Paul Kirkby This is a staggering map. Net worth of individual adults, by European country. This is private wealth, not GDP data https://t.co/XCGCS94RuL
Cool - i'm way above the average for everywhere in Europe - think i'll have an extra biccy for tea
It is in dollars. Uk has appreciated about 25% in 2 Years vs the Euro area in that comparison, as the Euro has tanked vs the dollar.
Paul Kirkby This is a staggering map. Net worth of individual adults, by European country. This is private wealth, not GDP data https://t.co/XCGCS94RuL
So the 3 richest contrary's are, Switzerland, Iceland and Norway. Best stay in the EU so we don't end up like them!!!
Alternatively, all three countries are part of Schengen! We need to join Schengen!
More seriously, I think Switzerland is a good compare for what we want our economy to be like. I'm not sure either Iceland or Norway - which are basically utterly dependent on primary industries - are that great comparisons.
"utterly dependent on primary industries"
Like banking and houses?
Iceland and Norway are very dependent on primary industries.
Iceland is fish and using low cost geothermal energy to purify silicon (and the like). Norway is oil and gas and using low cost hydroelectric energy to purify silicon (and the like).
Switzerland is a services (banking) and manufacturing (pharmaceuticals, FMCG) economy,
Paul Kirkby This is a staggering map. Net worth of individual adults, by European country. This is private wealth, not GDP data https://t.co/XCGCS94RuL
So the 3 richest contrary's are, Switzerland, Iceland and Norway. Best stay in the EU so we don't end up like them!!!
Alternatively, all three countries are part of Schengen! We need to join Schengen!
More seriously, I think Switzerland is a good compare for what we want our economy to be like. I'm not sure either Iceland or Norway - which are basically utterly dependent on primary industries - are that great comparisons.
Iceland, has a very free market economy, including a Flat Tax!
On the republican betting, why on earth is Mitt Romney on Betfair at 120/150 ?
I've laid him out as far as my biggest betfair red (Cruz) but I can't understand for the life of me why he isn't 1000.0 - this isn't a Clinton/Biden analogue.
Paul Kirkby This is a staggering map. Net worth of individual adults, by European country. This is private wealth, not GDP data https://t.co/XCGCS94RuL
So the 3 richest contrary's are, Switzerland, Iceland and Norway. Best stay in the EU so we don't end up like them!!!
Alternatively, all three countries are part of Schengen! We need to join Schengen!
More seriously, I think Switzerland is a good compare for what we want our economy to be like. I'm not sure either Iceland or Norway - which are basically utterly dependent on primary industries - are that great comparisons.
Iceland, has a very free market economy, including a Flat Tax!
Iceland exports aluminium - because its geothermal energy makes it cheap to do so. And it exports fish.
And that's really about it.
We don't have geothermal energy. And even outside the EU, we don't have the extent of the territorial waters Iceland does. (And we have far more people.)
On the Topic of Donald Trump ; I have bet heavily on Rubio becoming president and don't lose any sleep over a goon like Trump ...he is just a political version of the WWF , a Hulk Hogan or a Jesse Ventura and the folks who support him to be to a WWF-like audience of low information voters He never intended to be the nominee , he 's just an ego manic loving the limelight and attention ...the folks in the GOP will never allow this creep to ruin the best chance they have of not only winning the WH but the House and Senate too ...sooner or later he will push his luck too far and self destruct or they will find a way to get rid of him Furthermore , America with its fascination with guns, does not suffer fools and demagogues lightly ...both Huey Long and George Wallace found that out ! Trump is an antagonistic rabble rouser who had best be careful what he is saying ...if some whack job takes a shot at him he will panic and then like most bullies he will fold
Jesse Ventura was Governor of Minnesota. And in an election where all the candidates are pigmies strange things happen
Allowing Ventura to be a governor of Minnesota is a world away from becoming president of the most powerful country on the planet ...Trump as President ? don't be daft
So within a few days of Britain joining up, the US-led coalition has bombed Syrian Government troops (half hearted denial issued) in Deir Ez Zor. In a straight fight between the two, we seem to prefer ISIS.
The Tories have already won two mayor races and that was without the benefit of a ''national security risk ''...Boris Johnson's donut strategy worked insomuch the Tory suburbs outvote the Labour centre but mayor's races tend to suffer low turnout ..when Lynton Crosby frames Khan as both a Corbynista and a Muslim ....a financial risk and a security risk , the voters in the suburbs will be spooked into turning out
Furthermore , Londoners like their mayors to be mavericks of sorts ; while Zac is no ''big personality ''like Boris ,he is still a maverick with his keen environmentalism that is sure to appeal to lots of young voters ...Khan , on the other hand , seems like a rather typical orthodox leftist MP
London is trending Labour, it has for some time, and the results of the GE show that, especially when compared to the rest of the country. Boris with his persona could overcome that, I'm not shore Zac will. We will see, but my instinct is that Labour victory in London, but move backwards (to a grater or lesser extent) elsewhere incoding Scotland.
Mr. Rich, I largely agree, but there's little room for Labour to go backwards in Scotland. They can go from 1 MP to 0, but that's the flickering doom of binary rather than the avalanche of woe that crushed Scottish Labour this year.
So within a few days of Britain joining up, the US-led coalition has bombed Syrian Government troops (half hearted denial issued) in Deir Ez Zor. In a straight fight between the two, we seem to prefer ISIS.
Hang on, are you believing reports from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights now?
Only you've repeatedly rubbished it in the past...
Paul Kirkby This is a staggering map. Net worth of individual adults, by European country. This is private wealth, not GDP data https://t.co/XCGCS94RuL
So the 3 richest contrary's are, Switzerland, Iceland and Norway. Best stay in the EU so we don't end up like them!!!
Alternatively, all three countries are part of Schengen! We need to join Schengen!
More seriously, I think Switzerland is a good compare for what we want our economy to be like. I'm not sure either Iceland or Norway - which are basically utterly dependent on primary industries - are that great comparisons.
Just been listening to the PM in Burton - he repeated the phrase "You ain't no Muslim bruv." Memetastic.
Aiiii!
Extraordinary, Ali G lives in number 10.
To be fair, if Farage, Corbyn or Farron said it I wouldn't be slating them
The problem is I fear that one person heard having a go at the attacker will lead to a meme from the liberal elite that there is no problem with the clash of cultures as its only a tiny minority going around killing/beheading/stabbing people
I would rather there was no stabbing and no need for the apology/disown
Oh come on, I appreciate you're trying to be charitable, next thing he'll be wearing a baseball cap back to front, blinged up at PMQs.
I've no idea what point he was trying to make but he's the PM not a journalist, this is a big mistake by Cameron.
Not just a mistake, but a 'big' mistake? My word.
Be serious. All it is is cringeworthy, but in fairness it is a quote and not something he would just say.
If the Tories go for a racist campaign about Khan's Muslimness, then IMO the most likely outcome is it will just offend Muslims and make them turn out (and vote Labour) in higher numbers than they normally would in a mid-term election. We just saw that to some extent in Oldham.
Iceland exports aluminium - because its geothermal energy makes it cheap to do so.
Interestingly, one of the political obstacles to the proposal to put in an undersea power cable to supply the UK with Icelandic geothermal electricity is a concern in Iceland that it will put up their domestic prices, and thus affect their aluminium smelting industry.
The Tories have already won two mayor races and that was without the benefit of a ''national security risk ''...Boris Johnson's donut strategy worked insomuch the Tory suburbs outvote the Labour centre but mayor's races tend to suffer low turnout ..when Lynton Crosby frames Khan as both a Corbynista and a Muslim ....a financial risk and a security risk , the voters in the suburbs will be spooked into turning out
Furthermore , Londoners like their mayors to be mavericks of sorts ; while Zac is no ''big personality ''like Boris ,he is still a maverick with his keen environmentalism that is sure to appeal to lots of young voters ...Khan , on the other hand , seems like a rather typical orthodox leftist MP
I really hope we don't attack Khan for his religion. That would sicken me.
We should attack him for his and his leaders disgraceful views. Is that not enough?
If the Tories go for a racist campaign about Khan's Muslimness, then IMO the most likely outcome is it will just offend Muslims and make them up turn out (and vote Labour) in higher numbers than they normally would in a mid-term election. We just saw that to some extent in Oldham.
The only person that will be bringing race into the campaign will be Khan.
On the Topic of Donald Trump ; I have bet heavily on Rubio becoming president and don't lose any sleep over a goon like Trump ...he is just a political version of the WWF , a Hulk Hogan or a Jesse Ventura and the folks who support him to be to a WWF-like audience of low information voters He never intended to be the nominee , he 's just an ego manic loving the limelight and attention ...the folks in the GOP will never allow this creep to ruin the best chance they have of not only winning the WH but the House and Senate too ...sooner or later he will push his luck too far and self destruct or they will find a way to get rid of him Furthermore , America with its fascination with guns, does not suffer fools and demagogues lightly ...both Huey Long and George Wallace found that out ! Trump is an antagonistic rabble rouser who had best be careful what he is saying ...if some whack job takes a shot at him he will panic and then like most bullies he will fold
Jesse Ventura was Governor of Minnesota. And in an election where all the candidates are pigmies strange things happen
Allowing Ventura to be a governor of Minnesota is a world away from becoming president of the most powerful country on the planet ...Trump as President ? don't be daft
I didn't say Trump as president. I can however see him winning the Republican nomination (in the same way JC became labour leader).
Iceland exports aluminium - because its geothermal energy makes it cheap to do so.
Interestingly, one of the political obstacles to the proposal to put in an undersea power cable to supply the UK with Icelandic geothermal electricity is a concern in Iceland that it will put up their domestic prices, and thus affect the aluminium smelting industry.
It's 2,000 kms from Iceland to London. I'd be interested to know what the transmission losses on that look like.
Rubio looks like he would make a dull careerist centrish president, a bit like Hilary (A sort of Blair/Cameron choice I guess). Cruz, the modern embodiment of Reaganism and would be my favoured choice if the USA was to go with a "c"onservative president.
A Carson presidency I think could work well actually, sure he's not the usual candidate but he is interesting.
This is Ben, "Joseph built the pyramids to store grain" Carson? It is a choice between hazelnuts and almonds, it really is.
The same Ben Carson whose support dropped when it was shockingly revealed that he probably *didn't* stab somebody as a child.
Yeah, normally that would be a good thing in someone aspiring to have a bright red shiny button on his desk, right?
You're right, America deserves a decisive leader. I expect Trump to announce he actually stabbed 4 of his childhood friends, and his poll numbers to rise further.
On reflection Barack "can't make an instant decision to save his or anyone else's life" Obama is by no means the worst choice for that job.
Translation "can't make an instant decision to save his or anyone else's life" "thoughtful"
Can be. The truth may be inbetween. Merkel seems the same in many ways. Magisterial consideration can swiftly look like dithering as event progress.
Paul Kirkby This is a staggering map. Net worth of individual adults, by European country. This is private wealth, not GDP data https://t.co/XCGCS94RuL
So the 3 richest contrary's are, Switzerland, Iceland and Norway. Best stay in the EU so we don't end up like them!!!
Alternatively, all three countries are part of Schengen! We need to join Schengen!
More seriously, I think Switzerland is a good compare for what we want our economy to be like. I'm not sure either Iceland or Norway - which are basically utterly dependent on primary industries - are that great comparisons.
It's a good model for everything.
And they invented milk chocolate. And they have great ski resorts.
However: there is a small fly in the ointment for the Swiss economy.
Credit Suisse and UBS are utterly giant relative to the size of the Swiss economy. Should either of them get into serious financial trouble, it could be a serious problem.
Iceland exports aluminium - because its geothermal energy makes it cheap to do so.
Interestingly, one of the political obstacles to the proposal to put in an undersea power cable to supply the UK with Icelandic geothermal electricity is a concern in Iceland that it will put up their domestic prices, and thus affect the aluminium smelting industry.
It's 2,000 kms from Iceland to London. I'd be interested to know what the transmission losses on that look like.
It's 1000km to the point in Scotland where they'd land the cable. That's not out of reach: there's already a 580km undersea cable between Norway and the Netherlands, and in China they have an overland DC cable of 2000km.
So within a few days of Britain joining up, the US-led coalition has bombed Syrian Government troops (half hearted denial issued) in Deir Ez Zor. In a straight fight between the two, we seem to prefer ISIS.
Translation: Russia Today have made some outrageous claims hat have been denied. Our resident Soviet believes anything coming from RT so it must be true.
Mr. Rich, I largely agree, but there's little room for Labour to go backwards in Scotland. They can go from 1 MP to 0, but that's the flickering doom of binary rather than the avalanche of woe that crushed Scottish Labour this year.
To be fair to Mr R., we do have the Scottish Parliament elections in May. And the local gmt ones, in 2019 is it?
Paul Kirkby This is a staggering map. Net worth of individual adults, by European country. This is private wealth, not GDP data https://t.co/XCGCS94RuL
So the 3 richest contrary's are, Switzerland, Iceland and Norway. Best stay in the EU so we don't end up like them!!!
Alternatively, all three countries are part of Schengen! We need to join Schengen!
More seriously, I think Switzerland is a good compare for what we want our economy to be like. I'm not sure either Iceland or Norway - which are basically utterly dependent on primary industries - are that great comparisons.
Iceland, has a very free market economy, including a Flat Tax!
Iceland exports aluminium - because its geothermal energy makes it cheap to do so. And it exports fish.
And that's really about it.
We don't have geothermal energy. And even outside the EU, we don't have the extent of the territorial waters Iceland does. (And we have far more people.)
Iceland, with its small population and geographic position is always going to be a bit of a special case, And I started this line more as an amusing observation rather than to suggest it is core of an argument. But that sead, a free market (amongst other things) lets an area (or whole contrary) specialise in what it does best, which in Iceland's case may be Fish and Aluminium, and trade for other things, and by doing that it alawes more wealth to be created and raze living standards both for its people and those it trades with.
So in summary I recognise your point, but still think it lends wate for the Pre-Freedom, Pre-Free trade, Pro-Free Markets, and therefor, anti, the Bureaucratic, top down, rule based EU
How the f##k can a country cope with 1.5 million new people just like that. Housing, schools, etc etc etc.
In Germany's situation relatively easily. They're undergoing catastrophic population decline otherwise. This is the elephant in the room that nobody wants to discuss - the situation in Germany has no relationship to our own with healthily growing population.
Looks like some people are genuinely scared of the prospect of a Trump presidency. He couldn't be worse than the Bamster. The cosy party duopoly could do with a shake up. Personally I'd prefer Rand Paul - but Trump is fine.
Just been listening to the PM in Burton - he repeated the phrase "You ain't no Muslim bruv." Memetastic.
Aiiii!
Extraordinary, Ali G lives in number 10.
To be fair, if Farage, Corbyn or Farron said it I wouldn't be slating them
The problem is I fear that one person heard having a go at the attacker will lead to a meme from the liberal elite that there is no problem with the clash of cultures as its only a tiny minority going around killing/beheading/stabbing people
I would rather there was no stabbing and no need for the apology/disown
Oh come on, I appreciate you're trying to be charitable, next thing he'll be wearing a baseball cap back to front, blinged up at PMQs.
I've no idea what point he was trying to make but he's the PM not a journalist, this is a big mistake by Cameron.
Not just a mistake, but a 'big' mistake? My word.
Be serious. All it is is cringeworthy, but in fairness it is a quote and not something he would just say.
Mr. Thompson, when people are dying of malnutrition, feeding them can cause death as too much food is something they can't cope with. Germany can't magic it's way out of a demographic problem overnight (or over a couple of years). They're just swapping one demographic problem for another.
If the Tories go for a racist campaign about Khan's Muslimness, then IMO the most likely outcome is it will just offend Muslims and make them up turn out (and vote Labour) in higher numbers than they normally would in a mid-term election. We just saw that to some extent in Oldham.
The only person that will be bringing race into the campaign will be Khan.
Same goes for "class" and "education".
Some PBTories have been saying Khan is a "threat to London", just because he (gasp!) thinks more Muslims should be police officers.
How the f##k can a country cope with 1.5 million new people just like that. Housing, schools, etc etc etc.
In Germany's situation relatively easily. They're undergoing catastrophic population decline otherwise. This is the elephant in the room that nobody wants to discuss - the situation in Germany has no relationship to our own with healthily growing population.
Germany's population started rising again in 2013.
"This is the novelty of the current politics – not Corbyn’s character or actions, but the sheer fact of Labour’s divisions. It has become routine to castigate this as somehow irresponsible – disagreeing about ideas when you should be attacking the Tory government. It is not irresponsible. It is right for Labour to search for an identity it can coalesce around. The party will not be strong enough to attack anything until it finds one.
Doubtless the battle will look chaotic and ugly, but while it continues, everybody – from the farthest right to the farthest left of the party – will be vulnerable and undefended. Whether or not they would have chosen it, they are living courageous political lives. If they could see that in each other, and we could see and admit it in them, we might get closer to the new politics we claim to want."
How the f##k can a country cope with 1.5 million new people just like that. Housing, schools, etc etc etc.
Dunno, but if I had the capital, Berlin property looks a great bet.
Edit: @Philip_Thompson makes a good point about German population.
Thanks though one thing is that while housing, schools etc are less of an issue in a host nation with declining population if you're worried about cultural changes etc that is more of a risk to Germany than it would be for us. A native population decline coupled with a large influx of migrants may be a balanced net population growth but it will be quite a considerable demographic change.
Since we in the UK have healthy birth rates, we are seeing naturally growing population even before migration which means net migration is more significant on housing etc but demographically relatively less significant.
Paul Kirkby This is a staggering map. Net worth of individual adults, by European country. This is private wealth, not GDP data https://t.co/XCGCS94RuL
So the 3 richest contrary's are, Switzerland, Iceland and Norway. Best stay in the EU so we don't end up like them!!!
Alternatively, all three countries are part of Schengen! We need to join Schengen!
More seriously, I think Switzerland is a good compare for what we want our economy to be like. I'm not sure either Iceland or Norway - which are basically utterly dependent on primary industries - are that great comparisons.
It's a good model for everything.
And they invented milk chocolate. And they have great ski resorts.
However: there is a small fly in the ointment for the Swiss economy.
Credit Suisse and UBS are utterly giant relative to the size of the Swiss economy. Should either of them get into serious financial trouble, it could be a serious problem.
Yep. Just like Scotland with RBS and BoS really. In good times an excellent source of work and taxes but in bad....
Mr. Meeks, worth noting Williams is crackers (she claimed we do have a magic money tree [the Bank of England] and spitting on people [such as those attending Conservative Party conference] is acceptable).
Mr. 565, I'd question the fitness to govern of anybody who seriously raises the prospect of demographic quotas (whether that's women in the boardroom or ethnic minorities in larger businesses).
Paul Kirkby This is a staggering map. Net worth of individual adults, by European country. This is private wealth, not GDP data https://t.co/XCGCS94RuL
So the 3 richest contrary's are, Switzerland, Iceland and Norway. Best stay in the EU so we don't end up like them!!!
Alternatively, all three countries are part of Schengen! We need to join Schengen!
More seriously, I think Switzerland is a good compare for what we want our economy to be like. I'm not sure either Iceland or Norway - which are basically utterly dependent on primary industries - are that great comparisons.
It's a good model for everything.
And they invented milk chocolate. And they have great ski resorts.
However: there is a small fly in the ointment for the Swiss economy.
Credit Suisse and UBS are utterly giant relative to the size of the Swiss economy. Should either of them get into serious financial trouble, it could be a serious problem.
Yep. Just like Scotland with RBS and BoS really. In good times an excellent source of work and taxes but in bad....
It makes Luxembourg;s aim of taking on London somewhat questionable.
"I still find it hard to see Trump doing it but his position gets stronger as each day goes by and none of the other contenders have got near."
We're at the stage now where we should take it very seriously. Trump has sat at the top of the polling for long enough to demonstrate considerable resilience in the face of negative campaigning. What's surprising to me is how well Carson's held up, though his star does look to be on the wane.
It's far from sewn up though. Were the campaign calendar the same as last time, with Iowa in early January, it might be done and dusted but there's a lot of campaigning still to be done after the festivities. Even so, he ought to be a clear favourite.
================== Only a bloody fool would bet on Trump ...sometime in the future when Trump goes back to reality TV, the folks who have been spooked by his campaign will look positively daft
Nate Silver gives him about a 5% chance and he is being generous
Of the nomination or of the general election? I'd make him around evens for the nomination, if only because if there was a decent challenger in the pack then they'd have already shown.
I think Trump could really struggle in Iowa. And if he takes a tumble there, he will never recover.
Don't forget, Iowa is all about organisation. You need to have people corralling supporters. And the discussions and arguments can really count against someone who seems un-Presidential (see Howard Dean).
I would sell Trump in Iowa (with maybe a covering bet for the nomination).
History suggests that you can recover from a poor performance in Iowa but a good performance in NH is essential (Iowa picks corn, NH picks presidents, or something like that?). Whether that extends to performing poorly *after being expected to win* may be a different matter.
I see the Heathrow decision is being kicked down the road again, perhaps to next autumn. Not being political or anything, but isn't this getting silly? Is the Government's strategy to bore us into submission so that when they eventually make a proposal we all accept it in sheer relief?
Do you have a link for that, Nick? I can't see anything on the Beeb or Guardian
Edit: There's something on the Guardian live blog, but it's unclear quite what it means.
Yes, my source is the Bibl...er, the Guardian blog . I agree it's a bit unclear but their comparison with Times and Sun sources looks credible, and it's not exactly a surprise.
I wonder how many people would REALLY change their votes over Heathrow anyway? I know Tories who say they won't vote Zac because they want Heathrow extended, but I suspect they'll go Tory in the end, since a pro-Heathrow candidate is not evident.
Paul Kirkby This is a staggering map. Net worth of individual adults, by European country. This is private wealth, not GDP data https://t.co/XCGCS94RuL
So the 3 richest contrary's are, Switzerland, Iceland and Norway. Best stay in the EU so we don't end up like them!!!
Alternatively, all three countries are part of Schengen! We need to join Schengen!
More seriously, I think Switzerland is a good compare for what we want our economy to be like. I'm not sure either Iceland or Norway - which are basically utterly dependent on primary industries - are that great comparisons.
It's a good model for everything.
And they invented milk chocolate. And they have great ski resorts.
However: there is a small fly in the ointment for the Swiss economy.
Credit Suisse and UBS are utterly giant relative to the size of the Swiss economy. Should either of them get into serious financial trouble, it could be a serious problem.
Yep. Just like Scotland with RBS and BoS really. In good times an excellent source of work and taxes but in bad....
And England, given that the distribution of those banks is roughly proportional to population.
Iceland exports aluminium - because its geothermal energy makes it cheap to do so.
Interestingly, one of the political obstacles to the proposal to put in an undersea power cable to supply the UK with Icelandic geothermal electricity is a concern in Iceland that it will put up their domestic prices, and thus affect the aluminium smelting industry.
It's 2,000 kms from Iceland to London. I'd be interested to know what the transmission losses on that look like.
Paul Kirkby This is a staggering map. Net worth of individual adults, by European country. This is private wealth, not GDP data https://t.co/XCGCS94RuL
So the 3 richest contrary's are, Switzerland, Iceland and Norway. Best stay in the EU so we don't end up like them!!!
Alternatively, all three countries are part of Schengen! We need to join Schengen!
More seriously, I think Switzerland is a good compare for what we want our economy to be like. I'm not sure either Iceland or Norway - which are basically utterly dependent on primary industries - are that great comparisons.
It's a good model for everything.
And they invented milk chocolate. And they have great ski resorts.
However: there is a small fly in the ointment for the Swiss economy.
Credit Suisse and UBS are utterly giant relative to the size of the Swiss economy. Should either of them get into serious financial trouble, it could be a serious problem.
Yep. Just like Scotland with RBS and BoS really. In good times an excellent source of work and taxes but in bad....
And England, given that the distribution of those banks is roughly proportional to population.
Only if you strip RBS and BoS back to their 1990s size.
Mr. Rich, I largely agree, but there's little room for Labour to go backwards in Scotland. They can go from 1 MP to 0, but that's the flickering doom of binary rather than the avalanche of woe that crushed Scottish Labour this year.
To be fair to Mr R., we do have the Scottish Parliament elections in May. And the local gmt ones, in 2019 is it?
Mr. Rich, I largely agree, but there's little room for Labour to go backwards in Scotland. They can go from 1 MP to 0, but that's the flickering doom of binary rather than the avalanche of woe that crushed Scottish Labour this year.
To be fair to Mr R., we do have the Scottish Parliament elections in May. And the local gmt ones, in 2019 is it?
Yes to clarify I was talking about the elections that will be held simutanisaly in May 2016. London Marer, London Assembly, English Locales elections, Welsh assembly, Scottish Parliament, and PCC. there where dew to be Scottish and Welsh locales as well but these have been delayed till May 2017.
How the f##k can a country cope with 1.5 million new people just like that. Housing, schools, etc etc etc.
In Germany's situation relatively easily. They're undergoing catastrophic population decline otherwise. This is the elephant in the room that nobody wants to discuss - the situation in Germany has no relationship to our own with healthily growing population.
Germany's population started rising again in 2013.
CIA Factbook says otherwise. Either way after years of decline and not by much if it is. Nothing like in the UK.
Paul Kirkby This is a staggering map. Net worth of individual adults, by European country. This is private wealth, not GDP data https://t.co/XCGCS94RuL
So the 3 richest contrary's are, Switzerland, Iceland and Norway. Best stay in the EU so we don't end up like them!!!
Alternatively, all three countries are part of Schengen! We need to join Schengen!
More seriously, I think Switzerland is a good compare for what we want our economy to be like. I'm not sure either Iceland or Norway - which are basically utterly dependent on primary industries - are that great comparisons.
It's a good model for everything.
And they invented milk chocolate. And they have great ski resorts.
However: there is a small fly in the ointment for the Swiss economy.
Credit Suisse and UBS are utterly giant relative to the size of the Swiss economy. Should either of them get into serious financial trouble, it could be a serious problem.
Yep. Just like Scotland with RBS and BoS really. In good times an excellent source of work and taxes but in bad....
It makes Luxembourg;s aim of taking on London somewhat questionable.
I don't think Luxembourg has any big banks, does it? I think - like Monaco or the BVI or the Bahamas - it tries to offer existing firms a low-tax, low-regulation environment in which to work.
If you go by median wealth, which seems like it'd be more representative of the average citizen, then a UK adult is more than twice as wealthy than one from Germany or the USA.
I'd like to see figures on net wealth. A lot of my contemporaries are asset rich, but still have eye-wateringly large mortgages and personal debt.
That describes the UK perfectly.
Goodness - I just assumed it must mean net wealth - I don't owe a penny to anyone - can't see the point of paying debt interest if you don't need to.
Friends of mine are mortgaged to the hilt (on interest-only mortgages to boot). They've used their equity to fund school fees plus a (modestly) rock and roll lifestyle. We were always figures of of fun with our shabby, abstemious existence (e.g. 10 year old cars of the Ford/Vauxhall variety, holidays in exotic Sutherland etc). I don't think our friends are particularly unusual.
How the f##k can a country cope with 1.5 million new people just like that. Housing, schools, etc etc etc.
In Germany's situation relatively easily. They're undergoing catastrophic population decline otherwise. This is the elephant in the room that nobody wants to discuss - the situation in Germany has no relationship to our own with healthily growing population.
Germany's population started rising again in 2013.
CIA Factbook says otherwise. Either way after years of decline and not by much if it is. Nothing like in the UK.
Iceland exports aluminium - because its geothermal energy makes it cheap to do so.
Interestingly, one of the political obstacles to the proposal to put in an undersea power cable to supply the UK with Icelandic geothermal electricity is a concern in Iceland that it will put up their domestic prices, and thus affect the aluminium smelting industry.
It's 2,000 kms from Iceland to London. I'd be interested to know what the transmission losses on that look like.
I think Zac doesn't really like airports at all but particularly not Heathrow.
Not even Boris island ?
Heathrow is awful and 3 runways will surely only make it worse ?
Maybe, but on the other hand the transport links are vastly better than Gatwick and could be enhanced with relative ease.
Gatwick would also affect some areas of unspoilt countryside, which are scarce enough as it is in SE England.
Disclaimer: I live in Sussex, so I might not be entirely free of interest in this!
Living in Cambridge, Gatwick would be an awful choice for me - horrendous to get there.
Train to King's Cross then Thameslink direct to Gatwick, right? Surely that's easier than Heathrow.
Why bother with Heathrow, getting to Stansted is easy.
Can't fly to the US from Stansted.
Yes you can!
Although it's "seasonal" (ie. not all-year), Thomas Cook can fly you to Vegas, and Orlando (and Cancun in Mexico), and Thomson can also fly you to Orlando.
Mr. Thompson, when people are dying of malnutrition, feeding them can cause death as too much food is something they can't cope with. Germany can't magic it's way out of a demographic problem overnight (or over a couple of years). They're just swapping one demographic problem for another.
Not disagreeing. Just answering how can they find housing etc
How the f##k can a country cope with 1.5 million new people just like that. Housing, schools, etc etc etc.
In Germany's situation relatively easily. They're undergoing catastrophic population decline otherwise. This is the elephant in the room that nobody wants to discuss - the situation in Germany has no relationship to our own with healthily growing population.
Germany's population started rising again in 2013.
How the f##k can a country cope with 1.5 million new people just like that. Housing, schools, etc etc etc.
In Germany's situation relatively easily. They're undergoing catastrophic population decline otherwise. This is the elephant in the room that nobody wants to discuss - the situation in Germany has no relationship to our own with healthily growing population.
Germany's population started rising again in 2013.
The Tories have already won two mayor races and that was without the benefit of a ''national security risk ''...Boris Johnson's donut strategy worked insomuch the Tory suburbs outvote the Labour centre but mayor's races tend to suffer low turnout ..when Lynton Crosby frames Khan as both a Corbynista and a Muslim ....a financial risk and a security risk , the voters in the suburbs will be spooked into turning out
Furthermore , Londoners like their mayors to be mavericks of sorts ; while Zac is no ''big personality ''like Boris ,he is still a maverick with his keen environmentalism that is sure to appeal to lots of young voters ...Khan , on the other hand , seems like a rather typical orthodox leftist MP
I really hope we don't attack Khan for his religion. That would sicken me.
We should attack him for his and his leaders disgraceful views. Is that not enough?
Yes, my source is the Bibl...er, the Guardian blog . I agree it's a bit unclear but their comparison with Times and Sun sources looks credible, and it's not exactly a surprise.
I wonder how many people would REALLY change their votes over Heathrow anyway? I know Tories who say they won't vote Zac because they want Heathrow extended, but I suspect they'll go Tory in the end, since a pro-Heathrow candidate is not evident.
I think the potential political fallout isn't so much as regards the mayoral election directly, but the fact that a decision for Heathrow (or indeed against it) would cause a quite significant split in the Conservative Party, including likely ministerial resignations. Of course, it is probably true that there are equally strong views in both directions in the Labour Party and the unions, but it's much easier for an opposition party to fudge things.
Passed through Leytonstone station this morning on the way to Euston. No delays, but couldn't help thinking about the events on Saturday night below platform-level.
On a lighter note, Tottenham Court Road platforms on the Central line re-opened this morning, enabling me to change for the Northern line with relative ease - haven't been able to do this interchange since January.
I think Zac doesn't really like airports at all but particularly not Heathrow.
Not even Boris island ?
Heathrow is awful and 3 runways will surely only make it worse ?
Maybe, but on the other hand the transport links are vastly better than Gatwick and could be enhanced with relative ease.
Gatwick would also affect some areas of unspoilt countryside, which are scarce enough as it is in SE England.
Disclaimer: I live in Sussex, so I might not be entirely free of interest in this!
Living in Cambridge, Gatwick would be an awful choice for me - horrendous to get there.
Train to King's Cross then Thameslink direct to Gatwick, right? Surely that's easier than Heathrow.
Why bother with Heathrow, getting to Stansted is easy.
Can't fly to the US from Stansted.
Yes you can!
Although it's "seasonal" (ie. not all-year), Thomas Cook can fly you to Vegas, and Orlando (and Cancun in Mexico), and Thomson can also fly you to Orlando.
Paul Kirkby This is a staggering map. Net worth of individual adults, by European country. This is private wealth, not GDP data https://t.co/XCGCS94RuL
So the 3 richest contrary's are, Switzerland, Iceland and Norway. Best stay in the EU so we don't end up like them!!!
Alternatively, all three countries are part of Schengen! We need to join Schengen!
More seriously, I think Switzerland is a good compare for what we want our economy to be like. I'm not sure either Iceland or Norway - which are basically utterly dependent on primary industries - are that great comparisons.
It's a good model for everything.
And they invented milk chocolate. And they have great ski resorts.
However: there is a small fly in the ointment for the Swiss economy.
Credit Suisse and UBS are utterly giant relative to the size of the Swiss economy. Should either of them get into serious financial trouble, it could be a serious problem.
Yep. Just like Scotland with RBS and BoS really. In good times an excellent source of work and taxes but in bad....
It makes Luxembourg;s aim of taking on London somewhat questionable.
I don't think Luxembourg has any big banks, does it? I think - like Monaco or the BVI or the Bahamas - it tries to offer existing firms a low-tax, low-regulation environment in which to work.
None that I know of, was merely commenting on this article last week which struck me as hubris, chutzpah and egomania brought together in a heady new Euromix.
While no great fan of London I must say Luxembourg has to be one of the most boring dumps I've ever been to. There's bugger all of interest, the entertainment isn't entertaining and the people are pigfarmers with an accountancy degree on the side.
Never get stuck at the airport it's as exciting as Wigan railway station on a rainy Sunday .
I think Zac doesn't really like airports at all but particularly not Heathrow.
Not even Boris island ?
Heathrow is awful and 3 runways will surely only make it worse ?
Maybe, but on the other hand the transport links are vastly better than Gatwick and could be enhanced with relative ease.
Gatwick would also affect some areas of unspoilt countryside, which are scarce enough as it is in SE England.
Disclaimer: I live in Sussex, so I might not be entirely free of interest in this!
Living in Cambridge, Gatwick would be an awful choice for me - horrendous to get there.
Train to King's Cross then Thameslink direct to Gatwick, right? Surely that's easier than Heathrow.
Why bother with Heathrow, getting to Stansted is easy.
Can't fly to the US from Stansted.
Yes you can!
Although it's "seasonal" (ie. not all-year), Thomas Cook can fly you to Vegas, and Orlando (and Cancun in Mexico), and Thomson can also fly you to Orlando.
Trump is in fact symptomatic of American politics and the zeitgeist ; he represents the intertwining of politics , the entertainment industry and ''charisma '' It started with radio in the 1930s and Roosevelt's fireside chats , Father Coughlin's broadcasts and the seduction by the medium of radio ! ...Incidentally , that was part of Hitler's success with his soft Viennese accent
The rise of cinema and then TV killed the radio star and put a premium on youth , being photogenic and Hollwood-esque that contributed to the success of Kennedy and the Camelot romance
The Hollywood connection rose again in 1980 when a charismatic communicator and handsome former actor Ronald Reagan rode onto the scene ...it resurfaced again in 1992 when a little known but charismatic governor from Arkansas, Bill Clinton , was able to defeat an aging , respected President with the recent Gulf War success
It rose again in 2008 when a young inexperienced but charismatic Senator from Chicago took the Democratic nomination away from the aging Hillary and then soundly defeated the senior Senator and Vietnam war hero John Mccain
There is a pattern forming here whereby youth , charisma and Hollywood-esque ''Star Appeal '' beats age , experience and gravitas ...indeed , Obama was the first ''American Idol President ''..he was young , handsome , had good teeth and a seductive voice , was ''sexy '' and could even sing and dance ...what's not to like about that ? Many of the folks who voted for him used the same criteria they use when voting for A I ....I wonder if they even recognise the difference ? If Obama had not been president he would of been a talk show host like Oprah
America is fast becoming a ''Hollywood Nation '' ...a virtual reality where trash TV intertwines with all aspects of our lives ; a parallel universe of frivolous pleasure seeking , hedonism ...where vacuous words of Hollywood actors are taken more seriously than learned and wise men , where the phenomena of Trumpism dominates the election cycle ..the critical difference between Trump and Obama is that Trump has no experience whatsoever in politics, has very poor communicator skills and had no intention of ever becoming president
Mr. Rich, I largely agree, but there's little room for Labour to go backwards in Scotland. They can go from 1 MP to 0, but that's the flickering doom of binary rather than the avalanche of woe that crushed Scottish Labour this year.
To be fair to Mr R., we do have the Scottish Parliament elections in May. And the local gmt ones, in 2019 is it?
Yes to clarify I was talking about the elections that will be held simutanisaly in May 2016. London Marer, London Assembly, English Locales elections, Welsh assembly, Scottish Parliament, and PCC. there where dew to be Scottish and Welsh locales as well but these have been delayed till May 2017.
Thanks. Some potentially very interesting tests for the Labour party there.
How the f##k can a country cope with 1.5 million new people just like that. Housing, schools, etc etc etc.
In Germany's situation relatively easily. They're undergoing catastrophic population decline otherwise. This is the elephant in the room that nobody wants to discuss - the situation in Germany has no relationship to our own with healthily growing population.
Germany's population started rising again in 2013.
CIA Factbook says otherwise. Either way after years of decline and not by much if it is. Nothing like in the UK.
The OECD seems to think the UK's population dropped by 1.2 million between 2012 and 2013. I think we might have noticed that (I assume it's a correction based on census data, but even so, odd).
Can any experts tell me whether Concorde could be rivived between London and Beijing?
In the 21st century some supersonic airliners and business jets (Aerion AS2, HyperMach SonicStar, Next Generation Supersonic Transport, Tupolev Tu-444, Gulfstream X-54, LAPCAT, Reaction Engines A2, Spike S-512, Zero Emission Hyper Sonic Transport) were under development.
Just been listening to the PM in Burton - he repeated the phrase "You ain't no Muslim bruv." Memetastic.
Aiiii!
Extraordinary, Ali G lives in number 10.
To be fair, if Farage, Corbyn or Farron said it I wouldn't be slating them
The problem is I fear that one person heard having a go at the attacker will lead to a meme from the liberal elite that there is no problem with the clash of cultures as its only a tiny minority going around killing/beheading/stabbing people
I would rather there was no stabbing and no need for the apology/disown
Oh come on, I appreciate you're trying to be charitable, next thing he'll be wearing a baseball cap back to front, blinged up at PMQs.
I've no idea what point he was trying to make but he's the PM not a journalist, this is a big mistake by Cameron.
Not just a mistake, but a 'big' mistake? My word.
Be serious. All it is is cringeworthy, but in fairness it is a quote and not something he would just say.
Mr. Meeks, worth noting Williams is crackers (she claimed we do have a magic money tree [the Bank of England] and spitting on people [such as those attending Conservative Party conference] is acceptable).
Mr. 565, I'd question the fitness to govern of anybody who seriously raises the prospect of demographic quotas (whether that's women in the boardroom or ethnic minorities in larger businesses).
She also thought she made a devastating pro immigration point by saying the Paris killers were not refugees from Syria, but "homegrown"
As someone who thinks there has been too much immigration, it didn't really change my mind
Can any experts tell me whether Concorde could be rivived between London and Beijing?
There, would be two problems with that:
1) range, Concorde, could make the trans-Atlantick crossing but not much more, it could have to stop to refuel, but that would add time and cost.
2) It could only fly a super-sonic speeds over the sea, otherwise it 'Sonic Boom' would course problems, when flying over land, it just becomes a high fuel consumption/low passenger number Jet. I don't know the full constraints and it may be able to fly as supper-sonic speeds over the unpopulated bits of land that it would need to fly over.
Why do you ask? are there planes to bring it back?
I think Zac doesn't really like airports at all but particularly not Heathrow.
Not even Boris island ?
Heathrow is awful and 3 runways will surely only make it worse ?
Maybe, but on the other hand the transport links are vastly better than Gatwick and could be enhanced with relative ease.
Gatwick would also affect some areas of unspoilt countryside, which are scarce enough as it is in SE England.
Disclaimer: I live in Sussex, so I might not be entirely free of interest in this!
Living in Cambridge, Gatwick would be an awful choice for me - horrendous to get there.
Train to King's Cross then Thameslink direct to Gatwick, right? Surely that's easier than Heathrow.
Why bother with Heathrow, getting to Stansted is easy.
Can't fly to the US from Stansted.
Yes you can!
Although it's "seasonal" (ie. not all-year), Thomas Cook can fly you to Vegas, and Orlando (and Cancun in Mexico), and Thomson can also fly you to Orlando.
Vegas and Orlando are the two places in the US that I would least like to go to.
Have you been to Cancun?
It may look like its in the US.....but Cancun is in that country to the south.....
I liked Vegas for the sheer professionalism of the place - giving you a good time while separating you from your money - I'm glad I went, but will not be going back.
I think Trump wouldn't stand a chance against another moderate Democrat candidate but against Clinton a lot of voters may decide they've had enough of the Bush/Clinton dynasties.
One question I've struggled to answer is how realistic is the prospect of a Trump win in November? On the one hand, the overall figures are close; on the other, Trump's scores with some demographics are dire - though Hillary's strengths and Trump's weaknesses are almost an exact overlap so may reinforce existing intention rather than swing votes.
My instinct is that Trump will simply scare too many moderate horses but if that is the case, why aren't the polls further apart now - it's not as if either is an unknown quantity. Very confusing.
BigRich your second reason is why Concorde made sense as a London to New York jet but not much more. Great across the Atlantic but any other direction is pointless.
"This is the novelty of the current politics – not Corbyn’s character or actions, but the sheer fact of Labour’s divisions. It has become routine to castigate this as somehow irresponsible – disagreeing about ideas when you should be attacking the Tory government. It is not irresponsible. It is right for Labour to search for an identity it can coalesce around. The party will not be strong enough to attack anything until it finds one.
Doubtless the battle will look chaotic and ugly, but while it continues, everybody – from the farthest right to the farthest left of the party – will be vulnerable and undefended. Whether or not they would have chosen it, they are living courageous political lives. If they could see that in each other, and we could see and admit it in them, we might get closer to the new politics we claim to want."
Par for the course, that, isn't it? I'd heard the family lost much of its territory in the 19th Century due to their petty dynastic squabbling, and had to claw it back under Ibn Saud, wouldn't be a surprise if they undermined themselves again.
BigRich your second reason is why Concorde made sense as a London to New York jet but not much more. Great across the Atlantic but any other direction is pointless.
Didn't last long on this route, but historically interesting:
Trump is in fact symptomatic of American politics and the zeitgeist ; he represents the intertwining of politics , the entertainment industry and ''charisma '' It started with radio in the 1930s and Roosevelt's fireside chats , Father Coughlin's broadcasts and the seduction by the medium of radio ! ...Incidentally , that was part of Hitler's success with his soft Viennese accent
The rise of cinema and then TV killed the radio star and put a premium on youth , being photogenic and Hollwood-esque that contributed to the success of Kennedy and the Camelot romance
The Hollywood connection rose again in 1980 when a charismatic communicator and handsome former actor Ronald Reagan rode onto the scene ...it resurfaced again in 1992 when a little known but charismatic governor from Arkansas, Bill Clinton , was able to defeat an aging , respected President with the recent Gulf War success
It rose again in 2008 when a young inexperienced but charismatic Senator from Chicago took the Democratic nomination away from the aging Hillary and then soundly defeated the senior Senator and Vietnam war hero John Mccain
There is a pattern forming here whereby youth , charisma and Hollywood-esque ''Star Appeal '' beats age , experience and gravitas ...indeed , Obama was the first ''American Idol President ''..he was young , handsome , had good teeth and a seductive voice , was ''sexy '' and could even sing and dance ...what's not to like about that ? Many of the folks who voted for him used the same criteria they use when voting for A I ....I wonder if they even recognise the difference ? If Obama had not been president he would of been a talk show host like Oprah
America is fast becoming a ''Hollywood Nation '' ...a virtual reality where trash TV intertwines with all aspects of our lives ; a parallel universe of frivolous pleasure seeking , hedonism ...where vacuous words of Hollywood actors are taken more seriously than learned and wise men , where the phenomena of Trumpism dominates the election cycle ..the critical difference between Trump and Obama is that Trump has no experience whatsoever in politics, has very poor communicator skills and had no intention of ever becoming president
Interesting post, the one throwaway line which surprised me was the fact that Hitler had a "soft Viennese accent". We mostly see him in clips from the rallies where it's not much in evidence.
If you go by median wealth, which seems like it'd be more representative of the average citizen, then a UK adult is more than twice as wealthy than one from Germany or the USA.
I'd like to see figures on net wealth. A lot of my contemporaries are asset rich, but still have eye-wateringly large mortgages and personal debt.
That describes the UK perfectly.
Goodness - I just assumed it must mean net wealth - I don't owe a penny to anyone - can't see the point of paying debt interest if you don't need to.
Friends of mine are mortgaged to the hilt (on interest-only mortgages to boot). They've used their equity to fund school fees plus a (modestly) rock and roll lifestyle. We were always figures of of fun with our shabby, abstemious existence (e.g. 10 year old cars of the Ford/Vauxhall variety, holidays in exotic Sutherland etc). I don't think our friends are particularly unusual.
*edit* Grammar, idiot.
I've never understood how people expect to live on debt. I borrowed a few thousand in my 30s to pay some other debts off and it took nearly 5 years to get straight. Never again. Now I can buy pretty well whatever I want with cash. Having said that my tastes are fairly modest.
If you go by median wealth, which seems like it'd be more representative of the average citizen, then a UK adult is more than twice as wealthy than one from Germany or the USA.
I'd like to see figures on net wealth. A lot of my contemporaries are asset rich, but still have eye-wateringly large mortgages and personal debt.
That describes the UK perfectly.
Goodness - I just assumed it must mean net wealth - I don't owe a penny to anyone - can't see the point of paying debt interest if you don't need to.
Friends of mine are mortgaged to the hilt (on interest-only mortgages to boot). They've used their equity to fund school fees plus a (modestly) rock and roll lifestyle. We were always figures of of fun with our shabby, abstemious existence (e.g. 10 year old cars of the Ford/Vauxhall variety, holidays in exotic Sutherland etc). I don't think our friends are particularly unusual.
*edit* Grammar, idiot.
I've never understood how people expect to live on debt. I borrowed a few thousand in my 30s to pay some other debts off and it took nearly 5 years to get straight. Never again. Now I can buy pretty well whatever I want with cash. Having said that my tastes are fairly modest.
Yeah, but if you think about it, if you can manage to die with massively negative net worth then you've successfully spent far more than you've earned over your life.
Comments
Cruz ?
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/12/14/existential-riddles?mbid=rss
Iceland is fish and using low cost geothermal energy to purify silicon (and the like).
Norway is oil and gas and using low cost hydroelectric energy to purify silicon (and the like).
Switzerland is a services (banking) and manufacturing (pharmaceuticals, FMCG) economy,
http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2015/12/07-tusk-letter-to-28ms-on-uk/
I've laid him out as far as my biggest betfair red (Cruz) but I can't understand for the life of me why he isn't 1000.0 - this isn't a Clinton/Biden analogue.
Iceland exports aluminium - because its geothermal energy makes it cheap to do so.
And it exports fish.
And that's really about it.
We don't have geothermal energy. And even outside the EU, we don't have the extent of the territorial waters Iceland does. (And we have far more people.)
Allowing Ventura to be a governor of Minnesota is a world away from becoming president of the most powerful country on the planet ...Trump as President ? don't be daft
Only you've repeatedly rubbished it in the past...
Be serious. All it is is cringeworthy, but in fairness it is a quote and not something he would just say. And so barely trying he has done some good then. The lucky PM once more.
We should attack him for his and his leaders disgraceful views. Is that not enough?
Same goes for "class" and "education".
New glasses time ! :-)
However: there is a small fly in the ointment for the Swiss economy.
Credit Suisse and UBS are utterly giant relative to the size of the Swiss economy. Should either of them get into serious financial trouble, it could be a serious problem.
So in summary I recognise your point, but still think it lends wate for the Pre-Freedom, Pre-Free trade, Pro-Free Markets, and therefor, anti, the Bureaucratic, top down, rule based EU
Of course, you'll need to bring you own plane, or charter.
I expect Germany will try deporting some, and do nothing to stop others going elsewhere in the EU.
Mr. Carnyx, a good point, which I had forgotten.
Edit: @Philip_Thompson makes a good point about German population.
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/dec/06/new-politics-labour-party-battles-corbyn
"This is the novelty of the current politics – not Corbyn’s character or actions, but the sheer fact of Labour’s divisions. It has become routine to castigate this as somehow irresponsible – disagreeing about ideas when you should be attacking the Tory government. It is not irresponsible. It is right for Labour to search for an identity it can coalesce around. The party will not be strong enough to attack anything until it finds one.
Doubtless the battle will look chaotic and ugly, but while it continues, everybody – from the farthest right to the farthest left of the party – will be vulnerable and undefended. Whether or not they would have chosen it, they are living courageous political lives. If they could see that in each other, and we could see and admit it in them, we might get closer to the new politics we claim to want."
Well, it's a view.
Since we in the UK have healthy birth rates, we are seeing naturally growing population even before migration which means net migration is more significant on housing etc but demographically relatively less significant.
Some ironies involved here.
Mr. 565, I'd question the fitness to govern of anybody who seriously raises the prospect of demographic quotas (whether that's women in the boardroom or ethnic minorities in larger businesses).
I wonder how many people would REALLY change their votes over Heathrow anyway? I know Tories who say they won't vote Zac because they want Heathrow extended, but I suspect they'll go Tory in the end, since a pro-Heathrow candidate is not evident.
Apparently a DC line in Brazil is 2,375 km (1,476 mi).
*edit* Grammar, idiot.
Although it's "seasonal" (ie. not all-year), Thomas Cook can fly you to Vegas, and Orlando (and Cancun in Mexico), and Thomson can also fly you to Orlando.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Stansted_Airport
On a lighter note, Tottenham Court Road platforms on the Central line re-opened this morning, enabling me to change for the Northern line with relative ease - haven't been able to do this interchange since January.
While no great fan of London I must say Luxembourg has to be one of the most boring dumps I've ever been to. There's bugger all of interest, the entertainment isn't entertaining and the people are pigfarmers with an accountancy degree on the side.
Never get stuck at the airport it's as exciting as Wigan railway station on a rainy Sunday .
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/banksandfinance/12031340/Luxembourg-plots-to-steal-Londons-financial-crown.html
It started with radio in the 1930s and Roosevelt's fireside chats , Father Coughlin's broadcasts and the seduction by the medium of radio ! ...Incidentally , that was part of Hitler's success with his soft Viennese accent
The rise of cinema and then TV killed the radio star and put a premium on youth , being photogenic and Hollwood-esque that contributed to the success of Kennedy and the Camelot romance
The Hollywood connection rose again in 1980 when a charismatic communicator and handsome former actor Ronald Reagan rode onto the scene ...it resurfaced again in 1992 when a little known but charismatic governor from Arkansas, Bill Clinton , was able to defeat an aging , respected President with the recent Gulf War success
It rose again in 2008 when a young inexperienced but charismatic Senator from Chicago took the Democratic nomination away from the aging Hillary and then soundly defeated the senior Senator and Vietnam war hero John Mccain
There is a pattern forming here whereby youth , charisma and Hollywood-esque ''Star Appeal '' beats age , experience and gravitas ...indeed , Obama was the first ''American Idol President ''..he was young , handsome , had good teeth and a seductive voice , was ''sexy '' and could even sing and dance ...what's not to like about that ? Many of the folks who voted for him used the same criteria they use when voting for A I ....I wonder if they even recognise the difference ? If Obama had not been president he would of been a talk show host like Oprah
America is fast becoming a ''Hollywood Nation '' ...a virtual reality where trash TV intertwines with all aspects of our lives ; a parallel universe of frivolous pleasure seeking , hedonism ...where vacuous words of Hollywood actors are taken more seriously than learned and wise men , where the phenomena of Trumpism dominates the election cycle ..the critical difference between Trump and Obama is that Trump has no experience whatsoever in politics, has very poor communicator skills and had no intention of ever becoming president
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supersonic_transport
As someone who thinks there has been too much immigration, it didn't really change my mind
Then again, what could?!
1) range, Concorde, could make the trans-Atlantick crossing but not much more, it could have to stop to refuel, but that would add time and cost.
2) It could only fly a super-sonic speeds over the sea, otherwise it 'Sonic Boom' would course problems, when flying over land, it just becomes a high fuel consumption/low passenger number Jet. I don't know the full constraints and it may be able to fly as supper-sonic speeds over the unpopulated bits of land that it would need to fly over.
Why do you ask? are there planes to bring it back?
Venezuela government defeated:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-35024619
I liked Vegas for the sheer professionalism of the place - giving you a good time while separating you from your money - I'm glad I went, but will not be going back.
http://www.theguardian.com/business/live/2015/dec/07/oil-price-opec-production-german-factories-live
Its a Unionist plot, I tell you!
https://airlinersgallery.smugmug.com/Airlines-Asia-3/Airlines-Asia3-QZ/Singapore-Airlines/i-j3233Kp/0/L/Singapore Concorde G-BOAD (72)(Grd)(CVC)(46)-L.jpg
http://www.airteamimages.com/pics/52/52918_big.jpg
Mr. kle4, one does wonder whether the House of Saud is feeding a crocodile that's going to eat them sooner or later.
Mind you, it's not really my area.