How far would he have to have lent out to achieve that? Not sure beheaded is correct either
"Decaffeinated?" - Simon Pegg in Hot Fuzz.
Dr Prasannan, you're our resident train expert here - what's the lateral distance between two trains passing each other in opposite directions in the UK, is there even a standard distance between opposing tracks?
Edit: I see Mr @prh47bridge is giving you competition in the rail nerd stakes!
The 'Loading Gauge' is the maximum size for rolling stock to allow clearance under bridges and between tracks, especially on corners. It was established quite early on that the maximum width allowable for high speed running was in the region of 2.5 times the distance between the rails, on narrow gauge lines this is often exceeded but speeds tend to be slower. The British loading gauge reflects the basic motivation of the original railway builders, namely to shift coal and ores in bulk from place to place. In the UK the standard clearance was therefore defined with relatively small wagons in mind. To refer to 'the' loading gauge is however misleading as it is only since the advent of British Railways that a national standard has been defined, and this cannot easily be.
Looks like the maximum width for UK rail vehicles is 9ft.
Apologies. I used the maximum container width allowed on freight trains which is a little less than 9ft. On passenger trains with coaches built to maximum width the gap will be 1ft 8.5in plus or minus a little for kinetic effects. In essence carriages are built so that they won't hit each other as trains pass. As soon as you start sticking your head (or any other part of your body) out of the window you risk getting hit.
The Class 442 units on the Gatwick Express have a width of 2.74 m (1/8 of an inch less than 9 ft).
So roughly 20 inches between the carriages as they pass. That's someone's head a long way out of the window.
From (rather old) memory the GEx trains only have windows that open (slide down) at the door locations, as the doors only open from the outside - is that still the case?
According to Owen Smith the Prime Minister's flirtation with a return of grammar schools is all Corbyn's fault! What a repellent and creepy candidate this man is. I hope Jeremy knocks him back on his heels!
To be fair, he is right that Labour is an ineffective opposition. Whether that's because of the PLP or Corbyn is another matter.
You do have to feel for the liberal elte though. First Brexit, now grammar schools. Will it ever end?
Nothing more anti-elite than selecting a small number of the best or best-prepared children and educating them separately from the ordinary children.
How far would he have to have lent out to achieve that? Not sure beheaded is correct either
"Decaffeinated?" - Simon Pegg in Hot Fuzz.
Dr Prasannan, you're our resident train expert here - what's the lateral distance between two trains passing each other in opposite directions in the UK, is there even a standard distance between opposing tracks?
Edit: I see Mr @prh47bridge is giving you competition in the rail nerd stakes!
The 'Loading Gauge' is the maximum size for rolling stock to allow clearance under bridges and between tracks, especially on corners. It was established quite early on that the maximum width allowable for high speed running was in the region of 2.5 times the distance between the rails, on narrow gauge lines this is often exceeded but speeds tend to be slower. The British loading gauge reflects the basic motivation of the original railway builders, namely to shift coal and ores in bulk from place to place. In the UK the standard clearance was therefore defined with relatively small wagons in mind. To refer to 'the' loading gauge is however misleading as it is only since the advent of British Railways that a national standard has been defined, and this cannot easily be.
Looks like the maximum width for UK rail vehicles is 9ft.
Apologies. I used the maximum container width allowed on freight trains which is a little less than 9ft. On passenger trains with coaches built to maximum width the gap will be 1ft 8.5in plus or minus a little for kinetic effects. In essence carriages are built so that they won't hit each other as trains pass. As soon as you start sticking your head (or any other part of your body) out of the window you risk getting hit.
The Class 442 units on the Gatwick Express have a width of 2.74 m (1/8 of an inch less than 9 ft).
So roughly 20 inches between the carriages as they pass. That's someone's head a long way out of the window.
From (rather old) memory the GEx trains only have windows that open (slide down) at the door locations, as the doors only open from the outside - is that still the case?
How far would he have to have lent out to achieve that? Not sure beheaded is correct either
"Decaffeinated?" - Simon Pegg in Hot Fuzz.
Dr Prasannan, you're our resident train expert here - what's the lateral distance between two trains passing each other in opposite directions in the UK, is there even a standard distance between opposing tracks?
Edit: I see Mr @prh47bridge is giving you competition in the rail nerd stakes!
The 'Loading Gauge' is the maximum size for rolling stock to allow clearance under bridges and between tracks, especially on corners. It was established quite early on that the maximum width allowable for high speed running was in the region of 2.5 times the distance between the rails, on narrow gauge lines this is often exceeded but speeds tend to be slower. The British loading gauge reflects the basic motivation of the original railway builders, namely to shift coal and ores in bulk from place to place. In the UK the standard clearance was therefore defined with relatively small wagons in mind. To refer to 'the' loading gauge is however misleading as it is only since the advent of British Railways that a national standard has been defined, and this cannot easily be.
Looks like the maximum width for UK rail vehicles is 9ft.
Apologies. I used the maximum container width allowed on freight trains which is a little less than 9ft. On passenger trains with coaches built to maximum width the gap will be 1ft 8.5in plus or minus a little for kinetic effects. In essence carriages are built so that they won't hit each other as trains pass. As soon as you start sticking your head (or any other part of your body) out of the window you risk getting hit.
The Class 442 units on the Gatwick Express have a width of 2.74 m (1/8 of an inch less than 9 ft).
So roughly 20 inches between the carriages as they pass. That's someone's head a long way out of the window.
From (rather old) memory the GEx trains only have windows that open (slide down) at the door locations, as the doors only open from the outside - is that still the case?
Would there be a slipstream effect, sucking someone further out?
Perfect summer evening here on the disputed frontier of Primrose Hill Borders. Renegade playwrights come and go, in the lengthening shadows.
World feels very mellow this evening. Watching the house martins and swallows stooping over the Kingswood. Lovely. There is no pressing need to talk about politics.
Indeed. I am sure the weather affects the national mood, more in the UK than elsewhere. Suddenly Brexit seems less alarming, we're winning at the cricket, have a banana sandwich and chillax in the sun. Interest rates meh.
Certainly, I have learned over the years that perfect summer weekends - like this one - are rare WHEREVER you live.
Yesterday I took my older daughter to Hever Castle. It was sublime. The home of Anne Boleyn, HQ of Brexit 1.0. Then I drove home from Kent through the City, gilded by the summer twilight. Today my Experimental Physicist Squeeze came over, and we had a picnic in Regents Park, and then - you know - "let the dew wash the plates".
Now I am on PB with a bottle of nice Rioja.
Tomorrow, troubles doubtless arise, in their multitudes, but tonight.... Tonight....
Tonight there is a fantastic show of stars in south Devon. A really superb Milky Way, in all its wondrous glory....
Indeed, from Provo in Turks and Caicos, a great view of the Milky Way and Jupiter near the moon.
According to Owen Smith the Prime Minister's flirtation with a return of grammar schools is all Corbyn's fault! What a repellent and creepy candidate this man is. I hope Jeremy knocks him back on his heels!
To be fair, he is right that Labour is an ineffective opposition. Whether that's because of the PLP or Corbyn is another matter.
You do have to feel for the liberal elte though. First Brexit, now grammar schools. Will it ever end?
Nothing more anti-elite than selecting a small number of the best or best-prepared children and educating them separately from the ordinary children.
Grammar schools are free at the point of use. I take it you are against the present system of public schools for the elite and comprehensives for the rest?
How far would he have to have lent out to achieve that? Not sure beheaded is correct either
"Decaffeinated?" - Simon Pegg in Hot Fuzz.
Dr Prasannan, you're our resident train expert here - what's the lateral distance between two trains passing each other in opposite directions in the UK, is there even a standard distance between opposing tracks?
Edit: I see Mr @prh47bridge is giving you competition in the rail nerd stakes!
Looks like the maximum width for UK rail vehicles is 9ft.
Apologies. I used the maximum container width allowed on freight trains which is a little less than 9ft. On passenger trains with coaches built to maximum width the gap will be 1ft 8.5in plus or minus a little for kinetic effects. In essence carriages are built so that they won't hit each other as trains pass. As soon as you start sticking your head (or any other part of your body) out of the window you risk getting hit.
The Class 442 units on the Gatwick Express have a width of 2.74 m (1/8 of an inch less than 9 ft).
So roughly 20 inches between the carriages as they pass. That's someone's head a long way out of the window.
From (rather old) memory the GEx trains only have windows that open (slide down) at the door locations, as the doors only open from the outside - is that still the case?
Would there be a slipstream effect, sucking someone further out?
It's been 20 years since I studied dynamics, but I'd think there's probably an area of high pressure rather than low pressure between two passing trains, certainly as they start to pass each other with a bow wave in front of each train. How a human head interacts with that very dynamic pressure situation could depend to the inch on where exactly the head is placed in the slipstream, there will be multiple contradictory forces acting upon it.
I'd say that "decapitated" from the news report is probably an exaggeration, but he was dead at the scene so must have smashed his skull hard on something, whether it was the approaching train or the window frame out of which he was leaning.
What the f...? Usain Bolt appears in Twitter advert appealing to fans to buy tickets for the athletics next week Didn't London sell out every athletics session in minutes? https://twitter.com/usainbolt/status/762419234316046336
How far would he have to have lent out to achieve that? Not sure beheaded is correct either
"Decaffeinated?" - Simon Pegg in Hot Fuzz.
Dr Prasannan, you're our resident train expert here - what's the lateral distance between two trains passing each other in opposite directions in the UK, is there even a standard distance between opposing tracks?
Edit: I see Mr @prh47bridge is giving you competition in the rail nerd stakes!
Looks like the maximum width for UK rail vehicles is 9ft.
Apologies. I used the maximum container width allowed on freight trains which is a little less than 9ft. On passenger trains with coaches built to maximum width the gap will be 1ft 8.5in plus or minus a little for kinetic effects. In essence carriages are built so that they won't hit each other as trains pass. As soon as you start sticking your head (or any other part of your body) out of the window you risk getting hit.
The Class 442 units on the Gatwick Express have a width of 2.74 m (1/8 of an inch less than 9 ft).
So roughly 20 inches between the carriages as they pass. That's someone's head a long way out of the window.
From (rather old) memory the GEx trains only have windows that open (slide down) at the door locations, as the doors only open from the outside - is that still the case?
Would there be a slipstream effect, sucking someone further out?
It's been 20 years since I studied dynamics, but I'd think there's probably an area of high pressure rather than low pressure between two passing trains, certainly as they start to pass each other with a bow wave in front of each train. How a human head interacts with that very dynamic pressure situation could depend to the inch on where exactly the head is placed in the slipstream, there will be multiple contradictory forces acting upon it.
I'd say that "decapitated" from the news report is probably an exaggeration, but he was dead at the scene so must have smashed his skull hard on something, whether it was the approaching train or the window frame out of which he was leaning.
To be fair it was a witness who said "it looked as if he'd been decapitated" so even a non expert knew he hadn't been
Nothing more anti-elite than selecting a small number of the best or best-prepared children and educating them separately from the ordinary children.
Grammar schools are free at the point of use. I take it you are against the present system of public schools for the elite and comprehensives for the rest?
It would not be a free society if people were not allowed to build and run schools for their children (subject to the law, of course). But we are not speaking of that, we are talking of schools that are provided by the authorities and funded by taxation. So enough of the whataboutery and let's return to the point.
Grammar schools are sought by middle-class folk who don't want their kids mixing with plebs and who can afford to cheat by giving their educationally-subnormal children sufficient tuition so they can pass briefly for smart for the two hours of the test before they regress to their normal state of dicking around, taking gap years, having unproductive hobby jobs and getting their parents to pay their deposit whilst waiting for their parents to die so they can spend their inheritance on dumb stuff, spawn more wastrels, and starting the whole cycle over again...
Nothing more anti-elite than selecting a small number of the best or best-prepared children and educating them separately from the ordinary children.
Grammar schools are free at the point of use. I take it you are against the present system of public schools for the elite and comprehensives for the rest?
It would not be a free society if people were not allowed to build and run schools for their children (subject to the law, of course). But we are not speaking of that, we are talking of schools that are provided by the authorities and funded by taxation. So enough of the whataboutery and let's return to the point.
Grammar schools are sought by middle-class folk who don't want their kids mixing with plebs and who can afford to cheat by giving their educationally-subnormal children sufficient tuition so they can pass briefly for smart for the two hours of the test before they regress to their normal state of dicking around, taking gap years, having unproductive hobby jobs and getting their parents to pay their deposit whilst waiting for their parents to die so they can spend their inheritance on dumb stuff, spawn more wastrels, and starting the whole cycle over again...
...discuss...
I suspect that we hail from different parts of the political spectrum.
How far would he have to have lent out to achieve that? Not sure beheaded is correct either
"Decaffeinated?" - Simon Pegg in Hot Fuzz.
Dr Prasannan, you're our resident train expert here - what's the lateral distance between two trains passing each other in opposite directions in the UK, is there even a standard distance between opposing tracks?
Edit: I see Mr @prh47bridge is giving you competition in the rail nerd stakes!
The 'Loading Gauge' is the maximum size for rolling stock to allow clearance under bridges and between tracks, especially on corners. It was established quite early on that the maximum width allowable for high speed running was in the region of 2.5 times the distance between the rails, on narrow gauge lines this is often exceeded but speeds tend to be slower. The British loading gauge reflects the basic motivation of the original railway builders, namely to shift coal and ores in bulk from place to place. In the UK the standard clearance was therefore defined with relatively small wagons in mind. To refer to 'the' loading gauge is however misleading as it is only since the advent of British Railways that a national standard has been defined, and this cannot easily be.
Looks like the maximum width for UK rail vehicles is 9ft.
Apologies. I used the maximum container width allowed on freight trains which is a little less than 9ft. On passenger trains with coaches built to maximum width the gap will be 1ft 8.5in plus or minus a little for kinetic effects. In essence carriages are built so that they won't hit each other as trains pass. As soon as you start sticking your head (or any other part of your body) out of the window you risk getting hit.
The Class 442 units on the Gatwick Express have a width of 2.74 m (1/8 of an inch less than 9 ft).
So roughly 20 inches between the carriages as they pass. That's someone's head a long way out of the window.
From (rather old) memory the GEx trains only have windows that open (slide down) at the door locations, as the doors only open from the outside - is that still the case?
You only get around 20 inches if both carriages involved are leaning over in the same direction by the same amount. If they aren't the gap can be reduced significantly.
What the f...? Usain Bolt appears in Twitter advert appealing to fans to buy tickets for the athletics next week Didn't London sell out every athletics session in minutes? https://twitter.com/usainbolt/status/762419234316046336
Brazil playing the Murrays in the tennis. Tennis venue at least 80% empty.
Beach volleyball is a "Brazilian religion" - according to the commentators. Brazil playing in it. Half empty, and that's being generous.
Rugby venue looked about 95% empty though that might be more understandable...
Problem even seems to extend to when major medals are in play, not just the preliminary heats. I recall at London 2012, there was a social phenomenon of people desperately searching to see if any tickets were going to be available for Turkmenistan vs Uruguay in the preliminary heats of the women's handball (or whatever - that example is in jest but captures the spirit). In contrast, the near-empty venues make it a lot harder to get excited from a distance.
What the f...? Usain Bolt appears in Twitter advert appealing to fans to buy tickets for the athletics next week Didn't London sell out every athletics session in minutes? https://twitter.com/usainbolt/status/762419234316046336
Brazil playing the Murrays in the tennis. Tennis venue at least 80% empty.
Beach volleyball is a "Brazilian religion" - according to the commentators. Brazil playing in it. Half empty, and that's being generous.
Rugby venue looked about 95% empty though that might be more understandable...
Problem even seems to extend to when major medals are in play, not just the preliminary heats. I recall at London 2012, there was a social phenomenon of people desperately searching to see if any tickets were going to be available for Turkmenistan vs Uruguay in the preliminary heats of the women's handball (or whatever - that example is in jest but captures the spirit). In contrast, the near-empty venues make it a lot harder to get excited from a distance.
There were the same headlines, although not quite to the same extent, in London on the first couple of days.
The problem there was that pretty much everything was sold out and people were complaining about empty seats in what turned out to be sponsors' areas. This was quickly resolved with the Army reserves and local kids being allowed to sit in empty seats, and well done to the organisers for reacting so quickly.
The problem in Rio is a little more fundamental, they haven't sold any tickets for a whole number of major events. How on Earth are there still Athletics tickets available, to the point where they are asking athletes to advertise for them on social media?
Dr Prasannan, you're our resident train expert here - what's the lateral distance between two trains passing each other in opposite directions in the UK, is there even a standard distance between opposing tracks?
Edit: I see Mr @prh47bridge is giving you competition in the rail nerd stakes!
The 'Loading Gauge' is the maximum size for rolling stock to allow clearance under bridges and between tracks, especially on corners. It was established quite early on that the maximum width allowable for high speed running was in the region of 2.5 times the distance between the rails, on narrow gauge lines this is often exceeded but speeds tend to be slower. The British loading gauge reflects the basic motivation of the original railway builders, namely to shift coal and ores in bulk from place to place. In the UK the standard clearance was therefore defined with relatively small wagons in mind. To refer to 'the' loading gauge is however misleading as it is only since the advent of British Railways that a national standard has been defined, and this cannot easily be.
Looks like the maximum width for UK rail vehicles is 9ft.
Apologies. I used the maximum container width allowed on freight trains which is a little less than 9ft. On passenger trains with coaches built to maximum width the gap will be 1ft 8.5in plus or minus a little for kinetic effects. In essence carriages are built so that they won't hit each other as trains pass. As soon as you start sticking your head (or any other part of your body) out of the window you risk getting hit.
The Class 442 units on the Gatwick Express have a width of 2.74 m (1/8 of an inch less than 9 ft).
So roughly 20 inches between the carriages as they pass. That's someone's head a long way out of the window.
From (rather old) memory the GEx trains only have windows that open (slide down) at the door locations, as the doors only open from the outside - is that still the case?
You only get around 20 inches if both carriages involved are leaning over in the same direction by the same amount. If they aren't the gap can be reduced significantly.
Someone must have run the numbers as to how close trains can get to each other without touching - as they never do touch, yet both trains will be allowed to move around on their own suspension. Maybe as close as 12 inches?
Doesn't look like it. Just a standard syndication (presumably with a shareholder loan element). And Trump has explicitly "acknowleged" the transfer of interest - not an approval except to the transfer (a pure formality).
It's an old story about disguising sales as loans on a property deal, made relevant only by Turmp's involvement and his recent political activities. I'd guess the UK equivalent would be setting up a company to buy a building, then selling shares in the company (rather than selling the building directly) to a third party, as selling the building would attract stamp duty. Probably comes under avoidance rather than evasion, but will still be used by his opponents to paint Trump in a bad light.
It's an old story about disguising sales as loans on a property deal, made relevant only by Turmp's involvement and his recent political activities. I'd guess the UK equivalent would be setting up a company to buy a building, then selling shares in the company (rather than selling the building directly) to a third party, as selling the building would attract stamp duty. Probably comes under avoidance rather than evasion, but will still be used by his opponents to paint Trump in a bad light.
esp. as he's not releasing his tax returns.
btw do the Telegraph and Trump have history? May be my imagination, but they seem to be doing quite some investigative stuff on him — is it just that the US papers are not doing it, so a UK paper feels it has to step in? or is there something else afoot?
I suspect that we hail from different parts of the political spectrum.
But that doesn't mean you are wrong.
On this occasion
I'm only human: I can't be wrong all the time...
That may indeed be the way that grammar schools would operate now. I went to one in the 70s, and it is absolutely not how they operated then. They were a great social equalizer, with smart kids from the worse neighbourhoods being able to compete on equal terms with the affluent kids - and gain expectations about what their life could hold that went far beyond what they might have been had they stayed in a local comprehensive.
I suspect that we hail from different parts of the political spectrum.
But that doesn't mean you are wrong.
On this occasion
I'm only human: I can't be wrong all the time...
That may indeed be the way that grammar schools would operate now. I went to one in the 70s, and it is absolutely not how they operated then. They were a great social equalizer, with smart kids from the worse neighbourhoods being able to compete on equal terms with the affluent kids - and gain expectations about what their life could hold that went far beyond what they might have been had they stayed in a local comprehensive.
It is the way the surviving one's operate. It's not entirely clear that a mass expansion wouldn't change behaviour patterns back to what they used to be (but limited expansion is unlikely to change things)
The issue is more that the kids with engaged parents tend to congregate in the grammars with the rest that others are "left behind"
Cyclefree asked me to comment on her interesting piece of a few days ago. I'll have a go, with the reservation that I'm speaking mainly for myself. I do agree with her that thinking about what Labour is for is an essential condition of recovery. As that's the theme here, I won't address issues about "how to win" and "who the ideal leader would be" in this context.
1. How should the economy be run? The “mixed economy”. I don’t think that many people believe in the old Clause 4 (summary: nationalise everything”). But the power of the Brexit slogan “Take back control” applies here too. People want a system where for the main public-facing sectors (from health to education to railways to banking) it’s possible to detect a national strategy and to find someone to blame when it goes wrong, without finding that they’ve gone to live in Monaco or the Virgin Islands. Free competition is fine for consumer goods (we should concede that private telephone companies have worked pretty well) and nobody wants the state to set up a British Rice Krispies. But public service organisations need public service priorities set by an elected government.
2. What is the state’s role? Cyclefree talks briefly about security here and then veers off into free markets. Clearly the state is responsible for security, and although the Iraq experience has moved many members into near-pacifism and a sometimes naïve commitment to dialogue in every situation, there is less difference on this from the mainstream than might be supposed. Few people want to go back to intervening all over the place; even fewer want to support terrorism.
“A helping hand for the unfortunate or a goody bag for all, as of right?” asks Cyclefree. I think that there is something of a national consensus for a minimum “decency” level for everyone, regardless of virtue, if only because it’s unpleasant to see people on your street starve. Most Labour members (and quite a few others) would extend that globally – I think it’s more important to prevent starvation in, say, Uganda than to raise British pensions. That’s not a popular position, but I’m trying to respond honestly. How high is the minimum and what happens above it? That’s something which one can debate and which changes over time. At the other end of the scale, Labour members are disturbed by the extent of inequality and note that it’s much high than many successful countries (though much lower than some, notably China), so we’d like to see some redistribution. Much more importantly, though, we’d like to see tax avoidance (not just evasion) effectively countered. The fact that taxation appears to be more or less voluntary for multinationals and wealthy individuals is seen as offensive and a genuine problem way beyond Labour ranks. Even quite drastic measures such as French-style taxation according to apparent wealth (if you have a giant house, three Ferraris and a declared income of £0, the French ask you to prove that you came by these things legitimately or be taxed on what you might be supposed to have).
4. How does it feel about the nation it seeks to govern? I don’t intuitively agree with Cyclefree’s view of “Britain first”. I think we should follow the more subtle policy of ensuring that Britain’s needs get fair consideration. That’s an important role for Britain’s government (nobody else will bother), but I don’t favour putting our needs above everyone else’s.
5. The individual vs the collective I agree with Cyclefree that it’s important to prevent discrimination against individuals related to their membership of a minority, but also that this shouldn’t lead to thinking of individuals mainly in terms of their being a minority. Sadiq Khan is interesting because he’s likely to be a competent Mayor, not because he’s a Muslim, though it’s good that we haven’t refrained from supporting him because he’s a Muslim.
Labour’s experience of disempowerment of minorities and even majorities (such as, historically, the working class) leads it to support collective movements for mutual solidarity, and the left would always see that as important regardless of who’s in Government. Governments should address discrimination energetically for all the obvious reasons, and also try to address the side-effects such as lack of education and limited ambition. Our starting point is sympathy and solidarity for people in a difficult place; helping them out of it does need more than just money, and the solutions generally need to be tailored to the individuals.
Comments
From (rather old) memory the GEx trains only have windows that open (slide down) at the door locations, as the doors only open from the outside - is that still the case?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rail_Class_442#/media/File:442421_Interior.JPG
https://twitter.com/williamjordann/status/762304642755723264
He's done this by appearing stupid and insane in public.
https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/762425371874557952
I'd say that "decapitated" from the news report is probably an exaggeration, but he was dead at the scene so must have smashed his skull hard on something, whether it was the approaching train or the window frame out of which he was leaning.
Usain Bolt appears in Twitter advert appealing to fans to buy tickets for the athletics next week
Didn't London sell out every athletics session in minutes?
https://twitter.com/usainbolt/status/762419234316046336
Grammar schools are sought by middle-class folk who don't want their kids mixing with plebs and who can afford to cheat by giving their educationally-subnormal children sufficient tuition so they can pass briefly for smart for the two hours of the test before they regress to their normal state of dicking around, taking gap years, having unproductive hobby jobs and getting their parents to pay their deposit whilst waiting for their parents to die so they can spend their inheritance on dumb stuff, spawn more wastrels, and starting the whole cycle over again...
...discuss...
But that doesn't mean you are wrong.
On this occasion
Beach volleyball is a "Brazilian religion" - according to the commentators. Brazil playing in it. Half empty, and that's being generous.
Rugby venue looked about 95% empty though that might be more understandable...
Problem even seems to extend to when major medals are in play, not just the preliminary heats. I recall at London 2012, there was a social phenomenon of people desperately searching to see if any tickets were going to be available for Turkmenistan vs Uruguay in the preliminary heats of the women's handball (or whatever - that example is in jest but captures the spirit). In contrast, the near-empty venues make it a lot harder to get excited from a distance.
Re: Empty Brazilian Olympics, have Isis succeeded in scaring the shit out of everyone?
The problem there was that pretty much everything was sold out and people were complaining about empty seats in what turned out to be sponsors' areas. This was quickly resolved with the Army reserves and local kids being allowed to sit in empty seats, and well done to the organisers for reacting so quickly.
The problem in Rio is a little more fundamental, they haven't sold any tickets for a whole number of major events. How on Earth are there still Athletics tickets available, to the point where they are asking athletes to advertise for them on social media?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3728478/A-law-unto-pay-thousands-police-chiefs-household-bills-private-healthcare-64-days-holiday.html
I'd guess the UK equivalent would be setting up a company to buy a building, then selling shares in the company (rather than selling the building directly) to a third party, as selling the building would attract stamp duty. Probably comes under avoidance rather than evasion, but will still be used by his opponents to paint Trump in a bad light.
http://news.sky.com/story/children-aged-five-accused-of-sex-crimes-10527466
btw do the Telegraph and Trump have history? May be my imagination, but they seem to be doing quite some investigative stuff on him — is it just that the US papers are not doing it, so a UK paper feels it has to step in? or is there something else afoot?
The issue is more that the kids with engaged parents tend to congregate in the grammars with the rest that others are "left behind"
1. How should the economy be run?
The “mixed economy”. I don’t think that many people believe in the old Clause 4 (summary: nationalise everything”). But the power of the Brexit slogan “Take back control” applies here too. People want a system where for the main public-facing sectors (from health to education to railways to banking) it’s possible to detect a national strategy and to find someone to blame when it goes wrong, without finding that they’ve gone to live in Monaco or the Virgin Islands. Free competition is fine for consumer goods (we should concede that private telephone companies have worked pretty well) and nobody wants the state to set up a British Rice Krispies. But public service organisations need public service priorities set by an elected government.
2. What is the state’s role?
Cyclefree talks briefly about security here and then veers off into free markets. Clearly the state is responsible for security, and although the Iraq experience has moved many members into near-pacifism and a sometimes naïve commitment to dialogue in every situation, there is less difference on this from the mainstream than might be supposed. Few people want to go back to intervening all over the place; even fewer want to support terrorism.
On the free market, see above.
(o be continued)
3. The fairness question.
“A helping hand for the unfortunate or a goody bag for all, as of right?” asks Cyclefree. I think that there is something of a national consensus for a minimum “decency” level for everyone, regardless of virtue, if only because it’s unpleasant to see people on your street starve. Most Labour members (and quite a few others) would extend that globally – I think it’s more important to prevent starvation in, say, Uganda than to raise British pensions. That’s not a popular position, but I’m trying to respond honestly.
How high is the minimum and what happens above it? That’s something which one can debate and which changes over time.
At the other end of the scale, Labour members are disturbed by the extent of inequality and note that it’s much high than many successful countries (though much lower than some, notably China), so we’d like to see some redistribution. Much more importantly, though, we’d like to see tax avoidance (not just evasion) effectively countered. The fact that taxation appears to be more or less voluntary for multinationals and wealthy individuals is seen as offensive and a genuine problem way beyond Labour ranks. Even quite drastic measures such as French-style taxation according to apparent wealth (if you have a giant house, three Ferraris and a declared income of £0, the French ask you to prove that you came by these things legitimately or be taxed on what you might be supposed to have).
4. How does it feel about the nation it seeks to govern?
I don’t intuitively agree with Cyclefree’s view of “Britain first”. I think we should follow the more subtle policy of ensuring that Britain’s needs get fair consideration. That’s an important role for Britain’s government (nobody else will bother), but I don’t favour putting our needs above everyone else’s.
5. The individual vs the collective
I agree with Cyclefree that it’s important to prevent discrimination against individuals related to their membership of a minority, but also that this shouldn’t lead to thinking of individuals mainly in terms of their being a minority. Sadiq Khan is interesting because he’s likely to be a competent Mayor, not because he’s a Muslim, though it’s good that we haven’t refrained from supporting him because he’s a Muslim.
Labour’s experience of disempowerment of minorities and even majorities (such as, historically, the working class) leads it to support collective movements for mutual solidarity, and the left would always see that as important regardless of who’s in Government.
Governments should address discrimination energetically for all the obvious reasons, and also try to address the side-effects such as lack of education and limited ambition. Our starting point is sympathy and solidarity for people in a difficult place; helping them out of it does need more than just money, and the solutions generally need to be tailored to the individuals.