@graeme_from_IT: "Wow, check the size of that tailback on the #KincardineBridge! So glad of ma wee chopper" #ForthRoadBridgeClosure https://t.co/bZBljTPP3y
The link in the tweet on the Forth bridge story is wrong ...
One of the many curiosities of the EU debate is how incredibly parochial it is. I was listening to Ian Duncan MEP on Saturday who said that almost no one in Brussels was even thinking about a Brexit or the terms of any UK renegotiation. They are absolutely focussed on the migration crisis and the continuing travails of the EZ.
Overnight we have had the FN win the largest share of the vote in France with 30.8%. A FN win at the next Presidential elections (admittedly a bit off) would make our debates irrelevant. There would not be an EU in its current form for us to decide whether we wanted to be a part of or not.
Not sure IDS is correct. I was in Brussels last week talking to Commission and European parliament people - albeit it at a relatively low level - and all of them mentioned the referendum. They were worried about it, but thought that there would be a Remain vote. I got the strong impression that the UK government has been briefing pretty extensively on this and has been doing a lot of reassuring.
Pedant alert: I don't think Ian Duncan = IDS (Iain)
Correct. To be honest he looks more like Prince Charles and when he speaks he does the hand thing. Much more intelligent of course.
Remain is value at 1/2. It would probably value at 1/3, too.
Do any other punters take a view?
It's not value at present. Too many things can happen before the vote.
Agreed. Who knows what will happen between now and the vote. Sell the favourite.
I think that's right.
I think Leave's odds will shorten significantly at some point. Remain really needs to open up a commanding poll lead to justify its odds and it's not doing that.
Imo Remain's trump card is the assumed backing of Cameron. We have polling showing that he is listened to on this subject across the electorate. But Cameron himself will have his travails, mid-term slump, ebbing of authority as a lame duck. If Cameron's personal ratings drop then imo Remain is in serious trouble.
Fwiw I am pro-Remain myself. I'm not confident. I'm not despairing either but I think it's very possible that an insurgent wave will carry us out of the EU.
Discussion here hasn't included the possibility that a significant number of voters will think the joke is either true or, more likely, close enough to the truth to be a good pastiche. A lot of the internet myths that get circulated are equally obviously nonsense, but people send them on all the same, filled with indignation.
I remember one which claimed that immgrants got £200/week while British pensioners only got £50. It was sent to me (when an MP) by an angry pensioner. I asked him if he really only got £50/week. He said "No, but I'm sure it's true for many pensioners". The point was that he had the general feeling that immigrants were treated better than pensioners, and he wasn't that bothered about the details. In the same way, a lot of people believe the stuff about straight bananas etc. and a jokey reference to it stirs the pot.
The answer to that isn't to be scornful (where does that get us?) but to address the underlying notions patiently. The most apparently reasonable person in an argument has a good shot at winning it.
Mr. Wanderer, I'll likely vote Leave, but I think Remain is very likely to win. Consider the backers of each side.
Remain - Cameron, most of the Conservative leadership, Labour, the Lib Dems, the SNP, the BBC, big business.
Leave - UKIP, some Conservatives, a small smattering from other parties, perhaps a majority of print media
The other two votes of a like nature (AV and Scotland) both had the status quo winning. And Cameron was on the winning side in both. Farage won't sway anyone to Leave, and whilst he'll fire up the enthusiasts (well, some), he'll put off centrists who might otherwise float to Leave.
There are, of course, events. These have been less helpful for Remain recently (namely the eurozone crisis and the Schengen/migration/Mad Merkel crisis).
btw I've just had a look at young Straw's wiki page, he is the epitome of a careerist politician, his profile sums up what is wrong with politics in this country. PPE at Oxford, son of an MP, never had a job, spad to Brown, need I go on...........no doubt if we stay he'll have lined himself up a cushy job in Brussels.
'never had a proper job' yawn yawn yawn yawn. Tiresome. Is that all you have to say? Spouting this rubbish (and you are by no means alone) is no more than guilt by association. Straw can be criticised for what he thinks says and does. That ought to be enough.
I believe effective politics is based on "gradualism". You want to achieve an objective but that pesky democracy prevents you. Introduce a minor bill that goes a small way towards it and claim that's all you intend. Once it's been around for a while, you add to it gradually. The British Public need to be treated as the frog in the boiling water.
That's why I don't trust those sort of politicians. There are many examples. Even the "straight-talking" Jezza is up to it. If he'd said ... "I want to see a UK ruled on hard left lines, based on Marxist thinking," he'd have struggled to get elected. His colleagues knew his politics but let him loose anyway.
First Mrs Rochester, now the "nutter on the bus." There's no excuse for them at all.
@graeme_from_IT: "Wow, check the size of that tailback on the #KincardineBridge! So glad of ma wee chopper" #ForthRoadBridgeClosure https://t.co/bZBljTPP3y
If true, it makes Malc's complaints that any problems were down to lack of maintenance by the unionist party seem rather odd ...
Already claims and counter-claims are being made as to how the closure of the bridge has come about, but two things are certain and neither of them absolve the SNP. The first is that the Forth Road Bridge is the sole responsibility of the Scottish Government that has been in power since 2007 and which received a report in 2009 detailing the structural faults that required maintenance.
These were costed at £10m but were then shelved indefinitely. Whatever the reason for the delay in attending to the impending failure of the bridge it is not good enough to pass the blame on to the government’s agency, Transport Scotland.....
.....The second difficulty for ministers is that it was the SNP which introduced the abolition of the tolls on the Forth Road Bridge and was made aware of the impact on public finances when it passed the legislation to do so.
The Forth Road Bridge tolls generated an annual income of £12m that could have gone towards the maintenance of the bridge. This was an important consideration, some £60m has been foregone over the past five years that could have gone towards contracts of £10m to replace those bearings and joints as well as the suspended span painting costing £65m. Blaming Westminster’s austerity economics will not wash when such key decisions are made in Edinburgh
Discussion here hasn't included the possibility that a significant number of voters will think the joke is either true or, more likely, close enough to the truth to be a good pastiche. A lot of the internet myths that get circulated are equally obviously nonsense, but people send them on all the same, filled with indignation.
I remember one which claimed that immgrants got £200/week while British pensioners only got £50. It was sent to me (when an MP) by an angry pensioner. I asked him if he really only got £50/week. He said "No, but I'm sure it's true for many pensioners". The point was that he had the general feeling that immigrants were treated better than pensioners, and he wasn't that bothered about the details. In the same way, a lot of people believe the stuff about straight bananas etc. and a jokey reference to it stirs the pot.
The answer to that isn't to be scornful (where does that get us?) but to address the underlying notions patiently. The most apparently reasonable person in an argument has a good shot at winning it.
Hmm...you could argue it is subtle and complex analysis of the tensions between the brash US dominated image from a Coke advert and the older more complex European history as well.
So principled that despite what he has reported since to be deep and longstanding problems with the Conservative Party that no principled person could accept, he pretended for ages to still be on board with Cameron and co.
But I kid, he seems a decent sort, taking stands for things when he doesn't have to, even if he has a tendency sometimes to portray any of his ideas as grand stands for reform even when it's a minor thing.
Presumably he feels passionately about the very principled view that the UK should be governed by the UK government! (Shock horror). Which, at its very core, means he is a democrat. The BIG problem with the EU is that it is fundamentally not democractic. How can you vote to kick out the buggers / a government you don't like or to change direction from time to time? You can't.
@graeme_from_IT: "Wow, check the size of that tailback on the #KincardineBridge! So glad of ma wee chopper" #ForthRoadBridgeClosure https://t.co/bZBljTPP3y
If true, it makes Malc's complaints that any problems were down to lack of maintenance by the unionist party seem rather odd ...
Already claims and counter-claims are being made as to how the closure of the bridge has come about, but two things are certain and neither of them absolve the SNP. The first is that the Forth Road Bridge is the sole responsibility of the Scottish Government that has been in power since 2007 and which received a report in 2009 detailing the structural faults that required maintenance.
These were costed at £10m but were then shelved indefinitely. Whatever the reason for the delay in attending to the impending failure of the bridge it is not good enough to pass the blame on to the government’s agency, Transport Scotland.....
.....The second difficulty for ministers is that it was the SNP which introduced the abolition of the tolls on the Forth Road Bridge and was made aware of the impact on public finances when it passed the legislation to do so.
The Forth Road Bridge tolls generated an annual income of £12m that could have gone towards the maintenance of the bridge. This was an important consideration, some £60m has been foregone over the past five years that could have gone towards contracts of £10m to replace those bearings and joints as well as the suspended span painting costing £65m. Blaming Westminster’s austerity economics will not wash when such key decisions are made in Edinburgh
The devil will be in the details. The engineering report came up with the £10 million to be spent (*) might have had other clauses such as "if this work is not done in the next two years, then a and b may occur."
It might be the decision not to do / delay the work was valid, if the consequences of not doing it were relatively minor. But generally, politicians are much keener on brand new infrastructure than spending money on maintaining the old. The US has a massive problem with this atm.
(*) From what I've read, an issue would be that this particular member was not meant to crack: others in its immediate area were. Therefore even the £10 million package may not have helped. They may have uncovered the problem whilst doing it, though.
Discussion here hasn't included the possibility that a significant number of voters will think the joke is either true or, more likely, close enough to the truth to be a good pastiche. A lot of the internet myths that get circulated are equally obviously nonsense, but people send them on all the same, filled with indignation.
I remember one which claimed that immgrants got £200/week while British pensioners only got £50. It was sent to me (when an MP) by an angry pensioner. I asked him if he really only got £50/week. He said "No, but I'm sure it's true for many pensioners". The point was that he had the general feeling that immigrants were treated better than pensioners, and he wasn't that bothered about the details. In the same way, a lot of people believe the stuff about straight bananas etc. and a jokey reference to it stirs the pot.
The answer to that isn't to be scornful (where does that get us?) but to address the underlying notions patiently. The most apparently reasonable person in an argument has a good shot at winning it.
Hmm...you could argue it is subtle and complex analysis of the tensions between the brash US dominated image from a Coke advert and the older more complex European history as well.
Or you could just accept its ridiculous.
And the EU does have regulations on the curvature of bananas, quite detailed ones.
So principled that despite what he has reported since to be deep and longstanding problems with the Conservative Party that no principled person could accept, he pretended for ages to still be on board with Cameron and co.
But I kid, he seems a decent sort, taking stands for things when he doesn't have to, even if he has a tendency sometimes to portray any of his ideas as grand stands for reform even when it's a minor thing.
I think his fault, if you can call it that, is that he's an ideallist rather than a pragmatist. Read his two books. Genuinely well written and insightful. I think the problem you describe was that he was told one thing by Cameron repeatedly and that kept him just onside enough.
It's vaguely ludicrous that he's in UKIP, mind. In an ideal PR world (arf) there'd be a small splinter party of him, Hannan and a few others, that'd get 5 ish % as a posh-UKIP.
Until the farting about the HoL has indulged in - I was pretty sanguine about the make up inc religious leaders.
Given how increasingly divisive religion has become in the UK - I want them out. All of them. And ditto State faith schools, and maybe even private faith schools.
I've always been a live and let live sort - but Islam has brought too many issues with it and whilst I don't want to punish the good for the bad apples, I'm not sure we can just restrict one faith.
@graeme_from_IT: "Wow, check the size of that tailback on the #KincardineBridge! So glad of ma wee chopper" #ForthRoadBridgeClosure https://t.co/bZBljTPP3y
If true, it makes Malc's complaints that any problems were down to lack of maintenance by the unionist party seem rather odd ...
Already claims and counter-claims are being made as to how the closure of the bridge has come about, but two things are certain and neither of them absolve the SNP. The first is that the Forth Road Bridge is the sole responsibility of the Scottish Government that has been in power since 2007 and which received a report in 2009 detailing the structural faults that required maintenance.
These were costed at £10m but were then shelved indefinitely. Whatever the reason for the delay in attending to the impending failure of the bridge it is not good enough to pass the blame on to the government’s agency, Transport Scotland.....
.....The second difficulty for ministers is that it was the SNP which introduced the abolition of the tolls on the Forth Road Bridge and was made aware of the impact on public finances when it passed the legislation to do so.
The Forth Road Bridge tolls generated an annual income of £12m that could have gone towards the maintenance of the bridge. This was an important consideration, some £60m has been foregone over the past five years that could have gone towards contracts of £10m to replace those bearings and joints as well as the suspended span painting costing £65m. Blaming Westminster’s austerity economics will not wash when such key decisions are made in Edinburgh
From what I've read, an issue would be that this particular member was not meant to crack: others in its immediate area were. Therefore even the £10 million package may not have helped. They may have uncovered the problem whilst doing it, though.
Yes - it's quite possible the crack would have happened even with maintenance - however - it happened on the SNP's watch, after they have been in power for 8 years, given up £60 million in revenue which could have been used for maintenance - and had a high flying politician as Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure from 2012-2014.
She's since been promoted.
Nothing could have distracted her from those responsibilities, could it?
Also the SNP appear to think the Transport Portfolio at Ministerial level also sits well with 'Housing', 'Veterans' and 'Climate Change' (along with "Infrastructure" and "Islands", which arguably do have some synergies).
Discussion here hasn't included the possibility that a significant number of voters will think the joke is either true or, more likely, close enough to the truth to be a good pastiche. A lot of the internet myths that get circulated are equally obviously nonsense, but people send them on all the same, filled with indignation.
I remember one which claimed that immgrants got £200/week while British pensioners only got £50. It was sent to me (when an MP) by an angry pensioner. I asked him if he really only got £50/week. He said "No, but I'm sure it's true for many pensioners". The point was that he had the general feeling that immigrants were treated better than pensioners, and he wasn't that bothered about the details. In the same way, a lot of people believe the stuff about straight bananas etc. and a jokey reference to it stirs the pot.
The answer to that isn't to be scornful (where does that get us?) but to address the underlying notions patiently. The most apparently reasonable person in an argument has a good shot at winning it.
Hmm...you could argue it is subtle and complex analysis of the tensions between the brash US dominated image from a Coke advert and the older more complex European history as well.
Or you could just accept its ridiculous.
And the EU does have regulations on the curvature of bananas, quite detailed ones.
@graeme_from_IT: "Wow, check the size of that tailback on the #KincardineBridge! So glad of ma wee chopper" #ForthRoadBridgeClosure https://t.co/bZBljTPP3y
If true, it makes Malc's complaints that any problems were down to lack of maintenance by the unionist party seem rather odd ...
.....The second difficulty for ministers is that it was the SNP which introduced the abolition of the tolls on the Forth Road Bridge and was made aware of the impact on public finances when it passed the legislation to do so.
The Forth Road Bridge tolls generated an annual income of £12m that could have gone towards the maintenance of the bridge. This was an important consideration, some £60m has been foregone over the past five years that could have gone towards contracts of £10m to replace those bearings and joints as well as the suspended span painting costing £65m. Blaming Westminster’s austerity economics will not wash when such key decisions are made in Edinburgh
From what I've read, an issue would be that this particular member was not meant to crack: others in its immediate area were. Therefore even the £10 million package may not have helped. They may have uncovered the problem whilst doing it, though.
Yes - it's quite possible the crack would have happened even with maintenance - however - it happened on the SNP's watch, after they have been in power for 8 years, given up £60 million in revenue which could have been used for maintenance - and had a high flying politician as Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure from 2012-2014.
She's since been promoted.
Nothing could have distracted her from those responsibilities, could it?
Also the SNP appear to think the Transport Portfolio at Ministerial level also sits well with 'Housing', 'Veterans' and 'Climate Change' (along with "Infrastructure" and "Islands", which arguably do have some synergies).
Some engineering opinion that the bridge will never take heavy vehicles again. Some of that opinion is that it may never reopen.
SNP have been trying to burn bridges with the South for decades - turns out metal fatigue is a more effective method.
Meanwhile Nicola is lecturing everyone on "climate change" in Paris.
Discussion here hasn't included the possibility that a significant number of voters will think the joke is either true or, more likely, close enough to the truth to be a good pastiche. A lot of the internet myths that get circulated are equally obviously nonsense, but people send them on all the same, filled with indignation.
I remember one which claimed that immgrants got £200/week while British pensioners only got £50. It was sent to me (when an MP) by an angry pensioner. I asked him if he really only got £50/week. He said "No, but I'm sure it's true for many pensioners". The point was that he had the general feeling that immigrants were treated better than pensioners, and he wasn't that bothered about the details. In the same way, a lot of people believe the stuff about straight bananas etc. and a jokey reference to it stirs the pot.
The answer to that isn't to be scornful (where does that get us?) but to address the underlying notions patiently. The most apparently reasonable person in an argument has a good shot at winning it.
Hmm...you could argue it is subtle and complex analysis of the tensions between the brash US dominated image from a Coke advert and the older more complex European history as well.
Or you could just accept its ridiculous.
And the EU does have regulations on the curvature of bananas, quite detailed ones.
Until the farting about the HoL has indulged in - I was pretty sanguine about the make up inc religious leaders.
Given how increasingly divisive religion has become in the UK - I want them out. All of them. And ditto State faith schools, and maybe even private faith schools.
I've always been a live and let live sort - but Islam has brought too many issues with it and whilst I don't want to punish the good for the bad apples, I'm not sure we can just restrict one faith.
Getting rid of the Bishops from the House of Lords would increase the ratio of Christians in that place.
Sadly I came to the same conclusion about faith schools. Islam is not in the same innocuous state that CofEngland is. But we cannot just ban Islamic schools, so all must go.
Until the farting about the HoL has indulged in - I was pretty sanguine about the make up inc religious leaders.
Given how increasingly divisive religion has become in the UK - I want them out. All of them. And ditto State faith schools, and maybe even private faith schools.
I've always been a live and let live sort - but Islam has brought too many issues with it and whilst I don't want to punish the good for the bad apples, I'm not sure we can just restrict one faith.
Getting rid of the Bishops from the House of Lords would increase the ratio of Christians in that place.
How divisive on religion has become.... Because of the aggressive nature of one religion, the others all now have to suffer? In many parts of England the very best public funded schools are catholic and Church of England, in some cases these schools stand out in the areas they sit.
Why should they suffer because some schools have been run as madrasa?
So principled that despite what he has reported since to be deep and longstanding problems with the Conservative Party that no principled person could accept, he pretended for ages to still be on board with Cameron and co.
But I kid, he seems a decent sort, taking stands for things when he doesn't have to, even if he has a tendency sometimes to portray any of his ideas as grand stands for reform even when it's a minor thing.
A horrible re writing of history there Kle4. Carswell was consistent in his criticism of Cameron and his EU policy and made them absolutely clear from the backbenches and in his writings and interviews.
And if you actually bothered to read any of his writings you will see that he does indeed advocate massive reforms. The supposedly minor things all add up to a comprehensive change in the way we view government.
"If you have had a 3hr flight delay within the last 6 years, EU regulations dictate you're entitled to up to £550 compensation. Reply DELAY for info, STOP optout"
Good old EU sticking up for the little guy!
Maybe the remainers could send a few of these out if it got close?!
"Labour lost a net 24 seats in May: 40 seats were lost to the SNP, 12 seats were won from the Liberal Democrats and a net 2 seats won from the Conservatives. The Conservatives gained a net 28 seats, 27 of them from the Liberal Democrats. If the SNP had won no additional seats and the Liberal Democrats had held their seats, the balance between the two major parties would have been almost unchanged from 2010."
btw I've just had a look at young Straw's wiki page, he is the epitome of a careerist politician, his profile sums up what is wrong with politics in this country. PPE at Oxford, son of an MP, never had a job, spad to Brown, need I go on...........no doubt if we stay he'll have lined himself up a cushy job in Brussels.
'never had a proper job' yawn yawn yawn yawn. Tiresome. Is that all you have to say? Spouting this rubbish (and you are by no means alone) is no more than guilt by association. Straw can be criticised for what he thinks says and does. That ought to be enough.
I sometimes wonder if you have ever had a proper job either Flightpath given how divorced from reality you seem to be most of the time.
Regarding religious leaders in the Lords, this is something that needs to be ended not mended.
Adding non-Anglican representatives will make it a great deal harder to end religious representation entirely (as one or more religious groups would be sure to portray it as an assault on their very being blah blah). Also, it would provide a precedent for including representatives of other special-interest groups - charities, unions, etc. This isn't the road to go down.
Everyone has their own pet scheme for elections to the Lords (some like a single term, some want to (try to) exclude party affiliation etc etc). We need to choose one and get on with it.
Until the farting about the HoL has indulged in - I was pretty sanguine about the make up inc religious leaders.
Given how increasingly divisive religion has become in the UK - I want them out. All of them. And ditto State faith schools, and maybe even private faith schools.
I've always been a live and let live sort - but Islam has brought too many issues with it and whilst I don't want to punish the good for the bad apples, I'm not sure we can just restrict one faith.
Getting rid of the Bishops from the House of Lords would increase the ratio of Christians in that place.
How divisive on religion has become.... Because of the aggressive nature of one religion, the others all now have to suffer? In many parts of England the very best public funded schools are catholic and Church of England, in some cases these schools stand out in the areas they sit.
Why should they suffer because some schools have been run as madrasa?
Given the history of aggro between religions since the dawn of time, why did the powers that be think that importing millions of devout followers of one at odds with the established church in this country would be a good idea?
The puzzle is why Carswell ignored the faults with Farage's UKIP before jumping ship. Did he not negotiate any deal with Farage to tackle the known UKIP problems? Carswell could have brought in key reforms to UKIP, particulalry if he teamed up with Reckless. An opportunity lost.
The puzzle is why Carswell ignored the faults with Farage's UKIP before jumping ship. Did he not negotiate any deal with Farage to tackle the known UKIP problems? Carswell could have brought in key reforms to UKIP, particulalry if he teamed up with Reckless. An opportunity lost.
I think he genuinely underestimated just how much of a one man band UKIP is as long as Farage is in charge. Were he to go I would expect a transformation in their level of professionalism and their public persona but as long as good old Nigel thinks it is his baby UKIP will simply not reform in the way I think most of its senior members would like.
One of the many curiosities of the EU debate is how incredibly parochial it is. I was listening to Ian Duncan MEP on Saturday who said that almost no one in Brussels was even thinking about a Brexit or the terms of any UK renegotiation. They are absolutely focussed on the migration crisis and the continuing travails of the EZ.
Overnight we have had the FN win the largest share of the vote in France with 30.8%. A FN win at the next Presidential elections (admittedly a bit off) would make our debates irrelevant. There would not be an EU in its current form for us to decide whether we wanted to be a part of or not.
Not sure IDS is correct. I was in Brussels last week talking to Commission and European parliament people - albeit it at a relatively low level - and all of them mentioned the referendum. They were worried about it, but thought that there would be a Remain vote. I got the strong impression that the UK government has been briefing pretty extensively on this and has been doing a lot of reassuring.
Pedant alert: I don't think Ian Duncan = IDS (Iain)
Correct. To be honest he looks more like Prince Charles and when he speaks he does the hand thing. Much more intelligent of course.
Apropos of nothing in particular, but George, of Gilbert & George, speaks exactly like Prince Charles. Which might be perhaps potentially shocking for some of their less conventional fans.
The puzzle is why Carswell ignored the faults with Farage's UKIP before jumping ship. Did he not negotiate any deal with Farage to tackle the known UKIP problems? Carswell could have brought in key reforms to UKIP, particulalry if he teamed up with Reckless. An opportunity lost.
I think he genuinely underestimated just how much of a one man band UKIP is as long as Farage is in charge. Were he to go I would expect a transformation in their level of professionalism and their public persona but as long as good old Nigel thinks it is his baby UKIP will simply not reform in the way I think most of its senior members would like.
The economic consequences for central Scotland arising from this bridge closure are really quite hard to overestimate. Tens of thousands of Financial Service workers in the Gyle and elsewhere in Edinburgh live north of the Forth where housing is cheaper. They are going to find it incredibly difficult to get to work and will end up working shorter days.
Before the bridge shut some of the commuter trains from Fife were already not being allowed to open their doors at various stations because of the dangers of overcrowding. There is no spare capacity. The consequences for Edinburgh's shops in the run up to Christmas will be severe as well.
On Friday night the chaos went as far west as Stirling. I had a very difficult journey home and have booked additional accommodation in Edinburgh over the next few weeks. But not everyone can do that.
If maintenance was indeed cut back because of the abolition of the tolls that would be a major scandal. The story may prove to be more complex than that though.
Mr. Eagles, religions have been started for worse reasons.
Christianity, one woman's excuse about adultery that got way out of hand.
Even as a teenager sitting (forcibly) in church the virgin birth bothered me because I thought that poor old Joseph, although married to Mary, couldn't have been getting his leg over if she was still a virgin. I concluded the whole thing was a fairy story shortly after and never looked back.
Re the Euro ref, if as SouthamObserver claims, the bureaucrats in Brussels are really concerned about a Brexit I reckon we should all pretend we are going to vote for leaving and tell the pollsters that. EU would then give us all we want and it would save Dave having to bother with his "negotiation" charade
growth has been revised down from 2.2 per cent to 1.9 per cent for 2015 and 1.8 per cent in 2016 – compared with UK growth of 2.5 per cent and 2.4 per cent over this period, according to Ernst and Young.
There hasn't been anything in the past year or two that might have discouraged business investment, has there?
I believe Labour shortlist for Derbyshire PCC selection is
Hardball Dhindsa (current Deputy PCC and Derby Cllr) Gary Godden (former police officer http://www.gary4derbyshirepcc.co.uk) Chris Williamson (Derby North defeated MP)
So principled that despite what he has reported since to be deep and longstanding problems with the Conservative Party that no principled person could accept, he pretended for ages to still be on board with Cameron and co.
But I kid, he seems a decent sort, taking stands for things when he doesn't have to, even if he has a tendency sometimes to portray any of his ideas as grand stands for reform even when it's a minor thing.
A horrible re writing of history there Kle4. Carswell was consistent in his criticism of Cameron and his EU policy and made them absolutely clear from the backbenches and in his writings and interviews.
And if you actually bothered to read any of his writings you will see that he does indeed advocate massive reforms. The supposedly minor things all add up to a comprehensive change in the way we view government.
A horrible misreading of what I wrote - I said he portrays 'any' of his ideas as grand stands for reform 'even when' it's a minor thing. I am well aware he does have some great ideas for reform in big ways, and some less great ones which are still big. I should have 'sometimes' he has a tendency to portray the small ones as grand ones as well.
And I know he was consistent in his criticism of EU policy. My problem with Carswell is he went overboard is describing how awful it was in the Conservative party for a long long time once he left, which undermined his stance as principled, which I do believe it was. That he was unhappy and eventually found it necessary to go makes sense, but he made it sound so bad that only an idiot would have stayed for as long as he did. And he is clearly not an idiot. I put it down to new convert syndrome, going overboard in his description of that time to explain why he made the change, but leading inadvertedntly to the question 'why now?'
I actually like Carswell, he's different and comes up with ideas (not all ones I support, but he's a thinker, that's for sure), and going for a by-election when he didn't need to shows great character. Perhaps before you accuse people of not bothing to read any of his writings and assuming they are attacking the man from a position of dislike and ignorance, you could take the time to see a nuanced comment for what it was.
The puzzle is why Carswell ignored the faults with Farage's UKIP before jumping ship. Did he not negotiate any deal with Farage to tackle the known UKIP problems? Carswell could have brought in key reforms to UKIP, particulalry if he teamed up with Reckless. An opportunity lost.
I think he genuinely underestimated just how much of a one man band UKIP is as long as Farage is in charge. Were he to go I would expect a transformation in their level of professionalism and their public persona but as long as good old Nigel thinks it is his baby UKIP will simply not reform in the way I think most of its senior members would like.
Is there any particular successor you would favour or tip?
You (either single or plural) attack the SNP in one thread with three posts running climaxing at 3.21am (with no-body else left on the site) and then get up at 7.28am on this thread - to attack the SNP again!
How much impact this will have is questionable. Having survived 13,600 of your (single or plural) insights the NATS will probably survive a few more!
My conclusion is that either you (plural) are the Tory research department in which case you should have better things to do like looking for the bogus battalions of 70,000 troops or alternatively you (single) very badly need some sleep.
If it is the latter then it really will make you feel better and oh don't forget the tablets.
There is potentially a parallel between Henry VIII's time and ours. The English no doubt thought they had a strong negotiating position given the upheavals through the Catholic Church at the time. But it transpired that Rome was preoccupied with much narrower politics and as a result a split that suited neither side came to pass.
Diarmuid McCulloch's book on the Reformation suggests that the split in the Catholic church and the rise of Protestantism came about for all sorts of reasons, of which Henry VIII's little local difficulties were way way down the list. As with much British commentary on European matters, the British overstate their importance and their role in much larger forces.
As for Charles and his "Defender of Faith" nonsense, he is an arse, neither apparently understanding the monarchy's history nor understanding that some faiths (most, in fact) are incompatible in their world views.
A horrible re writing of history there Kle4. Carswell was consistent in his criticism of Cameron and his EU policy and made them absolutely clear from the backbenches and in his writings anay we view government.
A horrible misreading of what I wrote - I said he portrays 'any' of his ideas as grand stands for reform 'even when' it's a minor thing. I am well aware he does have some great ideas for reform in big ways, and some less great ones which are still big. I should have 'sometimes' he has a tendency to portray the small ones as grand ones as well.
And I know he was consistent in his criticism of EU policy. My problem with Carswell is he went overboard is describing how awful it was in the Conservative party for a long long time once he left, which undermined his stance as principled, which I do believe it was. That he was unhappy and eventually found it necessary to go makes sense, but he made it sound so bad that only an idiot would have stayed for as long as he did. And he is clearly not an idiot. I put it down to new convert syndrome, going overboard in his description of that time to explain why he made the change, but leading inadvertedntly to the question 'why now?'
I actually like Carswell, he's different and comes up with ideas (not all ones I support, but he's a thinker, that's for sure), and going for a by-election when he didn't need to shows great character. Perhaps before you accuse people of not bothing to read any of his writings and assuming they are attacking the man from a position of dislike and ignorance, you could take the time to see a nuanced comment for what it was.
Plus, Nige notwithstanding, he is the big fish in a small pool. Nige sure is an irritant, not to say irrelevance, not to say embarrassment, but Douglas is the MP. He has the opportunity either to remould UKIP into something more interesting (post-Farage, and I hope post-name change), or to establish his credentials to go off and do something more interesting himself if it becomes clear that Farage will hold on.
My conclusion is that either you (plural) are the Tory research department in which case you should have better things to do like looking for the bogus battalions of 70,000 troops or alternatively you (single) very badly need some sleep.
If it is the latter then it really will make you feel better and oh don't forget the tablets.
Running out of tin foil?
Meanwhile, on the topic of the Forth Bridge, do you think the Cabinet Secretary with responsibility for Infrastructure from 2012-2014 has any questions to answer, or was her mind elsewhere?
The puzzle is why Carswell ignored the faults with Farage's UKIP before jumping ship. Did he not negotiate any deal with Farage to tackle the known UKIP problems? Carswell could have brought in key reforms to UKIP, particulalry if he teamed up with Reckless. An opportunity lost.
I think he genuinely underestimated just how much of a one man band UKIP is as long as Farage is in charge. Were he to go I would expect a transformation in their level of professionalism and their public persona but as long as good old Nigel thinks it is his baby UKIP will simply not reform in the way I think most of its senior members would like.
Is there any particular successor you would favour or tip?
I am not sure. It depends what sort of party they intend to be. Whatever it is I doubt it will be the sort of party I would hope for as I think the whole direction is towards reactionary populism at the moment. They saw that worked to get the party 4 million votes and think it will work to get them to 10 million. I think they are wrong.
I believe Labour shortlist for Derbyshire PCC selection is
Hardball Dhindsa (current Deputy PCC and Derby Cllr) Gary Godden (former police officer http://www.gary4derbyshirepcc.co.uk) Chris Williamson (Derby North defeated MP)
You (either single or plural) attack the SNP in one thread with three posts running climaxing at 3.21am (with no-body else left on the site) and then get up at 7.28am on this thread - to attack the SNP again!
How much impact this will have is questionable. Having survived 13,600 of your (single or plural) insights the NATS will probably survive a few more!
My conclusion is that either you (plural) are the Tory research department in which case you should have better things to do like looking for the bogus battalions of 70,000 troops or alternatively you (single) very badly need some sleep.
If it is the latter then it really will make you feel better and oh don't forget the tablets.
One shouldn't begrudge an old biddy her climaxing.
I believe Labour shortlist for Derbyshire PCC selection is
Hardball Dhindsa (current Deputy PCC and Derby Cllr) Gary Godden (former police officer http://www.gary4derbyshirepcc.co.uk) Chris Williamson (Derby North defeated MP)
The economic consequences for central Scotland arising from this bridge closure are really quite hard to overestimate. Tens of thousands of Financial Service workers in the Gyle and elsewhere in Edinburgh live north of the Forth where housing is cheaper. They are going to find it incredibly difficult to get to work and will end up working shorter days.
Before the bridge shut some of the commuter trains from Fife were already not being allowed to open their doors at various stations because of the dangers of overcrowding. There is no spare capacity. The consequences for Edinburgh's shops in the run up to Christmas will be severe as well.
On Friday night the chaos went as far west as Stirling. I had a very difficult journey home and have booked additional accommodation in Edinburgh over the next few weeks. But not everyone can do that.
If maintenance was indeed cut back because of the abolition of the tolls that would be a major scandal. The story may prove to be more complex than that though.
The saviour of the UK economy - Services - is not doing so well in Scotland:
Dougie Adams, senior economic adviser to the EY Scottish ITEM Club, said: “Although Scotland has been impacted by the effects of lower oil prices on North Sea-related activity, weak growth in private services is a major cause of this year’s shortfall in comparison to UK growth.”
At the time of SindyRef there were claims (poo-pooed by the Nats) that uncertainty would lead to lack of or delayed investment - if that was the case, then stirring up continuing uncertainty might not be the smartest move.....
A horrible misreading of what I wrote - I said he portrays 'any' of his ideas as grand stands for reform 'even when' it's a minor thing. I am well aware he does have some great ideas for reform in big ways, and some less great ones which are still big. I should have 'sometimes' he has a tendency to portray the small ones as grand ones as well.
And I know he was consistent in his criticism of EU policy. My problem with Carswell is he went overboard is describing how awful it was in the Conservative party for a long long time once he left, which undermined his stance as principled, which I do believe it was. That he was unhappy and eventually found it necessary to go makes sense, but he made it sound so bad that only an idiot would have stayed for as long as he did. And he is clearly not an idiot. I put it down to new convert syndrome, going overboard in his description of that time to explain why he made the change, but leading inadvertedntly to the question 'why now?'
I actually like Carswell, he's different and comes up with ideas (not all ones I support, but he's a thinker, that's for sure), and going for a by-election when he didn't need to shows great character. Perhaps before you accuse people of not bothing to read any of his writings and assuming they are attacking the man from a position of dislike and ignorance, you could take the time to see a nuanced comment for what it was.
I don't think he went over the top at all. What he said was that he finally realised that Cameron was aiming to con the public with going for the absolute minimum of (non) reform that would ensure we stayed in the EU. Since there are still posters on here who claim to be neutral and yet still don't believe that in spite of Carswell being proved right now we know what Cameron is going for, I would say he was absolutely right in both what he said and the way in which he said it.
He made clear his limits long before he left and only jumped when Cameron breached them.
On the subject of reform you seem to miss the point that there is no one great overarching reform in one go that Carswell proposes. It is all a matter of small reforms that, in the end, lead to massive gradual change.
You (either single or plural) attack the SNP in one thread with three posts running climaxing at 3.21am (with no-body else left on the site) and then get up at 7.28am on this thread - to attack the SNP again!
How much impact this will have is questionable. Having survived 13,600 of your (single or plural) insights the NATS will probably survive a few more!
My conclusion is that either you (plural) are the Tory research department in which case you should have better things to do like looking for the bogus battalions of 70,000 troops or alternatively you (single) very badly need some sleep.
If it is the latter then it really will make you feel better and oh don't forget the tablets.
One shouldn't begrudge an old biddy her climaxing.
Its not a genre redefining peice of campaigning, but frankly both Mike and Douglas Carswell are being unnecessarily po-faced about it, both in the cause of damaging their opponents by posing as being helpful. No-one would ever think this was a serious statement - santa claude?
The puzzle is why Carswell ignored the faults with Farage's UKIP before jumping ship. Did he not negotiate any deal with Farage to tackle the known UKIP problems? Carswell could have brought in key reforms to UKIP, particulalry if he teamed up with Reckless. An opportunity lost.
I think he genuinely underestimated just how much of a one man band UKIP is as long as Farage is in charge. Were he to go I would expect a transformation in their level of professionalism and their public persona but as long as good old Nigel thinks it is his baby UKIP will simply not reform in the way I think most of its senior members would like.
Some of us never thought he was an asset (as a party leader) in the first place.
The puzzle is why Carswell ignored the faults with Farage's UKIP before jumping ship. Did he not negotiate any deal with Farage to tackle the known UKIP problems? Carswell could have brought in key reforms to UKIP, particulalry if he teamed up with Reckless. An opportunity lost.
I think he genuinely underestimated just how much of a one man band UKIP is as long as Farage is in charge. Were he to go I would expect a transformation in their level of professionalism and their public persona but as long as good old Nigel thinks it is his baby UKIP will simply not reform in the way I think most of its senior members would like.
What happened to Carswell and Reckless will act as a deterent to any other Conservative MPs considering a defection.
You (either single or plural) attack the SNP in one thread with three posts running climaxing at 3.21am (with no-body else left on the site) and then get up at 7.28am on this thread - to attack the SNP again!
How much impact this will have is questionable. Having survived 13,600 of your (single or plural) insights the NATS will probably survive a few more!
My conclusion is that either you (plural) are the Tory research department in which case you should have better things to do like looking for the bogus battalions of 70,000 troops or alternatively you (single) very badly need some sleep.
If it is the latter then it really will make you feel better and oh don't forget the tablets.
None of your effing business why, who or at what time people post on here. There are dozens of reasons for people to be on here at any time they damn well please.
You (either single or plural) attack the SNP in one thread with three posts running climaxing at 3.21am (with no-body else left on the site) and then get up at 7.28am on this thread - to attack the SNP again!
How much impact this will have is questionable. Having survived 13,600 of your (single or plural) insights the NATS will probably survive a few more!
My conclusion is that either you (plural) are the Tory research department in which case you should have better things to do like looking for the bogus battalions of 70,000 troops or alternatively you (single) very badly need some sleep.
If it is the latter then it really will make you feel better and oh don't forget the tablets.
One shouldn't begrudge an old biddy her climaxing.
Nats : cracking up like the bridges they were supposed to be maintaining.
Ian Martin hoping there's still 25% of Scots still sensible enough to vote Tory !!
" If that is to work for the Scottish Tories, they cannot throw it in subtly a fortnight from polling day. It would have to involve a frank admission by Davidson that they won’t win the election, which of course they won’t, and months of establishing the idea of the need for strong opposition in the minds of voters.
The question for Scottish voters then becomes whether or not they want someone in there, in the parliament in Edinburgh, defending those who work hard and pay taxes from the ineptitude of an increasingly arrogant SNP elite. You would hope that 25% or so of Scots are still sensible enough to respond “yes” to that question. But maybe not. "
"Mr Mackay told BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland programme: "As it stands right now, we believe that if we remedy and repair the fault, strengthen that, the bridge should be operational and open to all traffic on completion of the repair as per the timetable that I had outlined over the weekend.""
You (either single or plural) attack the SNP in one thread with three posts running climaxing at 3.21am (with no-body else left on the site) and then get up at 7.28am on this thread - to attack the SNP again!
How much impact this will have is questionable. Having survived 13,600 of your (single or plural) insights the NATS will probably survive a few more!
My conclusion is that either you (plural) are the Tory research department in which case you should have better things to do like looking for the bogus battalions of 70,000 troops or alternatively you (single) very badly need some sleep.
If it is the latter then it really will make you feel better and oh don't forget the tablets.
None of your effing business why, who or at what time people post on here. There are dozens of reasons for people to be on here at any time they damn well please.
Engage with the points, or ignore them.
None of your effing business either as to why people might want to refer to why, who or at what time other people post on here, to be fair. Or has the petty functionary status of moderator been conferred upon you?
The puzzle is why Carswell ignored the faults with Farage's UKIP before jumping ship. Did he not negotiate any deal with Farage to tackle the known UKIP problems? Carswell could have brought in key reforms to UKIP, particulalry if he teamed up with Reckless. An opportunity lost.
I think he genuinely underestimated just how much of a one man band UKIP is as long as Farage is in charge. Were he to go I would expect a transformation in their level of professionalism and their public persona but as long as good old Nigel thinks it is his baby UKIP will simply not reform in the way I think most of its senior members would like.
Is there any particular successor you would favour or tip?
I am not sure. It depends what sort of party they intend to be. Whatever it is I doubt it will be the sort of party I would hope for as I think the whole direction is towards reactionary populism at the moment. They saw that worked to get the party 4 million votes and think it will work to get them to 10 million. I think they are wrong.
I agree but what is the alternative route in your view? Small-state libertarian?
I think getting much beyond 4m is formidably hard while the Conservative Party exists, but with good organisation the current level of support could be used to much greater effect.
Once the British army were great pontoon bridge builders, but then they had the men and the equipment. They could still manage to build one over the thames at Hamton Court - I hope - but the Firth of Forth would be beyond them today.
You (either single or plural) attack the SNP in one thread with three posts running climaxing at 3.21am (with no-body else left on the site) and then get up at 7.28am on this thread - to attack the SNP again!
How much impact this will have is questionable. Having survived 13,600 of your (single or plural) insights the NATS will probably survive a few more!
My conclusion is that either you (plural) are the Tory research department in which case you should have better things to do like looking for the bogus battalions of 70,000 troops or alternatively you (single) very badly need some sleep.
If it is the latter then it really will make you feel better and oh don't forget the tablets.
None of your effing business why, who or at what time people post on here. There are dozens of reasons for people to be on here at any time they damn well please.
The puzzle is why Carswell ignored the faults with Farage's UKIP before jumping ship. Did he not negotiate any deal with Farage to tackle the known UKIP problems? Carswell could have brought in key reforms to UKIP, particulalry if he teamed up with Reckless. An opportunity lost.
I think he genuinely underestimated just how much of a one man band UKIP is as long as Farage is in charge. Were he to go I would expect a transformation in their level of professionalism and their public persona but as long as good old Nigel thinks it is his baby UKIP will simply not reform in the way I think most of its senior members would like.
Some of us never thought he was an asset (as a party leader) in the first place.
I think Farage is at his best when he's talking about the EU. When he was up against Clegg in 2014 he came across as knowing his topic - maybe not as well as some others know it - but certainly more than Clegg.
Ian Martin hoping there's still 25% of Scots still sensible enough to vote Tory !!
" If that is to work for the Scottish Tories, they cannot throw it in subtly a fortnight from polling day. It would have to involve a frank admission by Davidson that they won’t win the election, which of course they won’t, and months of establishing the idea of the need for strong opposition in the minds of voters.
The question for Scottish voters then becomes whether or not they want someone in there, in the parliament in Edinburgh, defending those who work hard and pay taxes from the ineptitude of an increasingly arrogant SNP elite. You would hope that 25% or so of Scots are still sensible enough to respond “yes” to that question. But maybe not. "
Once the British army were great pontoon bridge builders, but then they had the men and the equipment. They could still manage to build one over the thames at Hamton Court - I hope - but the Firth of Forth would be beyond them today.
Am wondering if bridging a Cumbrian river or stream is beyond their capabilities.
Cracks in a second vertical steel member have triggered the total closure of the Forth Road Bridge until the New Year at the earliest.
The first member, known as the main span truss end link, was found to be fractured on Tuesday. Now, with the crack discovered on another truss end link, bridge operator Amey’s inspection team is carrying out emergency inspections on all 16 such links.
When corrosion was found in the main suspension cables in 2004 it was ultimately decided it would be uneconomic to replace them, and the Queensferry Crossing was eventually given the go-ahead.
This is due to open next year, after which only coaches and taxis would be allowed on the original crossing. With this in prospect, a major repair programme that would allow the bridge to reopen without further traffic restrictions for less than a year might be hard to justify."
Derbyshire is possibly the PCC area most at risk for Labour judging by GE result.
Con 39% Lab 36% UKIP 15% LD 5.5% Greens 2.7%
Nottinghamshire is the opposite
Lab 39 Con 37 UKIP 15
Charles was ahead by almost 20,000 votes. I suspect it will be a similiar result next time. Nevertheless I'll strongly consider giving the Conservative my 2nd pref.
You (either single or plural) attack the SNP in one thread with three posts running climaxing at 3.21am (with no-body else left on the site) and then get up at 7.28am on this thread - to attack the SNP again!
How much impact this will have is questionable. Having survived 13,600 of your (single or plural) insights the NATS will probably survive a few more!
My conclusion is that either you (plural) are the Tory research department in which case you should have better things to do like looking for the bogus battalions of 70,000 troops or alternatively you (single) very badly need some sleep.
If it is the latter then it really will make you feel better and oh don't forget the tablets.
One shouldn't begrudge an old biddy her climaxing.
Nats : cracking up like the bridges they were supposed to be maintaining.
I was just thinking the other day when reading @JosiasJessop and @Dair on the new Forth Bridge and its cost of c 1.4bn, how much of that money could have been found in the money the Labour-LD administrations used to return to Whitehall every year for want of managing their budgets properly.
I see Wings has helpfully answered that question in the positive, in a twitter following on his research into a certain Mr Darling's anger and upset at the very idea of a second bridge
Until the farting about the HoL has indulged in - I was pretty sanguine about the make up inc religious leaders.
Given how increasingly divisive religion has become in the UK - I want them out. All of them. And ditto State faith schools, and maybe even private faith schools.
I've always been a live and let live sort - but Islam has brought too many issues with it and whilst I don't want to punish the good for the bad apples, I'm not sure we can just restrict one faith.
Getting rid of the Bishops from the House of Lords would increase the ratio of Christians in that place.
How divisive on religion has become.... Because of the aggressive nature of one religion, the others all now have to suffer? In many parts of England the very best public funded schools are catholic and Church of England, in some cases these schools stand out in the areas they sit.
Why should they suffer because some schools have been run as madrasa?
Exactly. It's utter nonsense to say that because there is a problem with some Islamic schools - though note that the recent Trojan Horse issues were in state schools not in faith schools - that all faith schools should be attacked. No sensible risk assessment works on that basis. You assess where the greatest risk or potential risk is and focus on that as a priority.
This obsession with not discriminating is also absurd. Discrimination for irrelevant reasons is wrong. Discriminating when there are good relevant reasons for preferring "A" over "B" is essential, indeed the sensible thing to do. And not doing it is the stupid thing to do.
An Islamic school - and I would include madrassahs in this - should not be given any sort of licence to operate unless it shows in practice (and not just in procedures) that it follows the national curriculum, that girls are treated equally to boys (no segregation/made to sit at the back nonsense, excluded from games etc), that there is no opting out of the curriculum, that it is not funded by Saudi money and that the text books are not Saudi or Pakistani or whatever but just the same as in any other school in England, that the governors don't have links with dubious people/charities/organisations etc and so on.
It's not a question of restricting a faith but of ensuring that children who come from Muslim familiies are taught the same subjects and in the same way as other English children and not according to the mores/culture of some foreign and hostile culture/country (which is what I consider Saudi Arabia to be).
You (either single or plural) attack the SNP in one thread with three posts running climaxing at 3.21am (with no-body else left on the site) and then get up at 7.28am on this thread - to attack the SNP again!
How much impact this will have is questionable. Having survived 13,600 of your (single or plural) insights the NATS will probably survive a few more!
My conclusion is that either you (plural) are the Tory research department in which case you should have better things to do like looking for the bogus battalions of 70,000 troops or alternatively you (single) very badly need some sleep.
If it is the latter then it really will make you feel better and oh don't forget the tablets.
None of your effing business why, who or at what time people post on here. There are dozens of reasons for people to be on here at any time they damn well please.
Engage with the points, or ignore them.
I think she thinks we are all in the same time zone - some part of www has passed her by.....
Of course, if she is in the UK, she was posting at 2.43am.......perhaps its not me who is 'single' and 'very badly in need of some sleep'......
Curiously enough there is a marked Nat resistance to engage in argument about responsibility for the Forth Bridge - they can only attack posters who bring it up - defensive, much?
Once the British army were great pontoon bridge builders, but then they had the men and the equipment. They could still manage to build one over the thames at Hamton Court - I hope - but the Firth of Forth would be beyond them today.
Am wondering if bridging a Cumbrian river or stream is beyond their capabilities.
They managed that in the last floods IIRC, to be fair to them.
Cracks in a second vertical steel member have triggered the total closure of the Forth Road Bridge until the New Year at the earliest.
The first member, known as the main span truss end link, was found to be fractured on Tuesday. Now, with the crack discovered on another truss end link, bridge operator Amey’s inspection team is carrying out emergency inspections on all 16 such links.
When corrosion was found in the main suspension cables in 2004 it was ultimately decided it would be uneconomic to replace them, and the Queensferry Crossing was eventually given the go-ahead.
This is due to open next year, after which only coaches and taxis would be allowed on the original crossing. With this in prospect, a major repair programme that would allow the bridge to reopen without further traffic restrictions for less than a year might be hard to justify."
Thanks - sounds interesting but the link isn't working.
I wonder whether Douglas Carswell will stay with UKIP once the referendum has been held. He doesn't seem to have much in common with most of the UKIP senior figures other than a desire for the UK to leave the EU, and recently he seems to have stopped bothering to conceal his irritation at some of their words and actions. He seems more like an interesting independent, with often original and thought-provoking ideas, than a party figure.
You (either single or plural) attack the SNP in one thread with three posts running climaxing at 3.21am (with no-body else left on the site) and then get up at 7.28am on this thread - to attack the SNP again!
How much impact this will have is questionable. Having survived 13,600 of your (single or plural) insights the NATS will probably survive a few more!
My conclusion is that either you (plural) are the Tory research department in which case you should have better things to do like looking for the bogus battalions of 70,000 troops or alternatively you (single) very badly need some sleep.
If it is the latter then it really will make you feel better and oh don't forget the tablets.
One shouldn't begrudge an old biddy her climaxing.
Nats : cracking up like the bridges they were supposed to be maintaining.
I was just thinking the other day when reading @JosiasJessop and @Dair on the new Forth Bridge and its cost of c 1.4bn, how much of that money could have been found in the money the Labour-LD administrations used to return to Whitehall every year for want of managing their budgets properly.
The new bridge is a big dead squirrel to throw on the table but wasn't the plan to have TWO bridges ?
'''I meant to ask a while ago - are you a Scottish Labour supporter? If so, I think you're the only one I've ever seen in all my years here.'''
The one thing that characterises the Nats on here is their ''happyclappyness''. I rail at the tories all time, but for the nats the SNP is perfect in all it does, and quite unimpeachable.
There is never a hint of self criticism, never an admission that a certain policy or approach may have just possibly been the wrong one.
Cracks in a second vertical steel member have triggered the total closure of the Forth Road Bridge until the New Year at the earliest.
The first member, known as the main span truss end link, was found to be fractured on Tuesday. Now, with the crack discovered on another truss end link, bridge operator Amey’s inspection team is carrying out emergency inspections on all 16 such links.
When corrosion was found in the main suspension cables in 2004 it was ultimately decided it would be uneconomic to replace them, and the Queensferry Crossing was eventually given the go-ahead.
This is due to open next year, after which only coaches and taxis would be allowed on the original crossing. With this in prospect, a major repair programme that would allow the bridge to reopen without further traffic restrictions for less than a year might be hard to justify."
Thanks - sounds interesting but the link isn't working.
There is potentially a parallel between Henry VIII's time and ours. The English no doubt thought they had a strong negotiating position given the upheavals through the Catholic Church at the time. But it transpired that Rome was preoccupied with much narrower politics and as a result a split that suited neither side came to pass.
Diarmuid McCulloch's book on the Reformation suggests that the split in the Catholic church and the rise of Protestantism came about for all sorts of reasons, of which Henry VIII's little local difficulties were way way down the list. As with much British commentary on European matters, the British overstate their importance and their role in much larger forces.
As for Charles and his "Defender of Faith" nonsense, he is an arse, neither apparently understanding the monarchy's history nor understanding that some faiths (most, in fact) are incompatible in their world views.
I dread the day Charles becomes King.
And I say that as one of the most fervent monarchists in the land.
You (either single or plural) attack the SNP in one thread with three posts running climaxing at 3.21am (with no-body else left on the site) and then get up at 7.28am on this thread - to attack the SNP again!
How much impact this will have is questionable. Having survived 13,600 of your (single or plural) insights the NATS will probably survive a few more!
My conclusion is that either you (plural) are the Tory research department in which case you should have better things to do like looking for the bogus battalions of 70,000 troops or alternatively you (single) very badly need some sleep.
If it is the latter then it really will make you feel better and oh don't forget the tablets.
One shouldn't begrudge an old biddy her climaxing.
Nats : cracking up like the bridges they were supposed to be maintaining.
I see Wings has helpfully answered that question in the positive, in a twitter following on his research into a certain Mr Darling's anger and upset at the very idea of a second bridge
Wow! A quote from more than 20 years ago! (22 November 1995)
That's nailed them!
Absolves the SNP of any responsibility since 2007.......
.....OR the Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure 2012-2014.....she's right to be off on a jolly in Paris....
Comments
Edit: should be this one:
http://www.scotsman.com/news/transport/key-forth-road-bridge-work-cancelled-5-years-ago-1-3968212
If true, it makes Malc's complaints that any problems were down to lack of maintenance by the unionist party seem rather odd ...
I think Leave's odds will shorten significantly at some point. Remain really needs to open up a commanding poll lead to justify its odds and it's not doing that.
Imo Remain's trump card is the assumed backing of Cameron. We have polling showing that he is listened to on this subject across the electorate. But Cameron himself will have his travails, mid-term slump, ebbing of authority as a lame duck. If Cameron's personal ratings drop then imo Remain is in serious trouble.
Fwiw I am pro-Remain myself. I'm not confident. I'm not despairing either but I think it's very possible that an insurgent wave will carry us out of the EU.
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/oct/19/ukip-douglas-carswell-mp-clacton
I remember one which claimed that immgrants got £200/week while British pensioners only got £50. It was sent to me (when an MP) by an angry pensioner. I asked him if he really only got £50/week. He said "No, but I'm sure it's true for many pensioners". The point was that he had the general feeling that immigrants were treated better than pensioners, and he wasn't that bothered about the details. In the same way, a lot of people believe the stuff about straight bananas etc. and a jokey reference to it stirs the pot.
The answer to that isn't to be scornful (where does that get us?) but to address the underlying notions patiently. The most apparently reasonable person in an argument has a good shot at winning it.
Remain - Cameron, most of the Conservative leadership, Labour, the Lib Dems, the SNP, the BBC, big business.
Leave - UKIP, some Conservatives, a small smattering from other parties, perhaps a majority of print media
The other two votes of a like nature (AV and Scotland) both had the status quo winning. And Cameron was on the winning side in both. Farage won't sway anyone to Leave, and whilst he'll fire up the enthusiasts (well, some), he'll put off centrists who might otherwise float to Leave.
There are, of course, events. These have been less helpful for Remain recently (namely the eurozone crisis and the Schengen/migration/Mad Merkel crisis).
Spouting this rubbish (and you are by no means alone) is no more than guilt by association. Straw can be criticised for what he thinks says and does. That ought to be enough.
I believe effective politics is based on "gradualism". You want to achieve an objective but that pesky democracy prevents you. Introduce a minor bill that goes a small way towards it and claim that's all you intend. Once it's been around for a while, you add to it gradually. The British Public need to be treated as the frog in the boiling water.
That's why I don't trust those sort of politicians. There are many examples. Even the "straight-talking" Jezza is up to it. If he'd said ... "I want to see a UK ruled on hard left lines, based on Marxist thinking," he'd have struggled to get elected. His colleagues knew his politics but let him loose anyway.
First Mrs Rochester, now the "nutter on the bus." There's no excuse for them at all.
These were costed at £10m but were then shelved indefinitely. Whatever the reason for the delay in attending to the impending failure of the bridge it is not good enough to pass the blame on to the government’s agency, Transport Scotland.....
.....The second difficulty for ministers is that it was the SNP which introduced the abolition of the tolls on the Forth Road Bridge and was made aware of the impact on public finances when it passed the legislation to do so.
The Forth Road Bridge tolls generated an annual income of £12m that could have gone towards the maintenance of the bridge. This was an important consideration, some £60m has been foregone over the past five years that could have gone towards contracts of £10m to replace those bearings and joints as well as the suspended span painting costing £65m. Blaming Westminster’s austerity economics will not wash when such key decisions are made in Edinburgh
http://www.scotsman.com/news/brian-monteith-is-forth-fiasco-bridge-too-far-for-snp-1-3968160
Or you could just accept its ridiculous.
But I kid, he seems a decent sort, taking stands for things when he doesn't have to, even if he has a tendency sometimes to portray any of his ideas as grand stands for reform even when it's a minor thing.
The devil will be in the details. The engineering report came up with the £10 million to be spent (*) might have had other clauses such as "if this work is not done in the next two years, then a and b may occur."
It might be the decision not to do / delay the work was valid, if the consequences of not doing it were relatively minor. But generally, politicians are much keener on brand new infrastructure than spending money on maintaining the old. The US has a massive problem with this atm.
(*) From what I've read, an issue would be that this particular member was not meant to crack: others in its immediate area were. Therefore even the £10 million package may not have helped. They may have uncovered the problem whilst doing it, though.
And the EU does have regulations on the curvature of bananas, quite detailed ones.
It's vaguely ludicrous that he's in UKIP, mind. In an ideal PR world (arf) there'd be a small splinter party of him, Hannan and a few others, that'd get 5 ish % as a posh-UKIP.
Given how increasingly divisive religion has become in the UK - I want them out. All of them. And ditto State faith schools, and maybe even private faith schools.
I've always been a live and let live sort - but Islam has brought too many issues with it and whilst I don't want to punish the good for the bad apples, I'm not sure we can just restrict one faith.
She's since been promoted.
Nothing could have distracted her from those responsibilities, could it?
Also the SNP appear to think the Transport Portfolio at Ministerial level also sits well with 'Housing', 'Veterans' and 'Climate Change' (along with "Infrastructure" and "Islands", which arguably do have some synergies).
@TheScotsman: New report warns Scottish economy now lagging behind rest of UK https://t.co/8t5GFzAbJN https://t.co/2B7545JIvL
SNP have been trying to burn bridges with the South for decades - turns out metal fatigue is a more effective method.
Meanwhile Nicola is lecturing everyone on "climate change" in Paris.
Why should they suffer because some schools have been run as madrasa?
And if you actually bothered to read any of his writings you will see that he does indeed advocate massive reforms. The supposedly minor things all add up to a comprehensive change in the way we view government.
"If you have had a 3hr flight delay within the last 6 years, EU regulations dictate you're entitled to up to £550 compensation. Reply DELAY for info, STOP optout"
Good old EU sticking up for the little guy!
Maybe the remainers could send a few of these out if it got close?!
http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpolicy/what-labour-must-do-to-win-2020/?utm_content=bufferbafd4&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
My particular favourite passage:
"Labour lost a net 24 seats in May: 40 seats were lost to the SNP, 12 seats were won from the Liberal Democrats and a net 2 seats won from the Conservatives. The Conservatives gained a net 28 seats, 27 of them from the Liberal Democrats. If the SNP had won no additional seats and the Liberal Democrats had held their seats, the balance between the two major parties would have been almost unchanged from 2010."
And if my aunt had balls she'd be my uncle.
https://leave.eu/news/2015-12-01/leaveeu-strengthens-media-team
But it was almost Daily Mash/Excess/Heil level parody.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-35025408
Adding non-Anglican representatives will make it a great deal harder to end religious representation entirely (as one or more religious groups would be sure to portray it as an assault on their very being blah blah). Also, it would provide a precedent for including representatives of other special-interest groups - charities, unions, etc. This isn't the road to go down.
Everyone has their own pet scheme for elections to the Lords (some like a single term, some want to (try to) exclude party affiliation etc etc). We need to choose one and get on with it.
$43.00 ▼-0.84 -1.95%
Crude oil can't melt steel bridge beams - or something.
Even TSE's jokes are funnier than that :-)
He seems to have lost the dressing room.
Before the bridge shut some of the commuter trains from Fife were already not being allowed to open their doors at various stations because of the dangers of overcrowding. There is no spare capacity. The consequences for Edinburgh's shops in the run up to Christmas will be severe as well.
On Friday night the chaos went as far west as Stirling. I had a very difficult journey home and have booked additional accommodation in Edinburgh over the next few weeks. But not everyone can do that.
If maintenance was indeed cut back because of the abolition of the tolls that would be a major scandal. The story may prove to be more complex than that though.
Re the Euro ref, if as SouthamObserver claims, the bureaucrats in Brussels are really concerned about a Brexit I reckon we should all pretend we are going to vote for leaving and tell the pollsters that. EU would then give us all we want and it would save Dave having to bother with his "negotiation" charade
growth has been revised down from 2.2 per cent to 1.9 per cent for 2015 and 1.8 per cent in 2016 – compared with UK growth of 2.5 per cent and 2.4 per cent over this period, according to Ernst and Young.
There hasn't been anything in the past year or two that might have discouraged business investment, has there?
Hardball Dhindsa (current Deputy PCC and Derby Cllr)
Gary Godden (former police officer http://www.gary4derbyshirepcc.co.uk)
Chris Williamson (Derby North defeated MP)
OMOV ballot to take place in January.
Sitting Labour PCC Alan Charles is retiring.
And I know he was consistent in his criticism of EU policy. My problem with Carswell is he went overboard is describing how awful it was in the Conservative party for a long long time once he left, which undermined his stance as principled, which I do believe it was. That he was unhappy and eventually found it necessary to go makes sense, but he made it sound so bad that only an idiot would have stayed for as long as he did. And he is clearly not an idiot. I put it down to new convert syndrome, going overboard in his description of that time to explain why he made the change, but leading inadvertedntly to the question 'why now?'
I actually like Carswell, he's different and comes up with ideas (not all ones I support, but he's a thinker, that's for sure), and going for a by-election when he didn't need to shows great character. Perhaps before you accuse people of not bothing to read any of his writings and assuming they are attacking the man from a position of dislike and ignorance, you could take the time to see a nuanced comment for what it was.
You (either single or plural) attack the SNP in one thread with three posts running climaxing at 3.21am (with no-body else left on the site) and then get up at 7.28am on this thread - to attack the SNP again!
How much impact this will have is questionable. Having survived 13,600 of your (single or plural) insights the NATS will probably survive a few more!
My conclusion is that either you (plural) are the Tory research department in which case you should have better things to do like looking for the bogus battalions of 70,000 troops or alternatively you (single) very badly need some sleep.
If it is the latter then it really will make you feel better and oh don't forget the tablets.
As for Charles and his "Defender of Faith" nonsense, he is an arse, neither apparently understanding the monarchy's history nor understanding that some faiths (most, in fact) are incompatible in their world views.
'£200bn oil boom if Scots vote No, says PM'
Meanwhile, on the topic of the Forth Bridge, do you think the Cabinet Secretary with responsibility for Infrastructure from 2012-2014 has any questions to answer, or was her mind elsewhere?
He's called Hardyal!
The saviour of the UK economy - Services - is not doing so well in Scotland:
Dougie Adams, senior economic adviser to the EY Scottish ITEM Club, said: “Although Scotland has been impacted by the effects of lower oil prices on North Sea-related activity, weak growth in private services is a major cause of this year’s shortfall in comparison to UK growth.”
http://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/scottish-economy-now-lagging-behind-rest-of-uk-1-3968214
Any ideas why that might be the case?
At the time of SindyRef there were claims (poo-pooed by the Nats) that uncertainty would lead to lack of or delayed investment - if that was the case, then stirring up continuing uncertainty might not be the smartest move.....
He made clear his limits long before he left and only jumped when Cameron breached them.
On the subject of reform you seem to miss the point that there is no one great overarching reform in one go that Carswell proposes. It is all a matter of small reforms that, in the end, lead to massive gradual change.
Engage with the points, or ignore them.
Oh, no, the SNP has 'zero tolerance*' for that...
*SNP MPs excepted
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10208332975944217&set=o.208916149189375&type=3
" If that is to work for the Scottish Tories, they cannot throw it in subtly a fortnight from polling day. It would have to involve a frank admission by Davidson that they won’t win the election, which of course they won’t, and months of establishing the idea of the need for strong opposition in the minds of voters.
The question for Scottish voters then becomes whether or not they want someone in there, in the parliament in Edinburgh, defending those who work hard and pay taxes from the ineptitude of an increasingly arrogant SNP elite. You would hope that 25% or so of Scots are still sensible enough to respond “yes” to that question. But maybe not. "
http://www.capx.co/is-nicola-sturr-its-own-good/
https://twitter.com/BreitbartLondon/status/673807941934313472
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-35021494
"Mr Mackay told BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland programme: "As it stands right now, we believe that if we remedy and repair the fault, strengthen that, the bridge should be operational and open to all traffic on completion of the repair as per the timetable that I had outlined over the weekend.""
Con 39%
Lab 36%
UKIP 15%
LD 5.5%
Greens 2.7%
Nottinghamshire is the opposite
Lab 39
Con 37
UKIP 15
None of your effing business either as to why people might want to refer to why, who or at what time other people post on here, to be fair. Or has the petty functionary status of moderator been conferred upon you?
I think getting much beyond 4m is formidably hard while the Conservative Party exists, but with good organisation the current level of support could be used to much greater effect.
but the Firth of Forth would be beyond them today.
The times people post?? Hilarious paranoia.
http://news.sky.com/story/1601291/corbyn-defies-stop-the-war-dinner-appeal
I've to made the totals there too.
http://www.nce.co.uk/news/structures...692975.article
Cracks in a second vertical steel member have triggered the total closure of the Forth Road Bridge until the New Year at the earliest.
The first member, known as the main span truss end link, was found to be fractured on Tuesday. Now, with the crack discovered on another truss end link, bridge operator Amey’s inspection team is carrying out emergency inspections on all 16 such links.
When corrosion was found in the main suspension cables in 2004 it was ultimately decided it would be uneconomic to replace them, and the Queensferry Crossing was eventually given the go-ahead.
This is due to open next year, after which only coaches and taxis would be allowed on the original crossing. With this in prospect, a major repair programme that would allow the bridge to reopen without further traffic restrictions for less than a year might be hard to justify."
I see Wings has helpfully answered that question in the positive, in a twitter following on his research into a certain Mr Darling's anger and upset at the very idea of a second bridge
https://twitter.com/WingsScotland/status/673807696873828352
This obsession with not discriminating is also absurd. Discrimination for irrelevant reasons is wrong. Discriminating when there are good relevant reasons for preferring "A" over "B" is essential, indeed the sensible thing to do. And not doing it is the stupid thing to do.
An Islamic school - and I would include madrassahs in this - should not be given any sort of licence to operate unless it shows in practice (and not just in procedures) that it follows the national curriculum, that girls are treated equally to boys (no segregation/made to sit at the back nonsense, excluded from games etc), that there is no opting out of the curriculum, that it is not funded by Saudi money and that the text books are not Saudi or Pakistani or whatever but just the same as in any other school in England, that the governors don't have links with dubious people/charities/organisations etc and so on.
It's not a question of restricting a faith but of ensuring that children who come from Muslim familiies are taught the same subjects and in the same way as other English children and not according to the mores/culture of some foreign and hostile culture/country (which is what I consider Saudi Arabia to be).
Of course, if she is in the UK, she was posting at 2.43am.......perhaps its not me who is 'single' and 'very badly in need of some sleep'......
Curiously enough there is a marked Nat resistance to engage in argument about responsibility for the Forth Bridge - they can only attack posters who bring it up - defensive, much?
The one thing that characterises the Nats on here is their ''happyclappyness''. I rail at the tories all time, but for the nats the SNP is perfect in all it does, and quite unimpeachable.
There is never a hint of self criticism, never an admission that a certain policy or approach may have just possibly been the wrong one.
Shame - as I have commented, it does reduce the biodiversity significantly.
http://www.nce.co.uk/news/structures/forth-road-bridge-remains-closed-for-emergency-inspections/8692975.article
And I say that as one of the most fervent monarchists in the land.
That's nailed them!
Absolves the SNP of any responsibility since 2007.......
.....OR the Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure 2012-2014.....she's right to be off on a jolly in Paris....