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    AlastairMeeksAlastairMeeks Posts: 30,340
    Scott_P said:

    @NicolaSturgeon: Many congratulations to Carol & David from Hawick! Wishing them every happiness in their good fortune. https://t.co/lZztFzKHY0

    Good fortune that Scotland voted No, or they couldn't have bought a ticket?

    Why couldn't they have bought a ticket? Hawick is only a short drive from the English border.
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    Sandpit said:

    I love it when people say they were 'hacked'. Do they mean that their password was 'password', they left their phone at a bar or they were just upset at getting caught looking at boobs..?
    I would have had a lot more respect if he had just said, well I like boobs, what of it. Like the Tory MP who said he had done drugs and looked a pron.
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    CyclefreeCyclefree Posts: 25,255

    Cyclefree said:

    FPT (in response to @Watford30):-

    Retail investment advice is not my area of speciality but my thoughts are these:-

    1. There is a crying need for sensible investment advice for those who have some money to invest / savings but are not well off enough to justify the more expensive advisors.
    ...[snip for length]

    All good points. I think that low-level advice on simply how to invest in tracker funds would do for a lot of people. There is a fair amount of statistical evidence that paying for expensive advice to be selective doesn't necessarily produce a positive return over time, and most people would probably be content to go with the market and hope it will outperform over the long term. But that simple information is not familiar to most people.

    I remember when I asked my bank (RBS, then) for advice like this, they insisted on a personal discussion giving me far more information than I actually wanted - they weren't willing to answer a couple of simple questions, presumably partly as they wanted to sell me stuff and partly for fear that I'd sue them if the simple questions produced a sub-optimal answer. I understand this, but it should be possible all the same, and if the market won't do it maybe the Government's agencies should, rather like the basic pension advice.
    Yes - good points.

    I think the other thing that is missing is that there is a lot of basic stuff that people should be doing e.g. NS&I, premium bonds and other basic money management well before they get to investment advice. A lot of it is the sort of stuff that you see in the papers but that is not personalised and can be wrong. A good financial advisor will tell you to sort out the basic stuff first and them move to the more complicated stuff. But of course that takes a bit of time. How is that going to be paid for.

    Only 3 options as I see it:-

    1. People pay for advice.
    2. Some sort of government provided advisory service coupled with education so that those who can and want to can do it for themselves.
    3. Financial advisors provide it as a sort of loss leader / to build up trust and in the hope/expectation that they get more profitable work from the client later.

    At the moment, people don't really get the advice / basic information they should be getting and those who provide the products are, understandably, concentrating on selling and trying to make a profit. So there is a mis-match.

    However, having spotted a gap in the market, I am damned if I can find a way of making it pay. Otherwise I would be out there doing it - or selling the idea to someone!!!

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    AlastairMeeksAlastairMeeks Posts: 30,340

    Sandpit said:

    I love it when people say they were 'hacked'. Do they mean that their password was 'password', they left their phone at a bar or they were just upset at getting caught looking at boobs..?
    I would have had a lot more respect if he had just said, well I like boobs, what of it. Like the Tory MP who said he had done drugs and looked a pron.
    Well quite. He might actually have gone up in the public's estimation if he'd said that.
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    AlastairMeeksAlastairMeeks Posts: 30,340
    Talking of twitter accounts being "hacked"...


    @DawnButlerBrent ·
    Cameron looks like a kid whose just done a poo said a friend. Yes it does feel like he's Sh***ing all over the working class doesn't it

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    Scott_PScott_P Posts: 51,453

    Talking of twitter accounts being "hacked"...


    @DawnButlerBrent ·
    Cameron looks like a kid whose just done a poo said a friend. Yes it does feel like he's Sh***ing all over the working class doesn't it

    @WikiGuido: In expenses scandal Dawn Butler overclaimed £2,600 in rent and charged taxpayers for a whirlpool bath. "Sh***ing all over the working class"
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    JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 39,237
    Sandpit said:

    I love it when people say they were 'hacked'. Do they mean that their password was 'password', they left their phone at a bar or they were just upset at getting caught looking at boobs..?
    It generally means either:

    "I don't understand technology, and don't understand what happened. But as I'm excellent, it's obviously someone else's fault."

    or:

    "I don't understand technology. But I also know the public don''t either, so I'll blame 'hacking' and the gullible fools will fall for it."

    It annoys me because there are genuine hacks, and people using hacking as an excuse for their own stupidity harms the fight against real hackers (in the modern sense of the term).
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    TGOHFTGOHF Posts: 21,633
    Scott_P said:

    @JGForsyth: What that Cameron Corbyn exchange revealed is why, ultimately, I think the Tory party will come back together post the EU referendum

    Forgetting the politics - Corbyn looked like he'd spent 10 minutes max preparing for that - absolutely all over the place.
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    Scott_PScott_P Posts: 51,453
    @paulwaugh: Tory cabinet minister, Scottish Secretary, David Mundell has come out as gay
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    DecrepitJohnLDecrepitJohnL Posts: 13,300
    TGOHF said:

    Scott_P said:

    @JGForsyth: What that Cameron Corbyn exchange revealed is why, ultimately, I think the Tory party will come back together post the EU referendum

    Forgetting the politics - Corbyn looked like he'd spent 10 minutes max preparing for that - absolutely all over the place.
    Has something happened that might have prompted a last-minute change of plan?
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    JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 39,237
    One for Mr Dancer and Mr Pit:

    It looks like Crashtor might not be on the F1 grid next year. Let's hope so.
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/35299887
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    Danny565Danny565 Posts: 8,091
    Scott_P said:

    @paulwaugh: Tory cabinet minister, Scottish Secretary, David Mundell has come out as gay

    Is this the much-trailed "very personal announcement"? What a damp squib.
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    Scott_PScott_P Posts: 51,453
    @paulwaugh: Here's Mundell statement https://t.co/Xua7A43yw3
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    SimonStClareSimonStClare Posts: 7,976

    Talking of twitter accounts being "hacked"...


    @DawnButlerBrent ·
    Cameron looks like a kid whose just done a poo said a friend. Yes it does feel like he's Sh***ing all over the working class doesn't it

    What is it about a twitter account that makes people such foul mouthed idiots - the 46 year old Labour MP is supposed to be a role model FGS.
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    SlackbladderSlackbladder Posts: 9,713
    I'm sure the Cyber-Nats will be very supportive and progressive.....
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    JonathanDJonathanD Posts: 2,400


    Paul Brand VERIFIED ACCOUNT
    @PaulBrandITV

    Understand there'll be a very personal announcement from a very senior MP this afternoon. Wishing them all the best and leaving it to them.

    Sounds like a illness.

    Is this the rumour Mike mention a month or two ago about a Lab MP standing down in new year?

    And the return of David Miliband to parliament?

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    rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 54,245

    rcs1000 said:

    There are two things that operate against Trump in Iowa.

    1. The fact that it is a lot harder work to 'vote' than simply turning up and placing an x in a box. Trump supporters are less likely to be politically experienced, and I'm not sure he has an organisational structure in place to get his supporters to the caucuses and organise them appropriately.

    2. The structure of the caucuses, where people stand in groups to show their support for candidates, tends to result in the elimination of smaller candidates. No one wants to stand in a group by themselves. You can therefore expect to see Kasich, Bush, Fiorina, etc. badly squeezed. Their votes are unlikely to go to Trump.

    I would therefore sell Trump into the Iowa caucuses.

    Kasich, Bush, Fiorina, etc have already been badly squeezed, their support is now down to family members and paid campaign staff.
    You say that, but Trump plus Cruz plus Rubio is only 70-75% in Iowa
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    CyclefreeCyclefree Posts: 25,255
    Danny565 said:

    Scott_P said:

    @paulwaugh: Tory cabinet minister, Scottish Secretary, David Mundell has come out as gay

    Is this the much-trailed "very personal announcement"? What a damp squib.
    It might be a damp squib to you. And it would be nice to live in a world where this didn't have to be made as an announcement, anymore than someone else announcing that they were allergic to honey. But presumably to him it's important.

    So good luck and happiness to him.

    And now, anything of interest at PMQs?

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    oxfordsimonoxfordsimon Posts: 5,831
    Danny565 said:

    Scott_P said:

    @paulwaugh: Tory cabinet minister, Scottish Secretary, David Mundell has come out as gay

    Is this the much-trailed "very personal announcement"? What a damp squib.
    Not for him it isn't. It is a very big step - and one that should be respected not dismissed.

    In many ways, it really doesn't matter - but to make such a public statement really does matter to him.

    I am sure he will get support from many people. And the fact that you dismiss it because it isn't exciting enough for you tells us a lot more about you than him.
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    dyingswandyingswan Posts: 189
    Re the photograph at the US embassy. I have seen it before. It was the front cover of one of the Famous Five books. Either Five Go Off To Camp or Five Get Into Trouble. I cant remember which. The person second left does not ring a bell.
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    John_MJohn_M Posts: 7,503
    Sandpit said:

    I love it when people say they were 'hacked'. Do they mean that their password was 'password', they left their phone at a bar or they were just upset at getting caught looking at boobs..?
    In my experience, you don't have to do much hacking to break people's security; people are incontinent about their personal information, lax about password security and it's usually fish in barrel time.
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    TOPPINGTOPPING Posts: 41,548

    Danny565 said:

    Scott_P said:

    @paulwaugh: Tory cabinet minister, Scottish Secretary, David Mundell has come out as gay

    Is this the much-trailed "very personal announcement"? What a damp squib.
    Not for him it isn't. It is a very big step - and one that should be respected not dismissed.

    In many ways, it really doesn't matter - but to make such a public statement really does matter to him.

    I am sure he will get support from many people. And the fact that you dismiss it because it isn't exciting enough for you tells us a lot more about you than him.
    While not doubting the magnitude of the announcement for David Mundell, I would hope it tells you that more and more people these days, perhaps including @Danny565, couldn't give a tinker's cuss whether someone is gay or not and that is a good reflection on society today.
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    JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 39,237

    Talking of twitter accounts being "hacked"...


    @DawnButlerBrent ·
    Cameron looks like a kid whose just done a poo said a friend. Yes it does feel like he's Sh***ing all over the working class doesn't it

    What is it about a twitter account that makes people such foul mouthed idiots - the 46 year old Labour MP is supposed to be a role model FGS.
    Twitter allows you to publicly broadcast to people who are often fawning followers: after all, you can just block people who are not fawning. And when you have lots of replies that support you, it is easy to forget that it is a public forum and not a chat in a pub.

    It's also far too easy to write something before you've had time to think about what you're saying.

    It's one of the reasons I feel twitter as it exists at the moment will fail.
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    WandererWanderer Posts: 3,838
    Danny565 said:

    Scott_P said:

    @paulwaugh: Tory cabinet minister, Scottish Secretary, David Mundell has come out as gay

    Is this the much-trailed "very personal announcement"? What a damp squib.
    What happened to "very senior"?
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    AlastairMeeksAlastairMeeks Posts: 30,340
    John_M said:

    Sandpit said:

    I love it when people say they were 'hacked'. Do they mean that their password was 'password', they left their phone at a bar or they were just upset at getting caught looking at boobs..?
    In my experience, you don't have to do much hacking to break people's security; people are incontinent about their personal information, lax about password security and it's usually fish in barrel time.
    This is the moment where I have to confess that one of my personal email accounts had the password "antifrank" for a very long time until I realised that I really should change it to something a bit harder to guess.
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    Wanderer said:

    Danny565 said:

    Scott_P said:

    @paulwaugh: Tory cabinet minister, Scottish Secretary, David Mundell has come out as gay

    Is this the much-trailed "very personal announcement"? What a damp squib.
    What happened to "very senior"?
    A Cabinet Minister is very senior.
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    TheScreamingEaglesTheScreamingEagles Posts: 114,719
    edited January 2016
    Absolutely disappointed by the David Mundell announcement. I was hoping for a by election (and so was Mike)
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    AlastairMeeksAlastairMeeks Posts: 30,340
    Wanderer said:

    Danny565 said:

    Scott_P said:

    @paulwaugh: Tory cabinet minister, Scottish Secretary, David Mundell has come out as gay

    Is this the much-trailed "very personal announcement"? What a damp squib.
    What happened to "very senior"?
    Cabinet minister = "very senior" by definition, surely?

    Anyway, good luck to him. I expect he will now feel far more comfortable in his own skin for having come out.
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    WandererWanderer Posts: 3,838

    Wanderer said:

    Danny565 said:

    Scott_P said:

    @paulwaugh: Tory cabinet minister, Scottish Secretary, David Mundell has come out as gay

    Is this the much-trailed "very personal announcement"? What a damp squib.
    What happened to "very senior"?
    A Cabinet Minister is very senior.
    Senior yes. Very senior suggested to me either high profile cabinet minister or shadow or just very long-serving. Bah.
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    Danny565Danny565 Posts: 8,091

    Absolutely disappointed by the David Mundell announcement. I was hoping for a by election (and so was Mike)

    Quite; this is what I meant when I said it was a "damp squib" (as in it wasn't what I was hoping for after seeing the hype tweet from the ITV guy), I wasn't belittling the importance the announcement had to David Mundell personally.
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    Scott_PScott_P Posts: 51,453
    @PaulBrandITV: Happy to be corrected but think David Mundell is the first openly gay Tory cabinet minister in history. Sends a strong signal of acceptance.
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    richardDoddrichardDodd Posts: 5,472
    Cameron just had another stroll in he park...absolutely no opposition whatsoever..
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    AlanbrookeAlanbrooke Posts: 23,773
    edited January 2016
    Is Roger doing his Oscar predictions this year ?
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    Danny565 said:

    Absolutely disappointed by the David Mundell announcement. I was hoping for a by election (and so was Mike)

    Quite; this is what I meant when I said it was a "damp squib" (as in it wasn't what I was hoping for after seeing the hype tweet from the ITV guy), I wasn't belittling the importance the announcement had to David Mundell personally.
    Is a sign of progress. A Cabinet Minister comes out as gay and even the political obsessives go meh.

    Clearly if you want to do well as a Scottish Tory you need to be part of the LGBT community.
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    kle4kle4 Posts: 92,106
    Sandpit said:

    Scott_P said:

    @IsabelHardman: Cameron describes Corbyn as "a Labour leader who doesn't believe in Britain"

    That was just the last line. It was preceeded by saying that the labour party didn't believe in work and they had a defence policy that didn't believe in defence.
    A good line,but it's not as though such lines win over other people (though the more persistent pushing of the message over time might, so it contributes to that narrative I guess)
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    TGOHFTGOHF Posts: 21,633



    Wings Over Scotland ‏@WingsScotland 4m4 minutes ago

    Is coming out as gay just a drastic way for David Mundell to try to disassociate himself from his embarrassing son?
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    PAWPAW Posts: 1,074
    Re getting people back to work. I was very struck by an article in London Reconnections - a housing estate with high worklessness found the unemployment fell to average after it was connected to the Wimbledon tram route. I feel that cost and time for travel is a very significant factor.
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    richardDoddrichardDodd Posts: 5,472
    How can one close down Facebook account..as in..get rid of it..
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    rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 54,245
    PAW said:

    Re getting people back to work. I was very struck by an article in London Reconnections - a housing estate with high worklessness found the unemployment fell to average after it was connected to the Wimbledon tram route. I feel that cost and time for travel is a very significant factor.

    I think that's right. Reducing the cost of working is very important.
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    flightpath01flightpath01 Posts: 4,903

    Scott_P said:

    @NicolaSturgeon: Many congratulations to Carol & David from Hawick! Wishing them every happiness in their good fortune. https://t.co/lZztFzKHY0

    Good fortune that Scotland voted No, or they couldn't have bought a ticket?

    Why couldn't they have bought a ticket? Hawick is only a short drive from the English border.
    Buy over the interweb?
    Probably though, bought their tickets in the new improved ScottoLotto and won nothing. As it is I am more than please that these two clearly decent UK citizens have won their prize. I hope they use it sensibly.
    Hawick is one of those mysterious and exotic places that used to feature in Grandstand's RU results section.
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    kle4kle4 Posts: 92,106
    Scott_P said:

    @paulwaugh: Tory cabinet minister, Scottish Secretary, David Mundell has come out as gay

    Was it one of those 'open secret' sort of things? It's not as though I search out such information, but for some reason I thought it was already known he was. Maybe I'm confusing him with another Scottish politician.
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    rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 54,245

    How can one close down Facebook account..as in..get rid of it..

    Almost impossible
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    SandpitSandpit Posts: 50,044

    One for Mr Dancer and Mr Pit:

    It looks like Crashtor might not be on the F1 grid next year. Let's hope so.
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/35299887

    Good good. Let's have the likes of Magnussen and Palmer in the car please, not some idiot paying for the seat.
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    CyclefreeCyclefree Posts: 25,255
    TOPPING said:

    Danny565 said:

    Scott_P said:

    @paulwaugh: Tory cabinet minister, Scottish Secretary, David Mundell has come out as gay

    Is this the much-trailed "very personal announcement"? What a damp squib.
    Not for him it isn't. It is a very big step - and one that should be respected not dismissed.

    In many ways, it really doesn't matter - but to make such a public statement really does matter to him.

    I am sure he will get support from many people. And the fact that you dismiss it because it isn't exciting enough for you tells us a lot more about you than him.
    While not doubting the magnitude of the announcement for David Mundell, I would hope it tells you that more and more people these days, perhaps including @Danny565, couldn't give a tinker's cuss whether someone is gay or not and that is a good reflection on society today.
    That may well be so but I think in some areas of life a lot of gay people do feel that coming out is a significant step and so we should not dismiss what they've done. There are people who do give a tinker's cuss about these things so we cannot assume that all will react with the same indifference. That is all the more the case when someone does it when they are a grown up.

    Dismissing something that is important to others is not really a good thing. It can seem like a lack of respect; perhaps a selfish focus on your reaction rather than on the feelings of the person making the announcement.

    I recently "came out" at work as the parent of a gay child, as part of some work we were doing on Diversity. Now to me that does not seem particularly noteworthy or courageous but I was told by someone, himself gay, that what I said echoed what his own mother felt when he first came out, that he never expected to hear it said in the workplace, that he thought it did take courage for me to do it and he thanked me. And I felt a bit humbled by that.

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    PulpstarPulpstar Posts: 76,036
    edited January 2016
    I've just changed my tw@tter password, but note that I was following @rstarsick

    'World famous-In my world, that is. Musician, Kung Fu Practitioner, Filmmaker, Audio-Video Editor, Husband, Father, Humorist. Voice Actor. You Need Me.'

    I have no idea who he is but he seems to have 483,000 followers. Are there some weird pseudo auto-follow type virus type thingies about on twitter ? If so alot of wannabes/Z-list celebs use these to big up their following...
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    WandererWanderer Posts: 3,838



    Anyway, good luck to him. I expect he will now feel far more comfortable in his own skin for having come out.

    Indeed. I think it's difficult to grasp that something which is now unexceptional may still be a huge step for the person in question.
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    Scott_PScott_P Posts: 51,453
    kle4 said:

    Was it one of those 'open secret' sort of things? It's not as though I search out such information, but for some reason I thought it was already known he was. Maybe I'm confusing him with another Scottish politician.

    Being described as "not a surprise" by some journos, but not official until today
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    Tissue_PriceTissue_Price Posts: 9,039

    Absolutely disappointed by the David Mundell announcement. I was hoping for a by election (and so was Mike)

    You never know, some SNP nutters private citizens in Dumfriesshire might try to take him to an election court for misleading his constituents about this in May.
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    JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 39,237
    PAW said:

    Re getting people back to work. I was very struck by an article in London Reconnections - a housing estate with high worklessness found the unemployment fell to average after it was connected to the Wimbledon tram route. I feel that cost and time for travel is a very significant factor.

    On a tangentially related note, there's a good article on there stating that the extension to the Bakerloo line (probably up the Old Kent Road) is about housing and redevelopment instead of transport.

    As someone who lived in Skenfrith House for a period twenty years ago, the area is ripe for redevelopment (although not as ripe as the lifts, which smelt of various bodily fluids every morning).

    http://www.londonreconnections.com/2016/extending-bakerloo-not-transport/
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    flightpath01flightpath01 Posts: 4,903

    I do find this attitude from the likes of JJ very weird, where any prospect of ever having to move for anything is just the most outrageous and impossible thing. We have a million Poles who have traveled here for a better life and the vast vast majority have managed to fit into the UK, find work, have kids, set up businesses etc etc etc. But JJ thinks that people already here couldn't possibly move a few miles down the road for a better house, as it would destroy their whole life.

    It is like the people screaming at IDS when he suggested that people look for work 15-30 miles from their homes, in Cardiff, as there were jobs going there. And we got all this guff about people not being able to manage to do that.

    To your Mateusz's of this world must be the most laughable suggestion that it is not possible.

    I agree, although I think there are about 680,000 Polish migrants in the UK.
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    WandererWanderer Posts: 3,838
    Pulpstar said:

    I've just changed my tw@tter password, but note that I was following @rstarsick

    'World famous-In my world, that is. Musician, Kung Fu Practitioner, Filmmaker, Audio-Video Editor, Husband, Father, Humorist. Voice Actor. You Need Me.'

    I have no idea who he is but he seems to have 483,000 followers. Are there some weird pseudo auto-follow type virus type thingies about on twitter ? If so alot of wannabes/Z-list celebs use these to big up their following...

    I believe one can buy Twitter followers by the thousand to make oneself look like a thing.
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    david_herdsondavid_herdson Posts: 17,464
    Top article from Hague re the reshuffle:

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/Jeremy_Corbyn/12095793/There-six-rules-for-a-good-reshuffle.-Jeremy-Corbyn-broke-every-one-of-them.html

    I particularly liked the line that THE leader should "... begin your reshuffle late at night, when most of your colleagues are asleep, tired, or for a variety of personal reasons not exactly concentrating"
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    MarkHopkinsMarkHopkins Posts: 5,584

    John_M said:

    Sandpit said:

    I love it when people say they were 'hacked'. Do they mean that their password was 'password', they left their phone at a bar or they were just upset at getting caught looking at boobs..?
    In my experience, you don't have to do much hacking to break people's security; people are incontinent about their personal information, lax about password security and it's usually fish in barrel time.
    This is the moment where I have to confess that one of my personal email accounts had the password "antifrank" for a very long time until I realised that I really should change it to something a bit harder to guess.

    I'm just guessing here, but did you change it to "AlastairMeeks"?

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    PAWPAW Posts: 1,074
    flightpath01 - but you won't get housing benefit to help you move to London if you live in Doncaster. And you will if you are Polish.
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    I see from the pictures of PMQs that Skinner etc are still sat where they used to.

    I guess then that the SNP conceded defeat in "the war for Skinner's seat"?
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    SandpitSandpit Posts: 50,044

    Absolutely disappointed by the David Mundell announcement. I was hoping for a by election (and so was Mike)

    You never know, some SNP nutters private citizens in Dumfriesshire might try to take him to an election court for misleading his constituents about this in May.
    Did the last 'private citizens' to try that in the Highlands work out what to do with their legal bill yet?
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    SandyRentoolSandyRentool Posts: 20,792

    PAW said:

    Re getting people back to work. I was very struck by an article in London Reconnections - a housing estate with high worklessness found the unemployment fell to average after it was connected to the Wimbledon tram route. I feel that cost and time for travel is a very significant factor.

    On a tangentially related note, there's a good article on there stating that the extension to the Bakerloo line (probably up the Old Kent Road) is about housing and redevelopment instead of transport.

    As someone who lived in Skenfrith House for a period twenty years ago, the area is ripe for redevelopment (although not as ripe as the lifts, which smelt of various bodily fluids every morning).

    http://www.londonreconnections.com/2016/extending-bakerloo-not-transport/
    Is "up the Old Kent Road" another one of TSE's euphemisms?
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    SandpitSandpit Posts: 50,044
    edited January 2016

    How can one close down Facebook account..as in..get rid of it..

    Easier said than done. Start by unfriending everyone and deleting everything you've posted, then when you have an empty profile email their customer support (there will be a link somewhere in the settings, they keep changing it to make it difficult) and ask them to delete it.
    Edit: http://www.wikihow.com/Permanently-Delete-a-Facebook-Account
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    flightpath01flightpath01 Posts: 4,903
    edited January 2016

    where is osborne?

    Out and about visiting the real world?
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    Absolutely disappointed by the David Mundell announcement. I was hoping for a by election (and so was Mike)

    You never know, some SNP nutters private citizens in Dumfriesshire might try to take him to an election court for misleading his constituents about this in May.
    You'll rue the day for that comment.
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    david_herdsondavid_herdson Posts: 17,464
    Wanderer said:

    Pulpstar said:

    I've just changed my tw@tter password, but note that I was following @rstarsick

    'World famous-In my world, that is. Musician, Kung Fu Practitioner, Filmmaker, Audio-Video Editor, Husband, Father, Humorist. Voice Actor. You Need Me.'

    I have no idea who he is but he seems to have 483,000 followers. Are there some weird pseudo auto-follow type virus type thingies about on twitter ? If so alot of wannabes/Z-list celebs use these to big up their following...

    I believe one can buy Twitter followers by the thousand to make oneself look like a thing.
    I have 37 followers @DavidHerdson . It's quality not quantity that counts (I wouldn't object to a few more though).
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    HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 117,233
    edited January 2016
    At the moment Trump leads in New Hampshire and is tied with Cruz in New Hampshire so the national polls where Trump leads followed by Cruz are not that far off. In 2012 by contrast Gingrich led in the national polls but Romney led in New Hampshire while in 2008 Giuliani led in national polls Huckabee in Iowa. What happened in 2012 too was Santorum replaced Gingrich as the main alternative to Romney while in 2008 Giuliani's supporters went en masse to McCain after McCain won New Hampshire
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    MaxPBMaxPB Posts: 37,667

    How can one close down Facebook account..as in..get rid of it..

    You can really only deactivate it. There is no way to nuke its existence.
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    WandererWanderer Posts: 3,838
    edited January 2016

    Wanderer said:

    Pulpstar said:

    I've just changed my tw@tter password, but note that I was following @rstarsick

    'World famous-In my world, that is. Musician, Kung Fu Practitioner, Filmmaker, Audio-Video Editor, Husband, Father, Humorist. Voice Actor. You Need Me.'

    I have no idea who he is but he seems to have 483,000 followers. Are there some weird pseudo auto-follow type virus type thingies about on twitter ? If so alot of wannabes/Z-list celebs use these to big up their following...

    I believe one can buy Twitter followers by the thousand to make oneself look like a thing.
    I have 37 followers @DavidHerdson . It's quality not quantity that counts (I wouldn't object to a few more though).
    That was subtle ;)
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    MaxPB said:

    How can one close down Facebook account..as in..get rid of it..

    You can really only deactivate it. There is no way to nuke its existence.

    Probably easier to fake your own demise, leave a clause in your will that you want FaceAche to delete your account, and then start a new life somewhere sunny!
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    MattWMattW Posts: 18,893
    If we are on the SNP, even if only tangentially, has anyone maintained a count of how many of their MPs and SNPs *don't* have scandals attached?
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    Wanderer said:

    Pulpstar said:

    I've just changed my tw@tter password, but note that I was following @rstarsick

    'World famous-In my world, that is. Musician, Kung Fu Practitioner, Filmmaker, Audio-Video Editor, Husband, Father, Humorist. Voice Actor. You Need Me.'

    I have no idea who he is but he seems to have 483,000 followers. Are there some weird pseudo auto-follow type virus type thingies about on twitter ? If so alot of wannabes/Z-list celebs use these to big up their following...

    I believe one can buy Twitter followers by the thousand to make oneself look like a thing.
    I have 37 followers @DavidHerdson . It's quality not quantity that counts (I wouldn't object to a few more though).
    On your Saturday piece I'll embed your Twitter handle and the follow button.

    Just like Mike has above.
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    HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 117,233
    Scott_P said:

    @PaulBrandITV: Happy to be corrected but think David Mundell is the first openly gay Tory cabinet minister in history. Sends a strong signal of acceptance.

    Alan Duncan came out in 2002 and was Shadow International Development Secretary and Transport Secretary in Michael Howard's Shadow Cabinet although he never made the full Cabinet under Cameron
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    SandpitSandpit Posts: 50,044

    Top article from Hague re the reshuffle:

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/Jeremy_Corbyn/12095793/There-six-rules-for-a-good-reshuffle.-Jeremy-Corbyn-broke-every-one-of-them.html

    I particularly liked the line that THE leader should "... begin your reshuffle late at night, when most of your colleagues are asleep, tired, or for a variety of personal reasons not exactly concentrating"

    Brilliant from Hague. Shame that he retired so young, he should really have waited a few years before going into Parliament. Potential future Leader of the Lords?
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    JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 39,237

    PAW said:

    Re getting people back to work. I was very struck by an article in London Reconnections - a housing estate with high worklessness found the unemployment fell to average after it was connected to the Wimbledon tram route. I feel that cost and time for travel is a very significant factor.

    On a tangentially related note, there's a good article on there stating that the extension to the Bakerloo line (probably up the Old Kent Road) is about housing and redevelopment instead of transport.

    As someone who lived in Skenfrith House for a period twenty years ago, the area is ripe for redevelopment (although not as ripe as the lifts, which smelt of various bodily fluids every morning).

    http://www.londonreconnections.com/2016/extending-bakerloo-not-transport/
    Is "up the Old Kent Road" another one of TSE's euphemisms?
    Possibly, in that the area (was) sh*t. :)
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    Scott_PScott_P Posts: 51,453

    where is osborne?

    Out and about visiting the real world?
    @ZacGoldsmith: Making the case for Sutton Tramlink - and new powers to help the next Mayor deliver it - to @George_Osborne. (1/3) https://t.co/RuQ9JMkxql
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    MaxPBMaxPB Posts: 37,667
    Following on from our F1 discussion earlier today, Honda have confirmed they have fixed the basic problems with the engine recharging and deploying electrical power, they just need to test it on track now for reliability.

    So that's the main engine issue fixed, if it proves to be reliable at testing 66/1 and 150/1 on Alonso and Button respectively looks very generous. I've been told fixing the recharging and deployment issue will bring 2s per lap of performance gains on power tracks and around 1s per lap on aero tracks. Obviously we are going to have to wait and see what kind of aero improvements they make. Depending on what improvements Merc and Ferrari make it McLaren could be in for a decent season. The real question is now going to be reliability. It's no good making a fast and powerful car if it blows up half way through every race!
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    HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 117,233
    edited January 2016
    Fair play to Mundell but as he has been married, albeit divorced, with children and looks like a suburban bank manager I don't think he will be setting Soho, Merchant City or Canal Street alight!
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    SandpitSandpit Posts: 50,044

    twitter.com/TSEofPB/status/687262166999764992

    And people wonder why others have difficulty in coming out, when that is the response.
    Some senior SNP figures need to make a point of Tweeting Mr Mundell with their best wishes.
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    Sandpit said:

    twitter.com/TSEofPB/status/687262166999764992

    And people wonder why others have difficulty in coming out, when that is the response.
    Some senior SNP figures need to make a point of Tweeting Mr Mundell with their best wishes.
    Nicola Sturgeon and quite a few other SNP people have replied to the original tweet.
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    Plato_SaysPlato_Says Posts: 11,822
    If @Charles is about. Are you involved with any chemo and radio therapy resistant drugs? And any that are potentially supported by aspirin?

    Friend diagnosed with an aggressive one where aspirin made a big difference.
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    DecrepitJohnLDecrepitJohnL Posts: 13,300
    The interesting thing is Zac is condemned for voting "with the Tory whip 9 times out of 10".
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    SandpitSandpit Posts: 50,044

    Sandpit said:

    twitter.com/TSEofPB/status/687262166999764992

    And people wonder why others have difficulty in coming out, when that is the response.
    Some senior SNP figures need to make a point of Tweeting Mr Mundell with their best wishes.
    Nicola Sturgeon and quite a few other SNP people have replied to the original tweet.
    Good to hear. What is it about a Twitter account that turns otherwise normal people into utterly narcissistic psychopaths - with added four letter words?
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    The interesting thing is Zac is condemned for voting "with the Tory whip 9 times out of 10".
    I know. It makes him sound like a loyalist but only voting 9/10 with the Govt puts him as quite a rebel. Ok not Corbyn level of rebellion but still he's no party loyalist.
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    dr_spyndr_spyn Posts: 11,291
    One for PB's early risers in London, a sight of a mass balloon ascent in early June.

    http://www.balloonsoverlondon.com/
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    taffystaffys Posts: 9,753
    Mr TSE that advert smacks of desperation.
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    The interesting thing is Zac is condemned for voting "with the Tory whip 9 times out of 10".
    RACCCCIIISSTTTTT...
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    david_herdsondavid_herdson Posts: 17,464

    Wanderer said:

    Pulpstar said:

    I've just changed my tw@tter password, but note that I was following @rstarsick

    'World famous-In my world, that is. Musician, Kung Fu Practitioner, Filmmaker, Audio-Video Editor, Husband, Father, Humorist. Voice Actor. You Need Me.'

    I have no idea who he is but he seems to have 483,000 followers. Are there some weird pseudo auto-follow type virus type thingies about on twitter ? If so alot of wannabes/Z-list celebs use these to big up their following...

    I believe one can buy Twitter followers by the thousand to make oneself look like a thing.
    I have 37 followers @DavidHerdson . It's quality not quantity that counts (I wouldn't object to a few more though).
    On your Saturday piece I'll embed your Twitter handle and the follow button.

    Just like Mike has above.
    Cheers.
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    david_herdsondavid_herdson Posts: 17,464
    Wanderer said:

    Wanderer said:

    Pulpstar said:

    I've just changed my tw@tter password, but note that I was following @rstarsick

    'World famous-In my world, that is. Musician, Kung Fu Practitioner, Filmmaker, Audio-Video Editor, Husband, Father, Humorist. Voice Actor. You Need Me.'

    I have no idea who he is but he seems to have 483,000 followers. Are there some weird pseudo auto-follow type virus type thingies about on twitter ? If so alot of wannabes/Z-list celebs use these to big up their following...

    I believe one can buy Twitter followers by the thousand to make oneself look like a thing.
    I have 37 followers @DavidHerdson . It's quality not quantity that counts (I wouldn't object to a few more though).
    That was subtle ;)
    Subtle is not my middle name.
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    flightpath01flightpath01 Posts: 4,903
    Scott_P said:

    where is osborne?

    Out and about visiting the real world?
    @ZacGoldsmith: Making the case for Sutton Tramlink - and new powers to help the next Mayor deliver it - to @George_Osborne. (1/3) https://t.co/RuQ9JMkxql
    So Osborne, this waste of space as a Tory leader candidate, is out campaigning for the Tories?
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    kle4kle4 Posts: 92,106
    I like MPs not to be beholden to the whips myself, but if voting with them 9 times out of 10 is in itself evidence of failure, why not just put 'he is a tory' under record of failure, as all its saying is he agrees with his party?

    (Does anyone know if a rebel rate of 1 out of 10 is actually pretty rebellious or not, on average? In the Syrian debate my MP, who has been in place 14 years, said they'd only rebelled against their party once in all that time - over Iraq - so I imagine his rebel rate is much much lower!)
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    I see the nasty Nat element are out in force on twitter. They were also blasting David Bowie the other day, so not really surprising with the homophobic stuff.
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    Tissue_PriceTissue_Price Posts: 9,039

    The interesting thing is Zac is condemned for voting "with the Tory whip 9 times out of 10".

    That's a very low percentage! I'd wager Sadiq Khan voted with the Labour whip >99 times out of 100 throughout his career - of course a lot of that would have been as a frontbencher.
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    flightpath01flightpath01 Posts: 4,903

    Wanderer said:

    Wanderer said:

    Pulpstar said:

    I've just changed my tw@tter password, but note that I was following @rstarsick

    'World famous-In my world, that is. Musician, Kung Fu Practitioner, Filmmaker, Audio-Video Editor, Husband, Father, Humorist. Voice Actor. You Need Me.'

    I have no idea who he is but he seems to have 483,000 followers. Are there some weird pseudo auto-follow type virus type thingies about on twitter ? If so alot of wannabes/Z-list celebs use these to big up their following...

    I believe one can buy Twitter followers by the thousand to make oneself look like a thing.
    I have 37 followers @DavidHerdson . It's quality not quantity that counts (I wouldn't object to a few more though).
    That was subtle ;)
    Subtle is not my middle name.
    Is it your password?
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    HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 117,233
    Of course multimillionaire Brian Souter, who bankrolled the pro Section 28 campaign was a passionate Yes backer in indyref
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    PulpstarPulpstar Posts: 76,036
    Sandpit said:

    twitter.com/TSEofPB/status/687262166999764992

    And people wonder why others have difficulty in coming out, when that is the response.
    Some senior SNP figures need to make a point of Tweeting Mr Mundell with their best wishes.
    They are. John Nicolson did a minute ago for example.
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    MTimTMTimT Posts: 7,034
    Wanderer said:

    John_M said:

    Sandpit said:

    Let's rephrase that. Your employer is allowed to monitor what you do with their computer.
    Perfectly normal in any regulated industry or data-sensitive company.
    I've used this lovely piece of software before - it logs keystrokes and takes a screenshot every few seconds that can be played back as a video. Scary to most people who don't know what's possible. http://www.spector360.com
    If I were still running a business or agency I would have that software installed on all the company PCs and would make sure that all employees knew it and that I would be monitoring their computer use. The amount of paid time wasted while employees firkle around on the internet for their own amusement is phenomenal eliminating it would, in some workplaces, enable massive improvements in productivity.
    Good morning all. The issue is they just time waste on their mobiles instead. It comes down to hiring the right people. Lazy folk have procrastinated since forever; it's just the methods have changed.
    Right. Imo you should be able to tell whether people are diligent or not without such methods.
    Surely the issue is whether they get the work done and to what quality, not how or when they get it done or how long it takes [provided it meets set deadlines]
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    viewcodeviewcode Posts: 19,182
    So, well anyhoo. Some of you may recall three memes which I described: three ideas that are frequently used by Eurosceptics and others to disparage the EU. The night before last I took part in a discussion on this board in which certain arguments for leaving the EU were aired. I thought these arguments included fallacies and, cognisant of the Rule of Three and my pedantry, decided to introduce Three Eurosceptic Fallacies. They are given below.

    #FALLACY1: The Telepod Fallacy.
    * Contradicts arguments like: "We can be in the EEA or EFTA or have our own deal"
    * Short form: COMBINING OPTIONS IS NOT VALID
    * Long form: "We can be in the EEA or EFTA or have our own deal". Each option (EEA, EFTA, own deal) has its advantages and disadvantages, and some of them are contradictory. You can have one option, or the other, or another, but you cannot combine options and expect the combination to make sense: it will have contradictory elements. You can desire the strength of the gorilla, the cunning of the wolf, the smile of the dolphin, but if you put all three into a telepod and press "send" you're not going to get a smiley strong cunning thing, you're going to get a red mess that screams wetly and dies.

    #FALLACY2: The Angelina Jolie Fallacy.
    * Contradicts arguments like: "But we can have our own tailored deal".
    * Short form: THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN "CAN" AND "WILL"
    * Long form: People who want to get divorced fixate on an idealised partner: the unhappy husband dreams of an infinitely sympathetic Angelina Jolie at his beck and call. Similarly, the dreams of a tailored deal in which each country provides a new deal with none of the disadvantages and all the advantages of the old deal. But the other country's interests have not changed, they will not want to change the deal, and will have other commitments: the divorced male is still middle-aged (and now poor) and Angelina Jolie is still rich and married to Brad Pitt. A tailored deal will not eventuate because from the other country's POV nothing has changed: a key still has to fit a lock, even if the key believes otherwise. Options are not chosen in isolation and there are other interests that act against it.
    * See also "we can have controlled migration", "we can have a Commonwealth free trade area"

    #FALLACY3: The Rincewind fallacy.
    * Contradicts arguments like: "But Europe is full of rapist/crooks/thugs/etc".
    * Short form: DESCRIBING PROBLEMS DOES NOT MAKE THE ALTERNATIVE BETTER
    * Some of you may recall the Pratchett wizard Rincewind who was firmly convinced that it's not where you run *to*, it's what you run *from*. This was useful when evading monsters, but it only works in fiction. Running from a problem does not cure a problem. You may desire to reduce migration or evade militant religionists by exit, but exit will not cure them, nor make them less likely (see "Angelina Jolie fallacy" above), and it ignores the disadvantages of the alternatives.
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    Wanderer said:

    Wanderer said:

    Pulpstar said:

    I've just changed my tw@tter password, but note that I was following @rstarsick

    'World famous-In my world, that is. Musician, Kung Fu Practitioner, Filmmaker, Audio-Video Editor, Husband, Father, Humorist. Voice Actor. You Need Me.'

    I have no idea who he is but he seems to have 483,000 followers. Are there some weird pseudo auto-follow type virus type thingies about on twitter ? If so alot of wannabes/Z-list celebs use these to big up their following...

    I believe one can buy Twitter followers by the thousand to make oneself look like a thing.
    I have 37 followers @DavidHerdson . It's quality not quantity that counts (I wouldn't object to a few more though).
    That was subtle ;)
    Subtle is not my middle name.
    I can give you lessons. I'm the epitome of subtle.
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    Just like their voters huh?

    Pathetic' Labour peers not up for fight against Tories, says Tim Farron

    Lib Dem leader blames Labour’s poor turnout in Lords for series of government victories and says most of party’s peers are anti-Corbyn

    http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jan/13/tim-farron-pathetic-labour-peers-not-fight-against-tories?CMP=twt_gu
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    Richard_TyndallRichard_Tyndall Posts: 31,048
    edited January 2016
    kle4 said:

    I like MPs not to be beholden to the whips myself, but if voting with them 9 times out of 10 is in itself evidence of failure, why not just put 'he is a tory' under record of failure, as all its saying is he agrees with his party?

    (Does anyone know if a rebel rate of 1 out of 10 is actually pretty rebellious or not, on average? In the Syrian debate my MP, who has been in place 14 years, said they'd only rebelled against their party once in all that time - over Iraq - so I imagine his rebel rate is much much lower!)
    Also how many MPs get made up to ministers in their first Parliament? And then given there was a strong probability that he was going to be the Tory candidate for Mayor from right at the very start of this current Parliament it is hardly surprising he was not given a ministerial post.

    On his voting record perhaps someone should point out that Sadiq Khan rebelled in only 1.8% of the votes in 2005-10 and only 0.1% of the time in 2010/15.

    His record is 99% voting with the whips. Goldsmith is the bigger rebel.

    http://www.publicwhip.org.uk/mp.php?id=uk.org.publicwhip/member/40712#divisions
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    MTimTMTimT Posts: 7,034
    viewcode said:

    I thought these arguments included fallacies and decided to introduce Three Eurosceptic Fallacies. They are given below.

    #FALLACY1: The Telepod Fallacy.
    * Contradicts arguments like: "We can be in the EEA or EFTA or have our own deal"
    * Short form: COMBINING OPTIONS IS NOT VALID
    * Long form: "We can be in the EEA or EFTA or have our own deal". Each option (EEA, EFTA, own deal) has its advantages and disadvantages, and some of them are contradictory. You can have one option, or the other, or another, but you cannot combine options and expect the combination to make sense: it will have contradictory elements. You can desire the strength of the gorilla, the cunning of the wolf, the smile of the dolphin, but if you put all three into a telepod and press "send" you're not going to get a smiley strong cunning thing, you're going to get a red mess that screams wetly and dies.

    #FALLACY2: The Angelina Jolie Fallacy.
    * Contradicts arguments like: "But we can have our own tailored deal".
    * Short form: THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN "CAN" AND "WILL"
    * Long form: People who want to get divorced fixate on an idealised partner: the unhappy husband dreams of an infinitely sympathetic Angelina Jolie at his beck and call. Similarly, the dreams of a tailored deal in which each country provides a new deal with none of the disadvantages and all the advantages of the old deal. But the other country's interests have not changed, they will not want to change the deal, and will have other commitments: the divorced male is still middle-aged (and now poor) and Angelina Jolie is still rich and married to Brad Pitt. A tailored deal will not eventuate because from the other country's POV nothing has changed: a key still has to fit a lock, even if the key believes otherwise. Options are not chosen in isolation and there are other interests that act against it.
    * See also "we can have controlled migration", "we can have a Commonwealth free trade area"

    #FALLACY3: The Rincewind fallacy.
    * Contradicts arguments like: "But Europe is full of rapist/crooks/thugs/etc".
    * Short form: DESCRIBING PROBLEMS DOES NOT MAKE THE ALTERNATIVE BETTER
    * Some of you may recall the Pratchett wizard Rincewind who was firmly convinced that it's not where you run *to*, it's what you run *from*. This was useful when evading monsters, but it only works in fiction. Running from a problem does not cure a problem. You may desire to reduce migration or evade militant religionists by exit, but exit will not cure them, nor make them less likely (see "Angelina Jolie fallacy" above), and it ignores the disadvantages of the alternatives.

    I think each of your fallacies contains fallacies (at least false assumptions) too numerous to list. Not you best analytic work.
This discussion has been closed.