was really good at. I remember thinking, wow, if he did more of this he'd win more seats because people believe it. And I say this as someone who hugely disliked Brown.
Anyway, I reckon that speech drew more votes Labour's way than the Bigot and Bullygate stuff took the other way. So the leaders should be prepared - even when all seems lost and even when the media-narrative is going against them, as it was for Brown after the third debate - to make a genuine, tub-thumper of a speech. It's what voters like and it would've kept many of the unconvinced switchers on side. Cameron is capable of the same.
Similarly past company pension funds which employees have paid into (eg additional voluntary contributions) and pay inflation proof pensions (up to 3% or 5% max normally) are also normally contracted to use the RPI basis.
It depends on the wording of the Rules. Many were switched to CPI resulting in significant losses for those members.
"In a previous article I raised the question of whether UKIP support in the 2014 European Parliament (EP) elections would be sustained through to the 2015 General Election. In previous European elections where UKIP performed well, their vote share subsequently collapsed by general election time. Despite the repitition of this pattern over the last 15 years, some experts predict that in 2015 this would not be the case. Evidence emerging from the BES appears to reinforce this prediction.
While there does appear to have been a transient element to the UKIP vote in the EP elections, there is also a UKIP core of around 14% to 15% of the vote that may not have existed in previous years."
Existing RPI gilts have to continue being based on RPI otherwise it would be a breach of contract.
One could consider revising the RPI formula in such a way that would bring the answer closer to CPI thereby saving billions.
An act of parliament would redefine the contract and therefore make the first situation legal. the problem is not legality. It's that it would be seen by the markets, rightly, as a partial default.
I think it is interesting to look at demographic support. I've canvassed a few different sort of areas now and it seems its the more middle class Labour support that is solid and a good number of WWC are seeping away to UKIP. I suspect this is something populus does not pick up on given its low level of Lab to UKIP switchers.from what I am finding there is no way they are anywhere near 37%.
Looking at the Ashcroft, Labour there had lost the "Red Liberals", who switched from Liberal-voting in 2010 to Red Miliband-supporting by 2011. Those voters told Ashcroft they would now vote for the genuinely red-centred watermelons in the Green parties.
Populus squashes respondents from Green supporters, on the assumption that eager tech-savvy Green supporters have stuffed their online panel.
I think that's [part of] the difference.
Kippers have invaded the Populus panel too if you look at the raw & the cooked numbers.
Mr. glw, no no no. He just wants the state to be able to see what they're saying.
No it would effectively be a ban, if you add a backdoor to a system that has end-to-end encryption it's no longer end-to-end encryption, a third party is now involved.
Nothing says more to me about the cultural taste of your average German than The Hoff's popularity there. Number one albums in Germany, Austria (three times!!!) and Switzerland.
If there was a grand coalition with the Conservatives having most seats, who would the main ministers be? Presumably Miliband would quickly be replaced as leader, but I can't see the Tories being happy with either Ed Balls as Chancellor, nor a Labour Home Secretary.
They can have the portfolios the LibDems currently hold. That should minimise the disruption to Govt.....
PS Anyone with a pet grease issue - like cats or dogs rubbing their coats on the wall or doorways - use Sugar Soap. Available in all B&Qs and everywhere else. It solves almost every pet problem.
30yrs at this has made me a bit of an expert of what works. Happy to take any questions here or on Twitter at @platosays.
Existing RPI gilts have to continue being based on RPI otherwise it would be a breach of contract.
One could consider revising the RPI formula in such a way that would bring the answer closer to CPI thereby saving billions.
An act of parliament would redefine the contract and therefore make the first situation legal. the problem is not legality. It's that it would be seen by the markets, rightly, as a partial default.
I'm not sure the legal position would be quite that simple. But in any case these indices are always being refined. Indeed it was a change to the formula that exacerbated the difference between RPI and CPI a few years ago. Why the main issue in question cant be "fixed" in the normal course of things (besides the previous National Statistician saying it wont be) is beyond me.
PS Anyone with a pet grease issue - like cats or dogs rubbing their coats on the wall or doorways - use Sugar Soap. Available in all B&Qs and everywhere else. It solves almost every pet problem.
30yrs at this has made me a bit of an expert of what works. Happy to take any questions here or on Twitter at @platosays.
How do you remove horse blood from a duvet? Asking for a, uh, friend.
I'm not sure the legal position would be quite that simple. But in any case these indices are always being refined. Indeed it was a change to the formula that exacerbated the difference between RPI and CPI a few years ago. Why the main issue in question cant be "fixed" in the normal course of things (besides the previous National Statistician saying it wont be) is beyond me.
It would rather undermine the principle that the national statistics can't be fiddled by politicians, which would be counter-productive as well as not cricket.
Nothing says more to me about the cultural taste of your average German than The Hoff's popularity there. Number one albums in Germany, Austria (three times!!!) and Switzerland.
I too have an obsession with the Hoff.
The Reflex night club in Liverpool have a huge cardboard cut of the Hoff on one of the floors which I have worshipped and possibly attempted to dry hump when drunk.
For a few years my ringtone/text alert was the Knight Rider Theme.
I'm not sure the legal position would be quite that simple. But in any case these indices are always being refined. Indeed it was a change to the formula that exacerbated the difference between RPI and CPI a few years ago. Why the main issue in question cant be "fixed" in the normal course of things (besides the previous National Statistician saying it wont be) is beyond me.
It would rather undermine the principle that the national statistics can't be fiddled by politicians, which would be counter-productive as well as not cricket.
My point being that it should be "fixed" by the statisticians in the way that statisticians feel it should be "fixed". Are there any other indices in the world that are produced by national statistics authorities who refuse to ever update the methodology for compiling them regardless of the weight of statistical opinion?
How many polls have we had from 2010 to now on overall GE btw ?
One or two of the polls in that time will have been 3+ SD outliers.
From YouGov alone, at the rate of five polls per week, there will have been more than 1,000 opinion polls. Out of 1000 opinion polls you would expect nearly 3 that had an error of 3+ standard deviations.
This sort of thing might form the basis for a little game during the election campaign. We could try to identify the least accurate opinion poll in the period from the formal start of the election campaign to polling day itself.
Nothing says more to me about the cultural taste of your average German than The Hoff's popularity there. Number one albums in Germany, Austria (three times!!!) and Switzerland.
I too have an obsession with the Hoff.
The Reflex night club in Liverpool have a huge cardboard cut of the Hoff on one of the floors which I have worshipped and possibly attempted to dry hump when drunk.
For a few years my ringtone/text alert was the Knight Rider Theme.
I am also a fluent German speaker.
Slightly too much information. He (The Hoff) held a concert near the wall when it came down, did he not?
"In a previous article I raised the question of whether UKIP support in the 2014 European Parliament (EP) elections would be sustained through to the 2015 General Election. In previous European elections where UKIP performed well, their vote share subsequently collapsed by general election time. Despite the repitition of this pattern over the last 15 years, some experts predict that in 2015 this would not be the case. Evidence emerging from the BES appears to reinforce this prediction.
While there does appear to have been a transient element to the UKIP vote in the EP elections, there is also a UKIP core of around 14% to 15% of the vote that may not have existed in previous years."
I think the far bigger mistake is to think that UKIP in previous elections have of their own accord collapsed and therefore it must happen again. Of course what happened in reality was that the hard and effective campaigns fought by major parties took their toll, not some random act of God or UKIP themselves. The other parties will need to do the same again.
Nothing says more to me about the cultural taste of your average German than The Hoff's popularity there. Number one albums in Germany, Austria (three times!!!) and Switzerland.
I too have an obsession with the Hoff.
The Reflex night club in Liverpool have a huge cardboard cut of the Hoff on one of the floors which I have worshipped and possibly attempted to dry hump when drunk.
For a few years my ringtone/text alert was the Knight Rider Theme.
I am also a fluent German speaker.
I think I may have mentioned before that one of the most bizarre nights of my life involved being with out with The Hoff. Jeez, was he wasted.... I doubt he would have been in any state to stop you dry humping him.
Nothing says more to me about the cultural taste of your average German than The Hoff's popularity there. Number one albums in Germany, Austria (three times!!!) and Switzerland.
I too have an obsession with the Hoff.
The Reflex night club in Liverpool have a huge cardboard cut of the Hoff on one of the floors which I have worshipped and possibly attempted to dry hump when drunk.
For a few years my ringtone/text alert was the Knight Rider Theme.
I am also a fluent German speaker.
Slightly too much information. He (The Hoff) held a concert near the wall when it came down, did he not?
The photo looks like I'm dry humping him. I think I got out of the way of someone and got a bit to close to the Hoff
Yes the Hoff held a concert in West Berlin the night wall came down because the East Germans wanted to see him.
Nothing says more to me about the cultural taste of your average German than The Hoff's popularity there. Number one albums in Germany, Austria (three times!!!) and Switzerland.
I too have an obsession with the Hoff.
The Reflex night club in Liverpool have a huge cardboard cut of the Hoff on one of the floors which I have worshipped and possibly attempted to dry hump when drunk.
For a few years my ringtone/text alert was the Knight Rider Theme.
I am also a fluent German speaker.
Slightly too much information. He (The Hoff) held a concert near the wall when it came down, did he not?
Probably on the east side, resulting in the breakout west to escape from the noise.
Blood is very tricky. Try Vanish Oxy spray or granules - they kill red wine stains and blood on limestone which is a difficult medium to fix.
Generally speaking - a very powerful biological washing powder will fix almost anything - unless it dissolves the medium first.
Never use dishwasher powder on anything natural - it will eat it in hours. I once tried to use it to clean hard paint off brushes and it ate the bristles. It's great drain cleaner though.
PS Anyone with a pet grease issue - like cats or dogs rubbing their coats on the wall or doorways - use Sugar Soap. Available in all B&Qs and everywhere else. It solves almost every pet problem.
30yrs at this has made me a bit of an expert of what works. Happy to take any questions here or on Twitter at @platosays.
How do you remove horse blood from a duvet? Asking for a, uh, friend.
PS Anyone with a pet grease issue - like cats or dogs rubbing their coats on the wall or doorways - use Sugar Soap. Available in all B&Qs and everywhere else. It solves almost every pet problem.
30yrs at this has made me a bit of an expert of what works. Happy to take any questions here or on Twitter at @platosays.
How do you remove horse blood from a duvet? Asking for a, uh, friend.
Ask Don Corleone?
Edit. Don't ask the Don. Ask the chap who found the horse's head in his bed.
Comments
Getting cheered on by the Coalition benches laughing at Labour
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/30798060
Basically all the Fixed Term Parliament Act does is to prevent somebody from becoming PM then calling an early election to screw his coalition/minority partners. In that situation the other side now get a chance to offer them a deal. This was already effectively the situation immediately after an election (at least it has been since somebody changed the UK constitution by writing a letter to The Times under a pseudonyn) but it's now been extended so the same rules apply for the full five years.
As for what to read on the Device, I thoroughly recommend you start with Sir Edric's Temple. Then you can join me in beating up Mr Dancer for not making his books longer and you will have had many giggles, some chorttles, and a few down-right belly laughs on the way.
Take your pick
@AngusMacNeilMP: Labour's Ed Balls unable to tell SNP in #Commons how Labour now differs from the Tories #austerity
Is this a prelude to also allocating the money to the NHS so that Miliband can claim he was misunderstood and he really said "NHSising the weapons"?
Do you think 2.0 is poor value?
I can see quite a few plausible scenarios in this election now.
From Lab majority to Con comfortably largest party.
I would not be shocked to see the Lib Dems with 20 seats nor would I be shocked to see them with 40 seats.
EDIT: Bit of an issue for a political betting site though.
There was the last shoot of the season when the guns did the beating and the beaters did the shooting if they wanted to (not many did) followed by a wonderfully boozy barbecue during which some envelopes containing little thank-yous were handed out but nobody did a couple of months beating for those. The shoot was a social event and not an earner.
I'd rather a spouse who wanted to spend all weekend in B&Q or a garden centre.
PS That's very Blue Peter. All you need to add is sponges in green finger paint and tinsel.
American Airport Security Chap: Do you have any weapons ?
Me: Why what do you need?
Is a miracle I didn't end up at Gitmo.
A long shot has landed, I have this exact problem... what to do? He smells! He wont let the furminator near him either.
I blame meaty/duck cat food.. he only like fishy flavours and Aldi ran out
http://order-order.com/2015/01/13/watch-ed-balls-struggles-to-count-to-three
I meant in relation to any new bets going forward on the spreads.
For Beeb-bias conspiracy theorists.
That Money-Saving Expert guy (Martin something?) was on R5 yesterday and waded in with a surprisingly vehement criticism of Ed Miliband, over the energy price saga.
He said the timing was terrible and Miliband's comment has led to the Big Six being unwilling to lower prices over fears of a Labour government.
I thought ooooh, well said dude. Very to the point.
He then waded-into politicians of all colours for making politically-driven decisions over ones which benefit us poor people.
I suppose being a multi, multi millionaire enables you to say whatever you like, even when it clashes with the Beeb's sensibilities!
All in all, it was a sentiment which will resonate with voters I think. And Miliband won't like it being said.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/11342403/Banning-Snapchat-is-not-an-attack-on-freedom.-Killing-innocent-people-is.html
It's a coin toss!
I had been bumped down from first class into pleb class.
I was tired, I'm not the best flyer.
You have no idea how difficult it is for me not to be sarcastic when they ask questions like are you a member of a terrorist organisation.
I think what Ed was trying to say is: you cannot know the "third" year of the rolling five year period - as it keep changing. But it was a Balls up.
Mathematically and psephologically, given an increase in SNP and UKIP seats compared to 2010, it looks like it is impossible for the Lib Dems to win enough seats in 2015 to be kingmakers in a well-hung Parliament. They probably need a minimum of 40, and realistically probably more than 50* to be in such a position.
This means that any result where Labour and the Conservatives are close to level on seats is one where no two-party coalition [excepting a Grand Coalition] will have a majority.
* Suppose +5 UKIP [on 2010] and +15 SNP on 2010. This takes "other parties" to 53 seats. You can take that down to 47 by excluding the Speaker and Sinn Fein, but it still presents a massive barrier to the Lib Dems being able to choose a Coalition partner.
Never feed cow's milk.
If these don't work - your kitty may have a bacterial infection - so a trip to the vet with a blob sample. There are several antis that work but take several days to solve it.
It may take a few meals to fix it or something longer - bit of a lottery to be honest.
If all else fails - you can't go wrong with Crommesol - made by WallaceCameron, it's the default top drawer disinfectant used by Crufts and nursing homes. Very cheap and fantastic/smells lovely. Very effective against germs/neutralises wee stains in corners totally. I can't recommend it highly enough if you've a pet or infant or eldery incontinence problem.
A.D.D. and wallacecameron.com/Hygiene-Supplies/Cleaning-Products/GreenFern-Disinfectant-Concentrate-54sc-715p.aspx Those of us who live with dozens of animals don't mess about with stuff you can buy in Tesco - we use WMD.
wallacecameron.com/advice-and-guides/Hygiene-Products/ Ah! A Maine Coon with a runny bottom..
A long shot has landed, I have this exact problem... what to do? He smells! He wont let the furminator near him either.
I blame meaty/duck cat food.. he only like fishy flavours and Aldi ran out
At the time the cheapest way to get a first class ticket was to get a premium economy ticket and upgrade closer to the time.
Due to a booking snafu they had overbooked and offered me two free first class return tickets and a seat sat on my own in pleb class.
I thought fine but when I sat down in pleb class I remembered why I travel first class on long haul flights.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-30792208
Next up, a Diary Inspectorate, Tavern Snoopers, the Postal Perusers and the Eavesdropper Corps.
Remember, nothing to hide, nothing to fear.
CPI gilts would not save anything since the floatation price of a new CPI gilt issue would have to reflect the lower return from CPI than RPI, cancelling any supposed benefit.
Existing RPI gilts have to continue being based on RPI otherwise it would be a breach of contract.
Similarly past company pension funds which employees have paid into (eg additional voluntary contributions) and pay inflation proof pensions (up to 3% or 5% max normally) are also normally contracted to use the RPI basis.
Mr. Owls, on the other hand, Ammianus Marcellinus rightly excoriated the policy of price-fixing more than sixteen centuries before Miliband's idiotic utterances on the subject. Great foresight from a great historian.
Populus squashes respondents from Green supporters, on the assumption that eager tech-savvy Green supporters have stuffed their online panel.
I think that's [part of] the difference.
Our sources were much sounder.
Before the last GE we had years of Tory leads. I know many think that the debates had a huge effect on the voting (and perhaps it cost the Tories some marginals) but the outcome of the campaign undoubtedly lowered the overall Tory vote share and the Labour vote undoubtedly held up enough in - what, 30, 40? - key marginals to prevent a Tory majority.
I reckon - and this is where I'm completely lacking in science - that Gordon Brown's speech (after the debates) at some church or cathedral somewhere up north, swung a lot of votes back Labour's way. It was a proper tub-thumper of a speech to the faithful. Full of his passion for the under-privileged and unashamed class-warrior stuff. Dripping with fear of what the Tories will do to the poor. The stuff he was really good at. I remember thinking, wow, if he did more of this he'd win more seats because people believe it. And I say this as someone who hugely disliked Brown.
Anyway, I reckon that speech drew more votes Labour's way than the Bigot and Bullygate stuff took the other way. So the leaders should be prepared - even when all seems lost and even when the media-narrative is going against them, as it was for Brown after the third debate - to make a genuine, tub-thumper of a speech. It's what voters like and it would've kept many of the unconvinced switchers on side. Cameron is capable of the same.
It depends on the wording of the Rules. Many were switched to CPI resulting in significant losses for those members.
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/berlin-wall-25th-anniversary-did-david-hasselhoff-really-help-rebuild-germany-1473553
While there does appear to have been a transient element to the UKIP vote in the EP elections, there is also a UKIP core of around 14% to 15% of the vote that may not have existed in previous years."
http://commonslibraryblog.com/2015/01/13/voter-trends-in-2014-and-lessons-for-the-2015-general-election/
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/security-services-on-high-alert-for-beheading-attack-in-britain-in-wake-of-paris-killings-9974363.html
So Cameron does want a ban.
Anybody watching the re-runs of 'Smiley's People' on BBC4?? Sublime.
I'm going to launch a JIHAD on Cameron's ass if he bans Snapchat, and I don't even use it
Are you listening Dave, well are you !?
30yrs at this has made me a bit of an expert of what works. Happy to take any questions here or on Twitter at @platosays.
The Reflex night club in Liverpool have a huge cardboard cut of the Hoff on one of the floors which I have worshipped and possibly attempted to dry hump when drunk.
For a few years my ringtone/text alert was the Knight Rider Theme.
I am also a fluent German speaker.
This sort of thing might form the basis for a little game during the election campaign. We could try to identify the least accurate opinion poll in the period from the formal start of the election campaign to polling day itself.
He (The Hoff) held a concert near the wall when it came down, did he not?
Yes the Hoff held a concert in West Berlin the night wall came down because the East Germans wanted to see him.
A surreal left-over of WW2 - the notion of being shot for trying escape this socialist paradise has never left me. It was IIRC 1987.
Generally speaking - a very powerful biological washing powder will fix almost anything - unless it dissolves the medium first.
Never use dishwasher powder on anything natural - it will eat it in hours. I once tried to use it to clean hard paint off brushes and it ate the bristles. It's great drain cleaner though.
Edit. Don't ask the Don. Ask the chap who found the horse's head in his bed.
"Are you now, or have you ever been, a member of the violent, extremists known as the SNP? Well, we'll let you off if you give us your vote.'