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politicalbetting.com » Blog Archive » How winning a political bet can get you into trouble

SystemSystem Posts: 11,688
edited June 2015 in General

imagepoliticalbetting.com » Blog Archive » How winning a political bet can get you into trouble

I like this story in the Mail on Sunday, Frank Field the Labour MP for Birkenhead and Matthew Taylor, Tony Blair’s former head of policy and who wrote the 2005 Labour manifesto both bet on the Tories winning a majority in May. This has understandably earned the ire of some in the Labour party, who said

Read the full story here


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    SandpitSandpit Posts: 49,905
    edited June 2015
    LOL, brilliant! Always did like Frank Field.

    By the way, did we ever find out who was the Glaswegian that took Shadsy for six figures on a Con majority?

    Oh, and first!
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    Richard_NabaviRichard_Nabavi Posts: 30,820
    edited June 2015
    It is very revealing that having good judgement, and being shown to right, is seen in Labour circles as shameful.
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    Sean_FSean_F Posts: 35,850
    FPT, that graph implies Greek GDP per head grew by c.10% p.a. from 2001-08, similar to China.

    I think we can agree that was never the case, whatever numbers the Greek Finance Ministry came up with.
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    HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 117,028
    Frank Field increased the Labour majority by over 5,000 votes in Birkenhead so got a rather better result for Labour than Ed Miliband did nationally, he then treated his Labour campaign workers to a slap up meal with the proceeds. You vote for and campaign for what you believe in in your heart, you bet and make forecasts with your head!
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birkenhead_(UK_Parliament_constituency)
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    Richard_NabaviRichard_Nabavi Posts: 30,820
    Sean_F said:

    FPT, that graph implies Greek GDP per head grew by c.10% p.a. from 2001-08, similar to China.

    I think we can agree that was never the case, whatever numbers the Greek Finance Ministry came up with.

    It was, however, from the point of view of the average Dimitrios on the street a period of hitherto-unknown prosperity and apparent stability. You can see why there is thus so much support for staying in the Euro, even if it was all built on sand.
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    TheScreamingEaglesTheScreamingEagles Posts: 114,488

    It is very revealing that having good judgement, and being shown to right, is seen in Labour circles as shameful.

    And that he made money, rather than losing it
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    Danny565Danny565 Posts: 8,091
    edited June 2015
    YouGov Poll:

    Are £12bn welfare cuts the right thing to do?
    Right thing: 40%
    Wrong thing: 42%


    Tax credits
    Govt should restrict people who can claim tax credits: 41%
    Should protect tax credits from cuts: 47%


    Out-of-work benefits
    Should restrict people who can claim out-of-work benefits: 55%
    Should protect out-of-work benefits: 34%


    Child benefit
    Should restrict people who can can claim child benefit: 58%
    Should protect child benefit: 34%


    Old-age benefits
    Should restrict people who can claim old-age benefits: 34%
    Should protect old-age benefits: 59%

    http://d25d2506sfb94s.cloudfront.net/cumulus_uploads/document/7gudda13sb/YG-Archive-Sunday-Times-results-280615.pdf
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    Richard_TyndallRichard_Tyndall Posts: 30,963
    HYUFD said:

    Frank Field increased the Labour majority by over 5,000 votes in Birkenhead so got a rather better result for Labour than Ed Miliband did nationally, he then treated his Labour campaign workers to a slap up meal with the proceeds. You vote for and campaign for what you believe in in your heart, you bet and make forecasts with your head!
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birkenhead_(UK_Parliament_constituency)

    Yep. Sound fellow Mr Field and really glad to see he appears to be over his health scare.
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    HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 117,028
    RT Agree entirely
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    GIN1138GIN1138 Posts: 20,824
    I get the feeling Ed's rather bitter about how it all worked out...
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    calumcalum Posts: 3,046
    Yet another thing the Labour party can add to their reasons for getting kicked out. Immediately reminded me of this !!

    https://twitter.com/paddypower/status/189707273365487617
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    SouthamObserverSouthamObserver Posts: 38,937
    £250 for a four-course meal for 20. I wonder where that was and what the courses were.

    If I am going to bet, I make it a rule to bet against my own side. If you win there is some compensation for losing. And if you lose you don't care because you have won. There is absolutely nothing disloyal about it at all.
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    MarkHopkinsMarkHopkins Posts: 5,584
    edited June 2015

    £250 for a four-course meal for 20. I wonder where that was and what the courses were.

    If I am going to bet, I make it a rule to bet against my own side. If you win there is some compensation for losing. And if you lose you don't care because you have won. There is absolutely nothing disloyal about it at all.


    I don't think they are annoyed he was disloyal. They are annoyed he was right.

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    David_EvershedDavid_Evershed Posts: 6,506
    edited June 2015
    Greece has two big problems.

    1. The Government spends more than it receives and borrows the difference from other Euro governments. But the other Euro governments have finally said they will not lend any more. This means it will not be able to pay its employees or pensioners in due course.

    2. Depositors are withdrawing their Euro funds from Greek banks because they are in danger of being converted into less valuable drachma by a dictat from the Greek state .
    Until now the European Central Bank has lent the banks the cash to carry on trading but said today that they will not lend any more. This means Greek banks will not be able to pay out depositors who want to withdraw next week nor lend more money to Greek busineses and individuals.

    It is the second liquidity crisis which will hit Greece on Monday, well before any referendum in July about accepting the deal offered by Euro governments.

    If the Greek governmnet were really anarchic they could get the Greek Central Bank in Athens to print more Euro notes and distribute them to the Greek banks in place of the loans frrom theEuropean Central Bank. That would make things really interesting.

    Of course, these anarchic Greek euros would be counterfeit but very difficult to distinguish from valid notes as the only difference would be an invalid reference number.


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    MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 44,444

    £250 for a four-course meal for 20. I wonder where that was and what the courses were.

    If I am going to bet, I make it a rule to bet against my own side. If you win there is some compensation for losing. And if you lose you don't care because you have won. There is absolutely nothing disloyal about it at all.

    People who bet with their hearts and not their heads are a precious resource. A mine full of gold just for the taking.... They should be protected and encouraged.
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    PlatoPlato Posts: 15,724
    Yup

    £250 for a four-course meal for 20. I wonder where that was and what the courses were.

    If I am going to bet, I make it a rule to bet against my own side. If you win there is some compensation for losing. And if you lose you don't care because you have won. There is absolutely nothing disloyal about it at all.


    I don't think they are annoyed he was disloyal. They are annoyed he was right.

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    AndreaParma_82AndreaParma_82 Posts: 4,714
    edited June 2015
    Leyton and Wanstead CLP nominates Jeremy Corbyn (Kendall second, Burnham third) and Eagle
    Clackmannanshire & Dunblane CLP: Andy Burnham and Watson
    Dumfries and Galloway: Cooper and Creasy

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    frpenkridgefrpenkridge Posts: 670
    Betting businesses must have a very low opinion of their customers, judging from their telly adverts.
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    David_EvershedDavid_Evershed Posts: 6,506

    Leyton and Wanstead CLP nominates Jeremy Corbyn (Kendall second, Burnham third) and Eagle
    Clackmannanshire & Dunblane CLP: Andy Burnham and Watson
    Dumfries and Galloway: Cooper and Creasy

    It's one member (or supporter) one vote. So there is no block voting by a constituency Labour party.
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    david_herdsondavid_herdson Posts: 17,419

    Leyton and Wanstead CLP nominates Jeremy Corbyn (Kendall second, Burnham third) and Eagle
    Clackmannanshire & Dunblane CLP: Andy Burnham and Watson
    Dumfries and Galloway: Cooper and Creasy

    It's one member (or supporter) one vote. So there is no block voting by a constituency Labour party.
    True, but the cumulative figures for nominations may give some indication as to which candidate has most active support. Of course, who has the support of members who turn up to nomination meetings and who has the support of those who ultimately vote may not be the same thing but it's still a straw in the wind.
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    Moses_Moses_ Posts: 4,865
    Reuters Latest....

    Greece said it may impose capital controls and keep its banks shut on Monday after creditors refused to extend the country's bailout and savers queued to withdraw cash, taking Athens' standoff with the European Union and the International Monetary Fund to a dangerous new level. Greece's banks, kept afloat by emergency central bank funding, are on the front line as Athens moves towards defaulting on a 1.6 billion euros payment due to the IMF on Tuesday.

    The European Central Bank said it would not raise the level of emergency funding, adding to the pressure on Greece's banks which have been surviving for the past few weeks on frequent incremental increases to the funding lifeline

    Amid political drama in Greece, where a clear majority wants to remain inside the euro, the next few days present a major challenge to the integrity of a 16-year-old currency bloc.

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    Moses_Moses_ Posts: 4,865
    In regard to Greece and other EU members I am reminded each time these PIIGS type issues come up that the EU must be following the Lyrics from the Eagles track, Hotel California.....

    "you can check out anytime you like, ".............. but you can never leave"
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    PlatoPlato Posts: 15,724
    edited June 2015
    Speaking of betting and losing, just watching great docu on Capone. He had so much money in 1929 he lost $10m at the races without blinking. Golly.

    Was earning $12m a week from twelve thousand speak easys and prostitution
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    Tim_BTim_B Posts: 7,669
    Plato said:

    Speaking of betting and losing, just watching great docu on Capone. He had so much money in 1929 he lost $10m at the races without blinking. Golly.

    But as the Mob controlled all the betting, you know he made money even on his losses! :-)
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    Tim_BTim_B Posts: 7,669
    Moses_ said:

    In regard to Greece and other EU members I am reminded each time these PIIGS type issues come up that the EU must be following the Lyrics from the Eagles track, Hotel California.....

    "you can check out anytime you like, ".............. but you can never leave"

    We are all just prisoners here, of our own device
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    PlatoPlato Posts: 15,724
    Indeed! :smiley:
    Tim_B said:

    Plato said:

    Speaking of betting and losing, just watching great docu on Capone. He had so much money in 1929 he lost $10m at the races without blinking. Golly.

    But as the Mob controlled all the betting, you know he made money even on his losses! :-)
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    PlatoPlato Posts: 15,724
    That's a fab avatar
    Tim_B said:

    Moses_ said:

    In regard to Greece and other EU members I am reminded each time these PIIGS type issues come up that the EU must be following the Lyrics from the Eagles track, Hotel California.....

    "you can check out anytime you like, ".............. but you can never leave"

    We are all just prisoners here, of our own device
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    CarlottaVanceCarlottaVance Posts: 59,727
    EU taking no prisoners:
    In the interest of transparency and for the information of the Greek people, the European Commission is publishing the latest proposals agreed among the three institutions (European Commission, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund), which take into account the proposals of the Greek authorities of 8, 14, 22 and 25 June 2015 as well as the talks at political and technical level throughout the week......

    .....However, neither this latest version of the document, nor an outline of a comprehensive deal could be formally finalised and presented to the Eurogroup due to the unilateral decision of the Greek authorities to abandon the process on the evening of 26 June 2015.
    http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-15-5270_en.htm
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    Tim_BTim_B Posts: 7,669
    edited June 2015
    Plato said:

    That's a fab avatar

    Tim_B said:

    Moses_ said:

    In regard to Greece and other EU members I am reminded each time these PIIGS type issues come up that the EU must be following the Lyrics from the Eagles track, Hotel California.....

    "you can check out anytime you like, ".............. but you can never leave"

    We are all just prisoners here, of our own device
    Thank you, fair lady.

    My previous one was the implosion of Texas Stadium, but ScottP was too dumb to pick up on it :smile:
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    IndigoIndigo Posts: 9,966

    EU taking no prisoners:

    In the interest of transparency and for the information of the Greek people, the European Commission is publishing the latest proposals agreed among the three institutions (European Commission, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund), which take into account the proposals of the Greek authorities of 8, 14, 22 and 25 June 2015 as well as the talks at political and technical level throughout the week......

    .....However, neither this latest version of the document, nor an outline of a comprehensive deal could be formally finalised and presented to the Eurogroup due to the unilateral decision of the Greek authorities to abandon the process on the evening of 26 June 2015.
    http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-15-5270_en.htm

    I suspect most of the Greek press will ignore that in favour of lurid headlines involving toothbrush moustaches and swastikas
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    geoffwgeoffw Posts: 8,171
    edited June 2015
    Indigo upthread told us that Varoufakis is a world expert on "Games (sic) Theory".
    No doubt the game of "chicken" is to his liking:
    From Wikipedia: 'The game of chicken, also known as the hawk-dove game or snowdrift game, is an influential model of conflict for two players in game theory. The principle of the game is that while each player prefers not to yield to the other, the worst possible outcome occurs when both players do not yield.'

    additional comment: The game of chicken was used in the James Dean film "Rebel without a Cause". Perhaps Yanni has modelled himself on the protagonist.
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    RobDRobD Posts: 58,969
    Plato said:

    Speaking of betting and losing, just watching great docu on Capone. He had so much money in 1929 he lost $10m at the races without blinking. Golly.

    Was earning $12m a week from twelve thousand speak easys and prostitution

    Thats $164m a week in todays money (also means he bet ~$140m!)
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    Scott_PScott_P Posts: 51,453
    Tim_B said:

    My previous one was the implosion of Texas Stadium

    Best thing that ever happened there
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    Tim_BTim_B Posts: 7,669
    Watching a BBC World News feature on Waterloo 200.

    As the British troops make their way back to camp after the battle, a group of musicians is playing what is unmistakably "Ashokan Farewell", composed in the 1980s by Jay Ungar and featured in the Ken Burns series "The Civil War".

    Oops...
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    Tim_BTim_B Posts: 7,669
    @Geoffw

    Perhaps Yanni has modelled himself on the protagonist.

    He can model himself on whoever he wants, just so long as he doesn't make any more interminable musical specials on TV....
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    Tim_BTim_B Posts: 7,669
    Scott_P said:

    Tim_B said:

    My previous one was the implosion of Texas Stadium

    Best thing that ever happened there
    You bet! Now we have Jerry World.
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    williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 48,079
    geoffw said:

    additional comment: The game of chicken was used in the James Dean film "Rebel without a Cause". Perhaps Yanni has modelled himself on the protagonist.

    I saw someone compare Tsipras & Varoufakis to Thelma & Louise in the final scene where they're cornered at the top of a cliff and decide to keep driving.
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    Moses_Moses_ Posts: 4,865
    Tim_B said:

    Moses_ said:

    In regard to Greece and other EU members I am reminded each time these PIIGS type issues come up that the EU must be following the Lyrics from the Eagles track, Hotel California.....

    "you can check out anytime you like, ".............. but you can never leave"

    We are all just prisoners here, of our own device
    "...... and in the masters chamber they gather for the feast, they stab it with their steely knives but they just can't kill the beast....
    Last thing I remember was running for the door trying to get back to the place I was before..."



    The more I look at the lyrics the more I think the Eagles foresaw this whole EU debacle.
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    Tim_BTim_B Posts: 7,669
    geoffw said:

    Indigo upthread told us that Varoufakis is a world expert on "Games (sic) Theory".
    No doubt the game of "chicken" is to his liking:
    From Wikipedia: 'The game of chicken, also known as the hawk-dove game or snowdrift game, is an influential model of conflict for two players in game theory. The principle of the game is that while each player prefers not to yield to the other, the worst possible outcome occurs when both players do not yield.'

    additional comment: The game of chicken was used in the James Dean film "Rebel without a Cause". Perhaps Yanni has modelled himself on the protagonist.

    It's "Game Theory". If you've seen "A Beautiful Mind" you will be familiar with John Forbes Nash Jr who won a Nobel Prize for his work on it.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Forbes_Nash,_Jr.
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    CarlottaVanceCarlottaVance Posts: 59,727
    Varoufakis:

    European Treaties make provisions for an exit from the EU. They do not make any provisions for an exit from the Eurozone. With good reason, of course, as the indivisibility of our Monetary Union is part of its raison d’ etre. To ask us to phrase the referendum question as a choice involving exit from the Eurozone is to ask us to violate EU Treaties and EU Law. I suggest to anyone who wants us, or anyone else, to hold a referendum on EMU membership to recommend a change in the Treaties.

    http://yanisvaroufakis.eu/2015/06/28/as-it-happened-yanis-varoufakis-intervention-during-the-27th-june-2015-eurogroup-meeting/
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    Tim_BTim_B Posts: 7,669
    Moses_ said:

    Tim_B said:

    Moses_ said:

    In regard to Greece and other EU members I am reminded each time these PIIGS type issues come up that the EU must be following the Lyrics from the Eagles track, Hotel California.....

    "you can check out anytime you like, ".............. but you can never leave"

    We are all just prisoners here, of our own device
    "...... and in the masters chamber they gather for the feast, they stab it with their steely knives but they just can't kill the beast....
    Last thing I remember was running for the door trying to get back to the place I was before..."



    The more I look at the lyrics the more I think the Eagles foresaw this whole EU debacle.
    - and how about Joe Walsh's One Day at a Time.....

    Well I finally got around to admit that I was the problem.
    When I used to put the blame on everybody's shoulders but mine.
    All the friends I used to run with are gone, (la la la)
    Lord, I hadn't planned on livin' this long. (la la la)

    I have to learn to live my life one day at a time!

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    Moses_Moses_ Posts: 4,865
    Indigo said:

    EU taking no prisoners:

    In the interest of transparency and for the information of the Greek people, the European Commission is publishing the latest proposals agreed among the three institutions (European Commission, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund), which take into account the proposals of the Greek authorities of 8, 14, 22 and 25 June 2015 as well as the talks at political and technical level throughout the week......

    .....However, neither this latest version of the document, nor an outline of a comprehensive deal could be formally finalised and presented to the Eurogroup due to the unilateral decision of the Greek authorities to abandon the process on the evening of 26 June 2015.
    http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-15-5270_en.htm
    I suspect most of the Greek press will ignore that in favour of lurid headlines involving toothbrush moustaches and swastikas

    Perhaps? even so, the Greeks whatever they prefer may just have to "bare the unbearable" as a Japanese Emperor once observed.
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    geoffwgeoffw Posts: 8,171
    edited June 2015
    Tim_B said:


    It's "Game Theory". If you've seen "A Beautiful Mind" you will be familiar with John Forbes Nash Jr who won a Nobel Prize for his work on it.

    Quite. Nash said he got the Nobel for his least significant achievement!
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    Moses_Moses_ Posts: 4,865
    Tim_B said:

    Moses_ said:

    Tim_B said:

    Moses_ said:

    In regard to Greece and other EU members I am reminded each time these PIIGS type issues come up that the EU must be following the Lyrics from the Eagles track, Hotel California.....

    "you can check out anytime you like, ".............. but you can never leave"

    We are all just prisoners here, of our own device
    "...... and in the masters chamber they gather for the feast, they stab it with their steely knives but they just can't kill the beast....
    Last thing I remember was running for the door trying to get back to the place I was before..."



    The more I look at the lyrics the more I think the Eagles foresaw this whole EU debacle.
    - and how about Joe Walsh's One Day at a Time.....

    Well I finally got around to admit that I was the problem.
    When I used to put the blame on everybody's shoulders but mine.
    All the friends I used to run with are gone, (la la la)
    Lord, I hadn't planned on livin' this long. (la la la)

    I have to learn to live my life one day at a time!

    Indeed
    As sung by Tsipras while hanging onto the fiscal cliff edge as the final finger nail breaks.
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    williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 48,079
    Moses_ said:

    Indigo said:

    EU taking no prisoners:

    In the interest of transparency and for the information of the Greek people, the European Commission is publishing the latest proposals agreed among the three institutions (European Commission, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund), which take into account the proposals of the Greek authorities of 8, 14, 22 and 25 June 2015 as well as the talks at political and technical level throughout the week......

    .....However, neither this latest version of the document, nor an outline of a comprehensive deal could be formally finalised and presented to the Eurogroup due to the unilateral decision of the Greek authorities to abandon the process on the evening of 26 June 2015.
    http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-15-5270_en.htm
    I suspect most of the Greek press will ignore that in favour of lurid headlines involving toothbrush moustaches and swastikas
    Perhaps? even so, the Greeks whatever they prefer may just have to "bare the unbearable" as a Japanese Emperor once observed.

    Is there a single proposal in that document that could become a rallying cry for a No vote? I can't see people thinking, "I'd rather leave the Euro than auction the 4G spectrum!"
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    Tim_BTim_B Posts: 7,669
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    CharlesCharles Posts: 35,758
    edited June 2015
    Tim_B said:

    geoffw said:

    Indigo upthread told us that Varoufakis is a world expert on "Games (sic) Theory".
    No doubt the game of "chicken" is to his liking:
    From Wikipedia: 'The game of chicken, also known as the hawk-dove game or snowdrift game, is an influential model of conflict for two players in game theory. The principle of the game is that while each player prefers not to yield to the other, the worst possible outcome occurs when both players do not yield.'

    additional comment: The game of chicken was used in the James Dean film "Rebel without a Cause". Perhaps Yanni has modelled himself on the protagonist.

    It's "Game Theory". If you've seen "A Beautiful Mind" you will be familiar with John Forbes Nash Jr who won a Nobel Prize for his work on it.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Forbes_Nash,_Jr.
    Of course, Nash was merely standing on the shoulders of a giant

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_von_Neumann#Game_theory

    (as an aside, JvN's most significant innovation was the use of equilibrium theory to develop the philosophy of mutually assured destruction...)
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    John_MJohn_M Posts: 7,503
    edited June 2015
    Good afternoon all. As I mentioned last night, Europe has been grappling with the issue of German hegemony since 1866. The nature of the issue has changed from a military to an economic dimension.

    Greece cannot compete with Germany. It's not alone. What are the Greeks to do? They are literally screwed whatever happens.
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    geoffwgeoffw Posts: 8,171
    Charles said:

    ...
    (as an aside, JvN's most significant innovation was the use of equilibrium theory to develop the philosophy of mutually assured destruction...)

    MAD is a game of chicken.
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    Morris_DancerMorris_Dancer Posts: 60,988
    Good evening, everyone.

    Labour angry at Frank Field for being right. The scoundrel!
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    IndigoIndigo Posts: 9,966
    edited June 2015

    Varoufakis:

    European Treaties make provisions for an exit from the EU. They do not make any provisions for an exit from the Eurozone. With good reason, of course, as the indivisibility of our Monetary Union is part of its raison d’ etre. To ask us to phrase the referendum question as a choice involving exit from the Eurozone is to ask us to violate EU Treaties and EU Law. I suggest to anyone who wants us, or anyone else, to hold a referendum on EMU membership to recommend a change in the Treaties.

    http://yanisvaroufakis.eu/2015/06/28/as-it-happened-yanis-varoufakis-intervention-during-the-27th-june-2015-eurogroup-meeting/

    Anyone would think that the powers of the euro-zone either don't know, or don't care what the wording of their own treaties actually says.
    The very idea that a government would consult its people on a problematic proposal put to it by the institutions was treated with incomprehension and often with disdain bordering on contempt. I was even asked: “How do you expect common people to understand such complex issues?”.
    Tells you all you need to know about the attitude of the euro-elite to the ordinary voters.
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    Tim_BTim_B Posts: 7,669
    Indigo said:

    Varoufakis:

    European Treaties make provisions for an exit from the EU. They do not make any provisions for an exit from the Eurozone. With good reason, of course, as the indivisibility of our Monetary Union is part of its raison d’ etre. To ask us to phrase the referendum question as a choice involving exit from the Eurozone is to ask us to violate EU Treaties and EU Law. I suggest to anyone who wants us, or anyone else, to hold a referendum on EMU membership to recommend a change in the Treaties.

    http://yanisvaroufakis.eu/2015/06/28/as-it-happened-yanis-varoufakis-intervention-during-the-27th-june-2015-eurogroup-meeting/

    Anyone would think that the powers of the euro-zone either don't know, or don't care what the wording of their own treaties actually says.
    The very idea that a government would consult its people on a problematic proposal put to it by the institutions was treated with incomprehension and often with disdain bordering on contempt. I was even asked: “How do you expect common people to understand such complex issues?”.
    Tells you all you need to know about the attitude of the euro-elite to the ordinary voters.

    He left out the follow up pertaining to any EU related popular vote - you might need to hold several referenda until you get the right answer.
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    dr_spyndr_spyn Posts: 11,288
    Fury as Labour MP reveals that Ed Miliband was crap.
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    geoffwgeoffw Posts: 8,171
    Tim_B said:



    He left out the follow up pertaining to any EU related popular vote - you might need to hold several referenda until you get the right answer.

    A neverendum indeed.
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    Tim_BTim_B Posts: 7,669
    dr_spyn said:

    Fury as Labour MP reveals that Ed Miliband was crap.

    Official - betting on Ed is a crap-shoot :)
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    CarlottaVanceCarlottaVance Posts: 59,727
    Indigo said:

    Varoufakis:

    European Treaties make provisions for an exit from the EU. They do not make any provisions for an exit from the Eurozone. With good reason, of course, as the indivisibility of our Monetary Union is part of its raison d’ etre. To ask us to phrase the referendum question as a choice involving exit from the Eurozone is to ask us to violate EU Treaties and EU Law. I suggest to anyone who wants us, or anyone else, to hold a referendum on EMU membership to recommend a change in the Treaties.

    http://yanisvaroufakis.eu/2015/06/28/as-it-happened-yanis-varoufakis-intervention-during-the-27th-june-2015-eurogroup-meeting/

    Tells you all you need to know about the attitude of the euro-elite to the ordinary voters.
    And of the Greek government to the EU - hold a referendum five days after the deal on the table expires.....
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    John_MJohn_M Posts: 7,503
    Apropros the thread. Instead of emoting, Labour should bottle Frank Field and every member of the shadow cabinet should have a good swig. Field is one of the few Labour MPs with any common sense.
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    nigel4englandnigel4england Posts: 4,800

    EU taking no prisoners:

    In the interest of transparency and for the information of the Greek people, the European Commission is publishing the latest proposals agreed among the three institutions (European Commission, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund), which take into account the proposals of the Greek authorities of 8, 14, 22 and 25 June 2015 as well as the talks at political and technical level throughout the week......

    .....However, neither this latest version of the document, nor an outline of a comprehensive deal could be formally finalised and presented to the Eurogroup due to the unilateral decision of the Greek authorities to abandon the process on the evening of 26 June 2015.
    http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-15-5270_en.htm

    The EU have the nerve to tell another body to reduce red tape?
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    Tim_BTim_B Posts: 7,669

    Indigo said:

    Varoufakis:

    European Treaties make provisions for an exit from the EU. They do not make any provisions for an exit from the Eurozone. With good reason, of course, as the indivisibility of our Monetary Union is part of its raison d’ etre. To ask us to phrase the referendum question as a choice involving exit from the Eurozone is to ask us to violate EU Treaties and EU Law. I suggest to anyone who wants us, or anyone else, to hold a referendum on EMU membership to recommend a change in the Treaties.

    http://yanisvaroufakis.eu/2015/06/28/as-it-happened-yanis-varoufakis-intervention-during-the-27th-june-2015-eurogroup-meeting/

    Tells you all you need to know about the attitude of the euro-elite to the ordinary voters.
    And of the Greek government to the EU - hold a referendum five days after the deal on the table expires.....
    But the deal on the table was withdrawn following the announcement of the referendum.

    So the Greek vote will be on proposals that no longer exist.

    - and they say the Germans have no sense of humor.
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    CarlottaVanceCarlottaVance Posts: 59,727
    Tim_B said:

    Indigo said:

    Varoufakis:

    European Treaties make provisions for an exit from the EU. They do not make any provisions for an exit from the Eurozone. With good reason, of course, as the indivisibility of our Monetary Union is part of its raison d’ etre. To ask us to phrase the referendum question as a choice involving exit from the Eurozone is to ask us to violate EU Treaties and EU Law. I suggest to anyone who wants us, or anyone else, to hold a referendum on EMU membership to recommend a change in the Treaties.

    http://yanisvaroufakis.eu/2015/06/28/as-it-happened-yanis-varoufakis-intervention-during-the-27th-june-2015-eurogroup-meeting/

    Tells you all you need to know about the attitude of the euro-elite to the ordinary voters.
    And of the Greek government to the EU - hold a referendum five days after the deal on the table expires.....
    - and they say the Germans have no sense of humor.
    If this wasn't so desperately serious it would be hysterically funny.....we're well into the 'you couldn't make it up' territory.....
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    Tim_BTim_B Posts: 7,669

    Tim_B said:

    Indigo said:

    Varoufakis:

    European Treaties make provisions for an exit from the EU. They do not make any provisions for an exit from the Eurozone. With good reason, of course, as the indivisibility of our Monetary Union is part of its raison d’ etre. To ask us to phrase the referendum question as a choice involving exit from the Eurozone is to ask us to violate EU Treaties and EU Law. I suggest to anyone who wants us, or anyone else, to hold a referendum on EMU membership to recommend a change in the Treaties.

    http://yanisvaroufakis.eu/2015/06/28/as-it-happened-yanis-varoufakis-intervention-during-the-27th-june-2015-eurogroup-meeting/

    Tells you all you need to know about the attitude of the euro-elite to the ordinary voters.
    And of the Greek government to the EU - hold a referendum five days after the deal on the table expires.....
    - and they say the Germans have no sense of humor.
    If this wasn't so desperately serious it would be hysterically funny.....we're well into the 'you couldn't make it up' territory.....
    I fully expect it to be on "News Of The Weird" next week, along with the fact that many killers have the middle name Wayne..

    http://www.newsoftheweird.com/wayne.html
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    dr_spyndr_spyn Posts: 11,288
    Sky News Newsdesk ‏@SkyNewsBreak 1m1 minute ago
    Reuters: chief executive of Piraeus Bank says #Greek banks will not open on Monday.

    Might make settling bar bills a tad more difficult...good day not to be on holiday in Greece.
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    dr_spyndr_spyn Posts: 11,288
    Wayne Kerr, I suppose Mr Kerr might want to murder his parents.
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    Tim_BTim_B Posts: 7,669
    dr_spyn said:

    Sky News Newsdesk ‏@SkyNewsBreak 1m1 minute ago
    Reuters: chief executive of Piraeus Bank says #Greek banks will not open on Monday.

    Might make settling bar bills a tad more difficult...good day not to be on holiday in Greece.

    According to BBC World News, the advice to folks heading to Greece for a vacay is - take lots of cash.
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    dr_spyndr_spyn Posts: 11,288
    Andrew Neil ‏@afneil 55s55 seconds ago
    Greek stock exchange will NOT open tomorrow. Doubt banks will either.
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    dr_spyndr_spyn Posts: 11,288
    Tim_B said:

    dr_spyn said:

    Sky News Newsdesk ‏@SkyNewsBreak 1m1 minute ago
    Reuters: chief executive of Piraeus Bank says #Greek banks will not open on Monday.

    Might make settling bar bills a tad more difficult...good day not to be on holiday in Greece.

    According to BBC World News, the advice to folks heading to Greece for a vacay is - take lots of cash.
    It will be an interesting week to be in Greece. Athens Stock Exchange not opening.
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    MikeLMikeL Posts: 7,289
    edited June 2015
    Danny565 said:

    YouGov Poll:

    Are £12bn welfare cuts the right thing to do?
    Right thing: 40%
    Wrong thing: 42%


    Tax credits
    Govt should restrict people who can claim tax credits: 41%
    Should protect tax credits from cuts: 47%


    Out-of-work benefits
    Should restrict people who can claim out-of-work benefits: 55%
    Should protect out-of-work benefits: 34%


    Child benefit
    Should restrict people who can can claim child benefit: 58%
    Should protect child benefit: 34%


    Old-age benefits
    Should restrict people who can claim old-age benefits: 34%
    Should protect old-age benefits: 59%

    http://d25d2506sfb94s.cloudfront.net/cumulus_uploads/document/7gudda13sb/YG-Archive-Sunday-Times-results-280615.pdf

    If they had said CHILD Tax Credits I wonder if they would have got a result more like the result for Child Benefit than for Tax Credits.

    Lots of talk about Tax Credits subsidising low pay - eg on This Week on Thurs night. But no distinction made between those with children and those without.

    Yes, people on low pay with children are getting huge child tax credits. But people on low pay without children get next to nothing (I know those on very low pay get working tax credit but it is peanuts compared to child tax credits and you get nothing even on a salary of £15k).

    So it is not as simple as saying reduce tax credits and get employers to make up the difference because those with and without children are being treated completely differently.

    And employers, obviously, do not pay differing wages depending upon whether the employee has children.
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    Tim_BTim_B Posts: 7,669
    dr_spyn said:

    Tim_B said:

    dr_spyn said:

    Sky News Newsdesk ‏@SkyNewsBreak 1m1 minute ago
    Reuters: chief executive of Piraeus Bank says #Greek banks will not open on Monday.

    Might make settling bar bills a tad more difficult...good day not to be on holiday in Greece.

    According to BBC World News, the advice to folks heading to Greece for a vacay is - take lots of cash.
    It will be an interesting week to be in Greece. Athens Stock Exchange not opening.
    Interesting yes - good idea NO.
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    calumcalum Posts: 3,046
    edited June 2015
    For anybody not yet following it, I can recommend Bloomberg Politics as another way of keeping tabs of the US race. A classic piece on Donald Trump's recent visit to Baltimore:

    http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-06-24/donald-trump-the-edsel-ford-fung-of-candidates-tells-baltimore-it-s-got-no-spirit-none-

    The best bit:

    " Then, he had dinner—chicken, rice, and green beans—and told the audience that “all due respect,” he hadn’t really wanted to come, but had done so as a favor. That didn’t keep him from speaking for 52 minutes—a State of the Union-length talk, but not so much a political speech as a score-settling march through a list of those against whom he has grievances, including Neil Young, Karl Rove, Cher, Chuck Todd, someone with the Club for Growth whose name he can’t remember—“David something; "
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    Tim_BTim_B Posts: 7,669
    So it's official - Yanis Varoufakis is a drachma queen :)
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    Morris_DancerMorris_Dancer Posts: 60,988
    Mr. Calum, sounds like the best friend of the next Democrat presidential contender. If he runs as an independent, taking Republican votes, he could be a Red Ralph Nader.
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    Tim_BTim_B Posts: 7,669
    calum said:

    For anybody not yet following it, I can recommend Bloomberg Politics as another way of keeping tabs of the US race. A classic piece on Donald Trump's recent visit to Baltimore:

    http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-06-24/donald-trump-the-edsel-ford-fung-of-candidates-tells-baltimore-it-s-got-no-spirit-none-

    The best bit:

    " Then, he had dinner—chicken, rice, and green beans—and told the audience that “all due respect,” he hadn’t really wanted to come, but had done so as a favor. That didn’t keep him from speaking for 52 minutes—a State of the Union-length talk, but not so much a political speech as a score-settling march through a list of those against whom he has grievances, including Neil Young, Karl Rove, Cher, Chuck Todd, someone with the Club for Growth whose name he can’t remember—“David something; "

    I have to say I'm enjoying it. As he says, he's very rich, he knows how to create jobs, he's using his own money, he's not beholden to anyone, he's gloriously non-pc.

    It's refreshing and fun. Of course he hasn't got a cat in hell's chance, but fun none the less.
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    SandpitSandpit Posts: 49,905
    Greek cabinet meeting now - Telegraph.

    "The Greek Financial Stability Council meeting, which ended in the last half an hour, has reportedly agreed to impose capital controls and said there will be a bank holiday next week."

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/11704054/Greek-crisis-live-blog-as-it-happens.html

    Not looking good, is this actually the end game after 7 years?
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    IndigoIndigo Posts: 9,966

    Indigo said:

    Varoufakis:

    European Treaties make provisions for an exit from the EU. They do not make any provisions for an exit from the Eurozone. With good reason, of course, as the indivisibility of our Monetary Union is part of its raison d’ etre. To ask us to phrase the referendum question as a choice involving exit from the Eurozone is to ask us to violate EU Treaties and EU Law. I suggest to anyone who wants us, or anyone else, to hold a referendum on EMU membership to recommend a change in the Treaties.

    http://yanisvaroufakis.eu/2015/06/28/as-it-happened-yanis-varoufakis-intervention-during-the-27th-june-2015-eurogroup-meeting/

    Tells you all you need to know about the attitude of the euro-elite to the ordinary voters.
    And of the Greek government to the EU - hold a referendum five days after the deal on the table expires.....
    horsesh*t.

    The deal was put on the table yesterday, three days before the deal expires, there wasn't the faintest chance at that point that Greece would have been able to consult on that proposal before it expired.

    In any case the facts are beside the point, politics is about perception, it makes the EU look undemocratic and dictatorial and is going to be replayed endlessly by parties that don't like the EU. Along with the minor detail that the bail out does actually benefit Greece other than to give them money so they can continue to reward the French and German banks for the bad lending decisions they made.
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    Morris_DancerMorris_Dancer Posts: 60,988
    Mr. Sandpit, maybe.

    If Greece does leave the eurozone there's still the potential for others to do likewise, or for the EU itself to be left by Greece.
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    calumcalum Posts: 3,046
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    IndigoIndigo Posts: 9,966
    Tim_B said:

    Indigo said:

    Varoufakis:

    European Treaties make provisions for an exit from the EU. They do not make any provisions for an exit from the Eurozone. With good reason, of course, as the indivisibility of our Monetary Union is part of its raison d’ etre. To ask us to phrase the referendum question as a choice involving exit from the Eurozone is to ask us to violate EU Treaties and EU Law. I suggest to anyone who wants us, or anyone else, to hold a referendum on EMU membership to recommend a change in the Treaties.

    http://yanisvaroufakis.eu/2015/06/28/as-it-happened-yanis-varoufakis-intervention-during-the-27th-june-2015-eurogroup-meeting/

    Tells you all you need to know about the attitude of the euro-elite to the ordinary voters.
    And of the Greek government to the EU - hold a referendum five days after the deal on the table expires.....
    But the deal on the table was withdrawn following the announcement of the referendum.

    So the Greek vote will be on proposals that no longer exist.

    - and they say the Germans have no sense of humor.
    Makes the EU look arbitrary and idiotic

    E: Here's a deal we think you can live with
    G: Good, lets ask the people what they think then
    E: How dare you consult your electorate, The offer is withdrawn
  • Options
    calumcalum Posts: 3,046
    If I had "worked" somewhere for 8 years I would hope I would take away a bit more than this:

    https://twitter.com/bpolitics/status/614841231827464192
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    Tim_BTim_B Posts: 7,669
    You can't make this up - the Spacex rocket to resupply the Space Station blew up after launch this morning.

    NASA is holding a press Conference. The President and COO of Spacex is called - - - Gwynne Shotwell.
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    CharlesCharles Posts: 35,758
    geoffw said:

    Charles said:

    ...
    (as an aside, JvN's most significant innovation was the use of equilibrium theory to develop the philosophy of mutually assured destruction...)

    MAD is a game of chicken.
    No, it's not.
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    SquareRootSquareRoot Posts: 7,095
    Its hilarious.
    Ed was never going to win but the unpredicted was the LD wipe-out in the SW, and the almost complete wipe-out of Labour in Scotland. No one predicted the Scottish result as 58? seats to the SNP

    As usual R Nabavi calls it right.
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    RobDRobD Posts: 58,969
    calum said:

    If I had "worked" somewhere for 8 years I would hope I would take away a bit more than this:

    twitter.com/bpolitics/status/614841231827464192

    Sounds like he was joking around with the audience.
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    numbertwelvenumbertwelve Posts: 5,465
    Indigo said:

    Tim_B said:

    Indigo said:

    Varoufakis:

    European Treaties make provisions for an exit from the EU. They do not make any provisions for an exit from the Eurozone. With good reason, of course, as the indivisibility of our Monetary Union is part of its raison d’ etre. To ask us to phrase the referendum question as a choice involving exit from the Eurozone is to ask us to violate EU Treaties and EU Law. I suggest to anyone who wants us, or anyone else, to hold a referendum on EMU membership to recommend a change in the Treaties.

    http://yanisvaroufakis.eu/2015/06/28/as-it-happened-yanis-varoufakis-intervention-during-the-27th-june-2015-eurogroup-meeting/

    Tells you all you need to know about the attitude of the euro-elite to the ordinary voters.
    And of the Greek government to the EU - hold a referendum five days after the deal on the table expires.....
    But the deal on the table was withdrawn following the announcement of the referendum.

    So the Greek vote will be on proposals that no longer exist.

    - and they say the Germans have no sense of humor.
    Makes the EU look arbitrary and idiotic

    E: Here's a deal we think you can live with
    G: Good, lets ask the people what they think then
    E: How dare you consult your electorate, The offer is withdrawn
    Well, yes, we know the EU isn't a fan of referendums.

    That said, this is an unusual situation (and you can understand why they might be peeved) in that the government proposing the referendum on their offer is actually urging the people to reject it. It appears to have been deliberately done to rile the EU.
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    richardDoddrichardDodd Posts: 5,472
    MD..sent you an e..
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    williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 48,079
    Indigo said:

    Tim_B said:

    Indigo said:

    Varoufakis:

    European Treaties make provisions for an exit from the EU. They do not make any provisions for an exit from the Eurozone. With good reason, of course, as the indivisibility of our Monetary Union is part of its raison d’ etre. To ask us to phrase the referendum question as a choice involving exit from the Eurozone is to ask us to violate EU Treaties and EU Law. I suggest to anyone who wants us, or anyone else, to hold a referendum on EMU membership to recommend a change in the Treaties.

    http://yanisvaroufakis.eu/2015/06/28/as-it-happened-yanis-varoufakis-intervention-during-the-27th-june-2015-eurogroup-meeting/

    Tells you all you need to know about the attitude of the euro-elite to the ordinary voters.
    And of the Greek government to the EU - hold a referendum five days after the deal on the table expires.....
    But the deal on the table was withdrawn following the announcement of the referendum.

    So the Greek vote will be on proposals that no longer exist.

    - and they say the Germans have no sense of humor.
    Makes the EU look arbitrary and idiotic

    E: Here's a deal we think you can live with
    G: Good, lets ask the people what they think then
    E: How dare you consult your electorate, The offer is withdrawn
    If Tsipras were calling for a Yes vote then I'm sure a temporary extension would have been granted until after the referendum. The fact that he wants a No vote, after not previously suggesting he would call a referendum makes him an extremely unreliable negotiating partner.
  • Options
    IndigoIndigo Posts: 9,966

    Indigo said:

    Tim_B said:

    Indigo said:

    Varoufakis:

    European Treaties make provisions for an exit from the EU. They do not make any provisions for an exit from the Eurozone. With good reason, of course, as the indivisibility of our Monetary Union is part of its raison d’ etre. To ask us to phrase the referendum question as a choice involving exit from the Eurozone is to ask us to violate EU Treaties and EU Law. I suggest to anyone who wants us, or anyone else, to hold a referendum on EMU membership to recommend a change in the Treaties.

    http://yanisvaroufakis.eu/2015/06/28/as-it-happened-yanis-varoufakis-intervention-during-the-27th-june-2015-eurogroup-meeting/

    Tells you all you need to know about the attitude of the euro-elite to the ordinary voters.
    And of the Greek government to the EU - hold a referendum five days after the deal on the table expires.....
    But the deal on the table was withdrawn following the announcement of the referendum.

    So the Greek vote will be on proposals that no longer exist.

    - and they say the Germans have no sense of humor.
    Makes the EU look arbitrary and idiotic

    E: Here's a deal we think you can live with
    G: Good, lets ask the people what they think then
    E: How dare you consult your electorate, The offer is withdrawn
    Well, yes, we know the EU isn't a fan of referendums.

    That said, this is an unusual situation (and you can understand why they might be peeved) in that the government proposing the referendum on their offer is actually urging the people to reject it. It appears to have been deliberately done to rile the EU.
    We might be in the same situation. If Cameron gets short shrift on his renegotiation...
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    Morris_DancerMorris_Dancer Posts: 60,988
    Mr. Dodd, cheers. Hasn't come through yet, but if you've only just sent it, it might just need a minute.
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    Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 25,466
    FPT
    HYUFD said:

    LuckyGuy1983 Regardless of what the late Malcolm Fraser says, John Howard was the most fully pro-US Australian PM for decades and stood shoulder to shoulder with George W Bush and sent Australian troops into Afghanistan and Iraq, he won 4 successive elections.

    Considering the cuts we are presently making to defence obviously we may have to rely on the Americans to fund some of our security

    Not sure why you are continuing your irrelevant point about Australia. Like I said, it's their issue to sort out, ours is ours.

    And what do the US get for this funding of our security? We're the 6th largest economy in the world, and you think it's ok for a foreign power, with it's own agenda, to own our security services? Do you not realise that by owning our security, they own our foreign policy? And you imply that *I'm* disloyal for keeping a level head on Russia.

  • Options
    CharlesCharles Posts: 35,758
    Tim_B said:

    calum said:

    For anybody not yet following it, I can recommend Bloomberg Politics as another way of keeping tabs of the US race. A classic piece on Donald Trump's recent visit to Baltimore:

    http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-06-24/donald-trump-the-edsel-ford-fung-of-candidates-tells-baltimore-it-s-got-no-spirit-none-

    The best bit:

    " Then, he had dinner—chicken, rice, and green beans—and told the audience that “all due respect,” he hadn’t really wanted to come, but had done so as a favor. That didn’t keep him from speaking for 52 minutes—a State of the Union-length talk, but not so much a political speech as a score-settling march through a list of those against whom he has grievances, including Neil Young, Karl Rove, Cher, Chuck Todd, someone with the Club for Growth whose name he can’t remember—“David something; "

    I have to say I'm enjoying it. As he says, he's very rich, he knows how to create jobs, he's using his own money, he's not beholden to anyone, he's gloriously non-pc.

    It's refreshing and fun. Of course he hasn't got a cat in hell's chance, but fun none the less.
    It's also not true. He got rich using Other People's Money.

    His gift was to convince the banks into lending him more despite repeated bankruptcies
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    CharlesCharles Posts: 35,758
    calum said:

    If I had "worked" somewhere for 8 years I would hope I would take away a bit more than this:

    twitter.com/bpolitics/status/614841231827464192

    Do you think he might be speaking, y'know, tongue in cheek?
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    Tim_BTim_B Posts: 7,669
    edited June 2015
    Charles said:

    Tim_B said:

    calum said:

    For anybody not yet following it, I can recommend Bloomberg Politics as another way of keeping tabs of the US race. A classic piece on Donald Trump's recent visit to Baltimore:

    http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-06-24/donald-trump-the-edsel-ford-fung-of-candidates-tells-baltimore-it-s-got-no-spirit-none-

    The best bit:

    " Then, he had dinner—chicken, rice, and green beans—and told the audience that “all due respect,” he hadn’t really wanted to come, but had done so as a favor. That didn’t keep him from speaking for 52 minutes—a State of the Union-length talk, but not so much a political speech as a score-settling march through a list of those against whom he has grievances, including Neil Young, Karl Rove, Cher, Chuck Todd, someone with the Club for Growth whose name he can’t remember—“David something; "

    I have to say I'm enjoying it. As he says, he's very rich, he knows how to create jobs, he's using his own money, he's not beholden to anyone, he's gloriously non-pc.

    It's refreshing and fun. Of course he hasn't got a cat in hell's chance, but fun none the less.
    It's also not true. He got rich using Other People's Money.

    His gift was to convince the banks into lending him more despite repeated bankruptcies
    What's not true - he's not rich or he didn't create jobs?
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    CharlesCharles Posts: 35,758
    edited June 2015
    Tim_B said:

    Charles said:

    Tim_B said:

    calum said:

    For anybody not yet following it, I can recommend Bloomberg Politics as another way of keeping tabs of the US race. A classic piece on Donald Trump's recent visit to Baltimore:

    http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-06-24/donald-trump-the-edsel-ford-fung-of-candidates-tells-baltimore-it-s-got-no-spirit-none-

    The best bit:

    " Then, he had dinner—chicken, rice, and green beans—and told the audience that “all due respect,” he hadn’t really wanted to come, but had done so as a favor. That didn’t keep him from speaking for 52 minutes—a State of the Union-length talk, but not so much a political speech as a score-settling march through a list of those against whom he has grievances, including Neil Young, Karl Rove, Cher, Chuck Todd, someone with the Club for Growth whose name he can’t remember—“David something; "

    I have to say I'm enjoying it. As he says, he's very rich, he knows how to create jobs, he's using his own money, he's not beholden to anyone, he's gloriously non-pc.

    It's refreshing and fun. Of course he hasn't got a cat in hell's chance, but fun none the less.
    It's also not true. He got rich using Other People's Money.

    His gift was to convince the banks into lending him more despite repeated bankruptcies
    What's not true - he's not rich or he didn't create jobs?
    That he used his own money to create jobs.
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    calumcalum Posts: 3,046
    Charles said:

    calum said:

    If I had "worked" somewhere for 8 years I would hope I would take away a bit more than this:

    twitter.com/bpolitics/status/614841231827464192

    Do you think he might be speaking, y'know, tongue in cheek?
    These guys are great, informative satire with a bit of irony and sarcasm thrown in.
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    sladeslade Posts: 1,932
    Charles said:

    Tim_B said:

    geoffw said:

    Indigo upthread told us that Varoufakis is a world expert on "Games (sic) Theory".
    No doubt the game of "chicken" is to his liking:
    From Wikipedia: 'The game of chicken, also known as the hawk-dove game or snowdrift game, is an influential model of conflict for two players in game theory. The principle of the game is that while each player prefers not to yield to the other, the worst possible outcome occurs when both players do not yield.'

    additional comment: The game of chicken was used in the James Dean film "Rebel without a Cause". Perhaps Yanni has modelled himself on the protagonist.

    It's "Game Theory". If you've seen "A Beautiful Mind" you will be familiar with John Forbes Nash Jr who won a Nobel Prize for his work on it.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Forbes_Nash,_Jr.
    Of course, Nash was merely standing on the shoulders of a giant

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_von_Neumann#Game_theory

    (as an aside, JvN's most significant innovation was the use of equilibrium theory to develop the philosophy of mutually assured destruction...)
    Game theory -like classical economics - only works if your make certain a priori assumptions. The two most important ones are that actors are rational and that they have perfect information. There are very few real life situations where this is the case. The Greek debt crisis is not one of them.
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    rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 54,007
    If it is true that Greece is having a combination of a week long bank holiday, and capital controls, then that is undoubtedly the best thing for the Greek people.

    It enables New Drachma notes to be printed, the banks not to go bust, and it enables plans for Grexit on the 5th (if that is the result) to be put in place. It is absolutely the right thing (for Greece) to do, and it slightly increases my confidence that it will not be an absolute shit show for the country.
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    Philip_ThompsonPhilip_Thompson Posts: 65,826
    slade said:

    Charles said:

    Tim_B said:

    geoffw said:

    Indigo upthread told us that Varoufakis is a world expert on "Games (sic) Theory".
    No doubt the game of "chicken" is to his liking:
    From Wikipedia: 'The game of chicken, also known as the hawk-dove game or snowdrift game, is an influential model of conflict for two players in game theory. The principle of the game is that while each player prefers not to yield to the other, the worst possible outcome occurs when both players do not yield.'

    additional comment: The game of chicken was used in the James Dean film "Rebel without a Cause". Perhaps Yanni has modelled himself on the protagonist.

    It's "Game Theory". If you've seen "A Beautiful Mind" you will be familiar with John Forbes Nash Jr who won a Nobel Prize for his work on it.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Forbes_Nash,_Jr.
    Of course, Nash was merely standing on the shoulders of a giant

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_von_Neumann#Game_theory

    (as an aside, JvN's most significant innovation was the use of equilibrium theory to develop the philosophy of mutually assured destruction...)
    Game theory -like classical economics - only works if your make certain a priori assumptions. The two most important ones are that actors are rational and that they have perfect information. There are very few real life situations where this is the case. The Greek debt crisis is not one of them.
    Actually game theory is unusual in economics in specifically ruling out perfect information. That is why in the classic and simplistic "Prisoner's Dilemma" both should rationally confess despite the ideal being both stay quiet - because they don't have perfect information.

    Part of the problem here is that the media is dumbing down game theory to its most basic examples. It is a complicated field and dumbing it down and pretending that you can predict behaviour from it and get the ideal outcome is absurdly simplistic.
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    Tim_BTim_B Posts: 7,669
    Charles said:

    Tim_B said:

    Charles said:

    Tim_B said:

    calum said:

    For anybody not yet following it, I can recommend Bloomberg Politics as another way of keeping tabs of the US race. A classic piece on Donald Trump's recent visit to Baltimore:

    http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-06-24/donald-trump-the-edsel-ford-fung-of-candidates-tells-baltimore-it-s-got-no-spirit-none-

    The best bit:

    " Then, he had dinner—chicken, rice, and green beans—and told the audience that “all due respect,” he hadn’t really wanted to come, but had done so as a favor. That didn’t keep him from speaking for 52 minutes—a State of the Union-length talk, but not so much a political speech as a score-settling march through a list of those against whom he has grievances, including Neil Young, Karl Rove, Cher, Chuck Todd, someone with the Club for Growth whose name he can’t remember—“David something; "

    I have to say I'm enjoying it. As he says, he's very rich, he knows how to create jobs, he's using his own money, he's not beholden to anyone, he's gloriously non-pc.

    It's refreshing and fun. Of course he hasn't got a cat in hell's chance, but fun none the less.
    It's also not true. He got rich using Other People's Money.

    His gift was to convince the banks into lending him more despite repeated bankruptcies
    What's not true - he's not rich or he didn't create jobs?
    That he used his own money to create jobs.
    Who said he did?

    He's using his own money to run for prez. Most folks who are rich had investors to help them.

    Really? You really are that much biased?
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    Philip_ThompsonPhilip_Thompson Posts: 65,826
    rcs1000 said:

    It enables New Drachma notes to be printed, the banks not to go bust, and it enables plans for Grexit on the 5th (if that is the result) to be put in place.

    If its not the result, then what? The rest of Europe has ran out of patience with Tsipiras now and if the Greeks vote Yes then he can't be trusted to implement the policy he opposed. Then what?
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    williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 48,079
    rcs1000 said:

    It enables New Drachma notes to be printed, the banks not to go bust, and it enables plans for Grexit on the 5th (if that is the result) to be put in place.

    So you think Tsipras is lying to everyone about the meaning of the referendum question?
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    williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 48,079

    rcs1000 said:

    It enables New Drachma notes to be printed, the banks not to go bust, and it enables plans for Grexit on the 5th (if that is the result) to be put in place.

    If its not the result, then what? The rest of Europe has ran out of patience with Tsipiras now and if the Greeks vote Yes then he can't be trusted to implement the policy he opposed. Then what?
    If the people vote Yes it's much more clear cut. Tsipras will have to resign and call new elections.
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