Veggies should be held in the same contempt as advocates of STV and swiftly dispatched at an abattoir or transported to a former colony, Australia might be suitable, for re-education.
Interesting that in this 40th anniversary year of Punk Rock with all its associated exhibitions and so forth, and when its origins are deemed to be a disaffected and alienated youth, three day week, industrial strife, etc, the liberal institutions marking the year are neglecting to remind us what flavour of government was in power at the time.
More nerd stats - London 2012 stadium 80k, Rio 50k and at least half empty.
There were loads of empty seats at the London Olympics. They had to bus in off-duty squaddies and give free tickets to nearby youth clubs.
Construction scams in Rio de Janeiro; construction scams in London. It's all bollocks. Putting HMS Ocean in the Thames to protect "the Games" was also bollocks. Running round in circles really fast using drug-enhanced muscles and dressed in a national flag is wow.
Of course no middle class or elite person who watches sport on the television ever gets influenced by the advertising.
They couldn't have bussed all that many in: the entire British army is smaller than the capacity of Wembley Stadium.
He's right though. I was at the semi-final between France and the Czech Republic at Old Trafford. There would have been a bigger crowd and better atmosphere at a Man Utd reserve game. The basic problem then and now was/is the ridiculous price of the tickets
I seek out countervailing views and opinions. It's healthy. Sam Coates is a much better advocate against Brexit, Janan Ganesh better still. I've always held that if you can't put the other side's argument for them, you're not merely partisan, you're a bigot. I flatter myself I can write a fairly decent pro-EU case.
Bayley's article is just an extended whine full of irrelevant assertions and non sequiturs.
Leavers haven't begun to understand the depth of emotion among some Remainers (incidentally, I am not one of those - I have other outlets for my emotion right now). The intense feeling of disgust with Leavers continues unabated. It is not going to subside quickly, especially since at present it has no effective political outlet. Sooner or later, it will find one.
If you think that an alienated underclass is a bad thing, just wait until you feel the full force of an alienated metropolitan elite.
Do you think that some of the Leavers might have actually voted to leave because of this?
Veggies should be held in the same contempt as advocates of STV and swiftly dispatched at an abattoir or transported to a former colony, Australia might be suitable, for re-education.
One advantage of being vegetarian is the queue for the buffet at conferences and the like is much smaller! (Apart, I would expect, from the Green Party’s social gatherings!)
As someone who used to take advantage of that fact I have been stigmatised as an "opportunistic veggie"!
More nerd stats - London 2012 stadium 80k, Rio 50k and at least half empty.
There were loads of empty seats at the London Olympics. They had to bus in off-duty squaddies and give free tickets to nearby youth clubs.
Construction scams in Rio de Janeiro; construction scams in London. It's all bollocks. Putting HMS Ocean in the Thames to protect "the Games" was also bollocks. Running round in circles really fast using drug-enhanced muscles and dressed in a national flag is wow.
Of course no middle class or elite person who watches sport on the television ever gets influenced by the advertising.
They couldn't have bussed all that many in: the entire British army is smaller than the capacity of Wembley Stadium.
He's right though. I was at the semi-final between France and the Czech Republic at Old Trafford. There would have been a bigger crowd and better atmosphere at a Man Utd reserve game. The basic problem then and now was/is the ridiculous price of the tickets
And how many Brazilians can afford the price of Olympic tickets?
I seek out countervailing views and opinions. It's healthy. Sam Coates is a much better advocate against Brexit, Janan Ganesh better still. I've always held that if you can't put the other side's argument for them, you're not merely partisan, you're a bigot. I flatter myself I can write a fairly decent pro-EU case.
Bayley's article is just an extended whine full of irrelevant assertions and non sequiturs.
Leavers haven't begun to understand the depth of emotion among some Remainers (incidentally, I am not one of those - I have other outlets for my emotion right now). The intense feeling of disgust with Leavers continues unabated. It is not going to subside quickly, especially since at present it has no effective political outlet. Sooner or later, it will find one.
If you think that an alienated underclass is a bad thing, just wait until you feel the full force of an alienated metropolitan elite.
They've all joined Momentum, haven't they?
Yes. and will lose again. Lol. It such a good time to be a leave Tory
I did go to a test at Old Trafford once, and the folks behind had a bit of a hamper explosion, with their fayre rolling under our seats. I remember handing back to a rather sheepish looking chap a home-made cling-film wrapped roll marked "Raspberry and Cointreau Roulade".....
Shocking .... probably some of the TSE mob ....
It'll be the Royal Enclosure at Ascot next .... although truth be told they're some rather ripe characters there too ....
If the IOC ever wanted to field an army to frighten the enemy - just the women's shotput and hammer throwers would do it.
They're a scary looking bunch, and could throw those Cuban featherweight boxers yards!
Less scary than before dope-testing, I think.
For us older-timers who recall the East Germans and others - it really was the most peculiar period in sporting history. I haven't heard of anyone being sex-tested at these games either. That must be a first - or they're getting a lot more discrete.
Wait until the women's 800m for the big controversy on that score.
They've waved the white flag. Transwomen no longer even need GCS to compete as female. They're basing femininity on < 10nmol/L of Testosterone for a year. On that basis, I'd be eligible for women's events.
One advantage of being vegetarian is the queue for the buffet at conferences and the like is much smaller! (Apart, I would expect, from the Green Party’s social gatherings!)
As someone who used to take advantage of that fact I have been stigmatised as an "opportunistic veggie"!
"Opportunist Veggie" .... difficult to think of a worse slur !!
More nerd stats - London 2012 stadium 80k, Rio 50k and at least half empty.
Why don't you enjoy the sport on show which is generally excellent rather than count empty seats and whine about attendance?
I think it reflects very badly on the IOC.
As an aside it's worth saying, that the UK has changed quite a bit in the last 20 years. If you go back to Euro 96 the attendance at the non England/Scotland games was not good. I reckon if we were hosting the 2018 World Cup, you would be hard pressed to get a ticket - even for the least attractive fixtures.
There are plenty of empty seats at Premiership matches too. Cricket attendances are not good (apart from Ashes and 2020).
In many ways these are televisual rather than crowd events.
Even Test Matches are not sold out outside other than Lords and, sometimes, The Oval.
They aren't at all comparable. Olympics come to a country very rarely.
Regarding Athens - there don't seem to be any fans of it on here - I can barely recall it bar all the fuss about it being a mad dash to get it built in the last few days.
What made it so third rate? I did like the laurels.
Barcelona, Sydney, Beijing, London of recent games all produced an excellent Olympics show and even Athens and Atlanta had a higher attendance in the stadium than Rio has. It is a shame as it is a great city but Brazil will not be getting any more major sporting events for a generation, nor most probably will South America. They did a better better in the World Cup but that was the one sport Brazilians are really interested in, soccer.
The next two Olympics will be Tokyo in 2020 and almost certainly Paris in 2024 so the IOC can guarantee little will go wrong. South Africa is a possibility for 2028 but it needs an excellent Commonwealth games in 2022 in Durban to have a chance
Veggies should be held in the same contempt as advocates of STV and swiftly dispatched at an abattoir or transported to a former colony, Australia might be suitable, for re-education.
One advantage of being vegetarian is the queue for the buffet at conferences and the like is much smaller! (Apart, I would expect, from the Green Party’s social gatherings!)
As someone who used to take advantage of that fact I have been stigmatised as an "opportunistic veggie"!
It will be 25 years for me later this year. I started on my 16th birthday.
More nerd stats - London 2012 stadium 80k, Rio 50k and at least half empty.
There were loads of empty seats at the London Olympics. They had to bus in off-duty squaddies and give free tickets to nearby youth clubs.
Construction scams in Rio de Janeiro; construction scams in London. It's all bollocks. Putting HMS Ocean in the Thames to protect "the Games" was also bollocks. Running round in circles really fast using drug-enhanced muscles and dressed in a national flag is wow.
Of course no middle class or elite person who watches sport on the television ever gets influenced by the advertising.
They couldn't have bussed all that many in: the entire British army is smaller than the capacity of Wembley Stadium.
He's right though. I was at the semi-final between France and the Czech Republic at Old Trafford. There would have been a bigger crowd and better atmosphere at a Man Utd reserve game. The basic problem then and now was/is the ridiculous price of the tickets
And how many Brazilians can afford the price of Olympic tickets?
Actually, quite a few. But they probably think (quite understandably) that they could watch it on TV and then find something else to spend a 1,000 reais on.
If the IOC ever wanted to field an army to frighten the enemy - just the women's shotput and hammer throwers would do it.
They're a scary looking bunch, and could throw those Cuban featherweight boxers yards!
Less scary than before dope-testing, I think.
For us older-timers who recall the East Germans and others - it really was the most peculiar period in sporting history. I haven't heard of anyone being sex-tested at these games either. That must be a first - or they're getting a lot more discrete.
Wait until the women's 800m for the big controversy on that score.
They've waved the white flag. Transwomen no longer even need GCS to compete as female. They're basing femininity on < 10nmol/L of Testosterone for a year. On that basis, I'd be eligible for women's events.
As a total layman here - isn't there an advantage to being a guy for your entire life right up until you compete/get drug tested? Like using steroids? They provide a lifetime change in ability - not a temporary uplift like EPO.
We don't seem to ever see puny guys wanting to be female gymnasts - except perhaps Wayne Sleep who did ballet instead.
I don't suppose you're afraid of me. Would you like to give me a percentage of your income every year and let me decide how it should be spent?
As another_richard has just pointed out, it appears that I already have.
Time for the civilised parts of the country to look for the exits. The United Kingdom is done now. Time to create demoses on smaller levels.
Alistair, you're doing yourself no favours. Your attitude is why so many of our countryfolk despite the people of the metropolis.
London without England would be cut adrift, diminished and ultimately irrelevant.
Victim blaming, I see
The arrogance with which the country mice expect Londoners to subsidise their hobby horses is breathtaking.
London will only go independent when NYC, Paris, Tokyo etc do too. While London did vote Remain 5 boroughs voted Leave and plenty of wealthier parts of the country outside London voted Remain
More nerd stats - London 2012 stadium 80k, Rio 50k and at least half empty.
Why don't you enjoy the sport on show which is generally excellent rather than count empty seats and whine about attendance?
I think it reflects very badly on the IOC.
As an aside it's worth saying, that the UK has changed quite a bit in the last 20 years. If you go back to Euro 96 the attendance at the non England/Scotland games was not good. I reckon if we were hosting the 2018 World Cup, you would be hard pressed to get a ticket - even for the least attractive fixtures.
There are plenty of empty seats at Premiership matches too. Cricket attendances are not good (apart from Ashes and 2020).
In many ways these are televisual rather than crowd events.
Even Test Matches are not sold out outside other than Lords and, sometimes, The Oval.
They aren't at all comparable. Olympics come to a country very rarely.
Regarding Athens - there don't seem to be any fans of it on here - I can barely recall it bar all the fuss about it being a mad dash to get it built in the last few days.
What made it so third rate? I did like the laurels.
Barcelona, Sydney, Beijing, London of recent games all produced an excellent Olympics show and even Athens and Atlanta had a higher attendance in the stadium than Rio has. It is a shame as it is a great city but Brazil will not be getting any more major sporting events for a generation, nor most probably will South America. They did a better better in the World Cup but that was the one sport Brazilians are really interested in, soccer.
The next two Olympics will be Tokyo in 2020 and almost certainly Paris in 2024 so the IOC can guarantee little will go wrong. South Africa is a possibility for 2028 but it needs an excellent Commonwealth games in 2022 in Durban to have a chance
To be fair, while it’s great to “be there” and part of the atmosphere, one does get a better view on the TV. Paris must be sliding down the short list now, surely.
More nerd stats - London 2012 stadium 80k, Rio 50k and at least half empty.
There were loads of empty seats at the London Olympics. They had to bus in off-duty squaddies and give free tickets to nearby youth clubs.
Construction scams in Rio de Janeiro; construction scams in London. It's all bollocks. Putting HMS Ocean in the Thames to protect "the Games" was also bollocks. Running round in circles really fast using drug-enhanced muscles and dressed in a national flag is wow.
Of course no middle class or elite person who watches sport on the television ever gets influenced by the advertising.
They couldn't have bussed all that many in: the entire British army is smaller than the capacity of Wembley Stadium.
Let's hope they'd be better at standing up to the Russkies than the average Wembley Stadium attendee..
As long as the ruskies don't take their ipods away, that has them in tears big times
One advantage of being vegetarian is the queue for the buffet at conferences and the like is much smaller! (Apart, I would expect, from the Green Party’s social gatherings!)
As someone who used to take advantage of that fact I have been stigmatised as an "opportunistic veggie"!
"Opportunist Veggie" .... difficult to think of a worse slur !!
Commiserations on your burden ....
Many veggie dishes, particularly spicy ones, go well with a full bodied red.
I don't suppose you're afraid of me. Would you like to give me a percentage of your income every year and let me decide how it should be spent?
As another_richard has just pointed out, it appears that I already have.
Time for the civilised parts of the country to look for the exits. The United Kingdom is done now. Time to create demoses on smaller levels.
I'd be genuinely sad if London left
London needs a new settlement. The rest of the UK cannot expect to keep fleecing it and simultaneously holding its opinions in contempt. One or both will need to give sooner or later.
What do you define as London and Londoners? Do I, as someone on 30k working in Central London, but living in Woking (and paying 3k for the privilege to do the commute), count as a Londoner? Should I get to vote in the London Mayoral election?
FWIW, I was chatting to Andy Hornby (of HBOS infamy) about house prices a few years ago - he used the example of someone on £30K but forced to live in Woking & commute to Central London because of house prices as his archetype of why the economy was f****d
Mr "mending the roof while the sun is shining" Hornby?
Didn't know he said that!
But he did move from running a bank to managing a casino...
I saw him present just after he took over HBoS, and his whole pitch was that the most important thing in banking was "mending the roof while the sun was shining". It was richly ironic, therefore, when 18 months later, it turned out the roof had been stripped of tiles under his watch.
He was a man - I suspect - trapped between what his board and shareholders wanted (rapid growth), and what he feared (a housing collapse). He was not incentivised to run the bank cautiously, and therefore he did not.
That's true. I got to know him when he was running AB - so he had the benefit of hindsight and thought he was a nice man who was overwhelmed by forces he couldn't control
As an aside, I'm likely to be at the playground opposite Lords at around 2:30 or 3 today if you're looking for something to do with a small child.
(I'll be with my children obviously. )
Shot put or hammer?
My daughter's still in California - not back until later this week. But it would be good to meet up at some point.
More nerd stats - London 2012 stadium 80k, Rio 50k and at least half empty.
Why don't you enjoy the sport on show which is generally excellent rather than count empty seats and whine about attendance?
I think it reflects very badly on the IOC.
As an aside it's worth saying, that the UK has changed quite a bit in the last 20 years. If you go back to Euro 96 the attendance at the non England/Scotland games was not good. I reckon if we were hosting the 2018 World Cup, you would be hard pressed to get a ticket - even for the least attractive fixtures.
There are plenty of empty seats at Premiership matches too. Cricket attendances are not good (apart from Ashes and 2020).
In many ways these are televisual rather than crowd events.
Even Test Matches are not sold out outside other than Lords and, sometimes, The Oval.
They aren't at all comparable. Olympics come to a country very rarely.
Regarding Athens - there don't seem to be any fans of it on here - I can barely recall it bar all the fuss about it being a mad dash to get it built in the last few days.
What made it so third rate? I did like the laurels.
Barcelona, Sydney, Beijing, London of recent games all produced an excellent Olympics show and even Athens and Atlanta had a higher attendance in the stadium than Rio has. It is a shame as it is a great city but Brazil will not be getting any more major sporting events for a generation, nor most probably will South America. They did a better better in the World Cup but that was the one sport Brazilians are really interested in, soccer.
The next two Olympics will be Tokyo in 2020 and almost certainly Paris in 2024 so the IOC can guarantee little will go wrong. South Africa is a possibility for 2028 but it needs an excellent Commonwealth games in 2022 in Durban to have a chance
Beijing opening ceremony was amazing - I couldn't tell if it was robots/CGI... and it was people.
If the IOC ever wanted to field an army to frighten the enemy - just the women's shotput and hammer throwers would do it.
They're a scary looking bunch, and could throw those Cuban featherweight boxers yards!
Less scary than before dope-testing, I think.
For us older-timers who recall the East Germans and others - it really was the most peculiar period in sporting history. I haven't heard of anyone being sex-tested at these games either. That must be a first - or they're getting a lot more discrete.
Wait until the women's 800m for the big controversy on that score.
They've waved the white flag. Transwomen no longer even need GCS to compete as female. They're basing femininity on < 10nmol/L of Testosterone for a year. On that basis, I'd be eligible for women's events.
As a total layman here - isn't there an advantage to being a guy for your entire life right up until you compete/get drug tested? Like using steroids? They provide a lifetime change in ability - not a temporary uplift like EPO.
We don't seem to ever see puny guys wanting to be female gymnasts - except perhaps Wayne Sleep who did ballet instead.
Of course there is. Testosterone gave me longer levers than most women, the overall reduction in muscle mass is not as great (i.e. pound for pound I have more muscle and less fat than a cis-woman). My lung capacity is larger, due to my expanded rib cage.
However, it's a hard row to hoe. You really would have to be ambitious to accept all the downsides of hormone therapy.
That said, the trend is for transwomen to be identified early and if necessary, the medics suppress puberty and begin hormone therapy in the early teens. In that case, there's no discernible advantage.
If the IOC ever wanted to field an army to frighten the enemy - just the women's shotput and hammer throwers would do it.
They're a scary looking bunch, and could throw those Cuban featherweight boxers yards!
Less scary than before dope-testing, I think.
For us older-timers who recall the East Germans and others - it really was the most peculiar period in sporting history. I haven't heard of anyone being sex-tested at these games either. That must be a first - or they're getting a lot more discrete.
Wait until the women's 800m for the big controversy on that score.
They've waved the white flag. Transwomen no longer even need GCS to compete as female. They're basing femininity on < 10nmol/L of Testosterone for a year. On that basis, I'd be eligible for women's events.
If the IOC ever wanted to field an army to frighten the enemy - just the women's shotput and hammer throwers would do it.
They're a scary looking bunch, and could throw those Cuban featherweight boxers yards!
Less scary than before dope-testing, I think.
For us older-timers who recall the East Germans and others - it really was the most peculiar period in sporting history. I haven't heard of anyone being sex-tested at these games either. That must be a first - or they're getting a lot more discrete.
Wait until the women's 800m for the big controversy on that score.
They've waved the white flag. Transwomen no longer even need GCS to compete as female. They're basing femininity on < 10nmol/L of Testosterone for a year. On that basis, I'd be eligible for women's events.
One advantage of being vegetarian is the queue for the buffet at conferences and the like is much smaller! (Apart, I would expect, from the Green Party’s social gatherings!)
As someone who used to take advantage of that fact I have been stigmatised as an "opportunistic veggie"!
"Opportunist Veggie" .... difficult to think of a worse slur !!
Commiserations on your burden ....
Many veggie dishes, particularly spicy ones, go well with a full bodied red.
I don't suppose you're afraid of me. Would you like to give me a percentage of your income every year and let me decide how it should be spent?
As another_richard has just pointed out, it appears that I already have.
Time for the civilised parts of the country to look for the exits. The United Kingdom is done now. Time to create demoses on smaller levels.
Alistair, you're doing yourself no favours. Your attitude is why so many of our countryfolk despite the people of the metropolis.
London without England would be cut adrift, diminished and ultimately irrelevant.
Victim blaming, I see
The arrogance with which the country mice expect Londoners to subsidise their hobby horses is breathtaking.
London will only go independent when NYC, Paris, Tokyo etc do too. While London did vote Remain 5 boroughs voted Leave and plenty of wealthier parts of the country outside London voted Remain
If the IOC ever wanted to field an army to frighten the enemy - just the women's shotput and hammer throwers would do it.
They're a scary looking bunch, and could throw those Cuban featherweight boxers yards!
Less scary than before dope-testing, I think.
For us older-timers who recall the East Germans and others - it really was the most peculiar period in sporting history. I haven't heard of anyone being sex-tested at these games either. That must be a first - or they're getting a lot more discrete.
Wait until the women's 800m for the big controversy on that score.
They've waved the white flag.
Hence the brewing controversy.
Since Caster Semenya was told she no longer needs to take hormones to suppress her testosterone levels she looks to be coming into form where she could break the oldest women's T&F record on the books.
There are plenty of empty seats at Premiership matches too. Cricket attendances are not good (apart from Ashes and 2020).
In many ways these are televisual rather than crowd events.
Rather the opposite problem at Lords - It's a devilish situation ....
Hordes of plebs quaffing champers from plastic flutes and munching on pre-pack M&S fayre. Can't they get cook to rustle up a decent luncheon or if they must a hamper from Fortnum .... the country is going to the dogs !!
When my Dad was in the army he once got a Fortnum's hamper delivered to his trench on Salisbury Plain...
More nerd stats - London 2012 stadium 80k, Rio 50k and at least half empty.
Why don't you enjoy the sport on show which is generally excellent rather than count empty seats and whine about attendance?
I think it reflects very badly on the IOC.
As an aside it's worth saying, that the UK has changed quite a bit in the last 20 years. If you go back to Euro 96 the attendance at the non England/Scotland games was not good. I reckon if we were hosting the 2018 World Cup, you would be hard pressed to get a ticket - even for the least attractive fixtures.
There are plenty of empty seats at Premiership matches too. Cricket attendances are not good (apart from Ashes and 2020).
In many ways these are televisual rather than crowd events.
Even Test Matches are not sold out outside other than Lords and, sometimes, The Oval.
They aren't at all comparable. Olympics come to a country very rarely.
Regarding Athens - there don't seem to be any fans of it on here - I can barely recall it bar all the fuss about it being a mad dash to get it built in the last few days.
What made it so third rate? I did like the laurels.
Barcelona, Sydney, Beijing, London of recent games all produced an excellent Olympics show and even Athens and Atlanta had a higher attendance in the stadium than Rio has. It is a shame as it is a great city but Brazil will not be getting any more major sporting events for a generation, nor most probably will South America. They did a better better in the World Cup but that was the one sport Brazilians are really interested in, soccer.
The next two Olympics will be Tokyo in 2020 and almost certainly Paris in 2024 so the IOC can guarantee little will go wrong. South Africa is a possibility for 2028 but it needs an excellent Commonwealth games in 2022 in Durban to have a chance
To be fair, while it’s great to “be there” and part of the atmosphere, one does get a better view on the TV. Paris must be sliding down the short list now, surely.
I doubt many Brazilians will be watching on TV either. Paris must be odds-on, 2024 will be a century since it last held it in 1924 too and the IOC may like the symbolism, the only other shortlisted cities are LA and Rome, which held it in 1984 and 1960 respectively and Budapest
If the IOC ever wanted to field an army to frighten the enemy - just the women's shotput and hammer throwers would do it.
They're a scary looking bunch, and could throw those Cuban featherweight boxers yards!
Less scary than before dope-testing, I think.
For us older-timers who recall the East Germans and others - it really was the most peculiar period in sporting history. I haven't heard of anyone being sex-tested at these games either. That must be a first - or they're getting a lot more discrete.
Wait until the women's 800m for the big controversy on that score.
They've waved the white flag.
Hence the brewing controversy.
Since Caster Semenya was told she no longer needs to take hormones to suppress her testosterone levels she looks to be coming into form where she could break the oldest women's T&F record on the books.
So we'll end up with another weird sporting period where records are broken by those with a very rare genetic condition?
More nerd stats - London 2012 stadium 80k, Rio 50k and at least half empty.
Why don't you enjoy the sport on show which is generally excellent rather than count empty seats and whine about attendance?
I think it reflects very badly on the IOC.
As an aside it's worth saying, that the UK has changed quite a bit in the last 20 years. If you go back to Euro 96 the attendance at the non England/Scotland games was not good. I reckon if we were hosting the 2018 World Cup, you would be hard pressed to get a ticket - even for the least attractive fixtures.
There are plenty of empty seats at Premiership matches too. Cricket attendances are not good (apart from Ashes and 2020).
In many ways these are televisual rather than crowd events.
Even Test Matches are not sold out outside other than Lords and, sometimes, The Oval.
They aren't at all comparable. Olympics come to a country very rarely.
Regarding Athens - there don't seem to be any fans of it on here - I can barely recall it bar all the fuss about it being a mad dash to get it built in the last few days.
What made it so third rate? I did like the laurels.
Barcelona, Sydney, Beijing, London of recent games all produced an excellent Olympics show and even Athens and Atlanta had a higher attendance in the stadium than Rio has. It is a shame as it is a great city but Brazil will not be getting any more major sporting events for a generation, nor most probably will South America. They did a better better in the World Cup but that was the one sport Brazilians are really interested in, soccer.
The next two Olympics will be Tokyo in 2020 and almost certainly Paris in 2024 so the IOC can guarantee little will go wrong. South Africa is a possibility for 2028 but it needs an excellent Commonwealth games in 2022 in Durban to have a chance
Beijing opening ceremony was amazing - I couldn't tell if it was robots/CGI... and it was people.
If the IOC ever wanted to field an army to frighten the enemy - just the women's shotput and hammer throwers would do it.
They're a scary looking bunch, and could throw those Cuban featherweight boxers yards!
Less scary than before dope-testing, I think.
For us older-timers who recall the East Germans and others - it really was the most peculiar period in sporting history. I haven't heard of anyone being sex-tested at these games either. That must be a first - or they're getting a lot more discrete.
Wait until the women's 800m for the big controversy on that score.
They've waved the white flag.
Hence the brewing controversy.
Since Caster Semenya was told she no longer needs to take hormones to suppress her testosterone levels she looks to be coming into form where she could break the oldest women's T&F record on the books.
So we'll end up with another weird sporting period where records are broken by those with a very rare genetic condition?
The linky I provided makes recommendations on how to proceed in the case of women with hyperandrogenism, and refers to an IAAF decision that I haven't checked because I'm lazy .
If the IOC ever wanted to field an army to frighten the enemy - just the women's shotput and hammer throwers would do it.
They're a scary looking bunch, and could throw those Cuban featherweight boxers yards!
Less scary than before dope-testing, I think.
For us older-timers who recall the East Germans and others - it really was the most peculiar period in sporting history. I haven't heard of anyone being sex-tested at these games either. That must be a first - or they're getting a lot more discrete.
Wait until the women's 800m for the big controversy on that score.
They've waved the white flag.
Hence the brewing controversy.
Since Caster Semenya was told she no longer needs to take hormones to suppress her testosterone levels she looks to be coming into form where she could break the oldest women's T&F record on the books.
So we'll end up with another weird sporting period where records are broken by those with a very rare genetic condition?
The linky I provided makes recommendations on how to proceed in the case of women with hyperandrogenism, and refers to an IAAF decision that I haven't checked because I'm lazy .
If you're lazy, I'm a slothful cat today. Mine got bored waiting for me to get out of bed at 8am. That she'd jumped all over me during the night, knocked things over, insisted on snugs, turned on my laptop/set a video running during the small hours didn't count.
The Red Arrows are back doing their thing immediately overhead - so she's now hiding in the shower. Ha!
Rio is an absolute nightmare to get around. The locals - very wisely - stick to their areas. And a lot of the venues are on the edge of town. It's a lovely-looking place, Rio; but totally dysfunctional. I am not a fan!
Rio is an absolute nightmare to get around. The locals - very wisely - stick to their areas. And a lot of the venues are on the edge of town. It's a lovely-looking place, Rio; but totally dysfunctional. I am not a fan!
"More realistically, his support – and that going to Stein – is a protest against the dreadful quality offered up by the Republicans and the Democrats...:
Can someone please tell me what's dreadful about Hillary (apart from the fact that she's not Tory friendly) ?
Plodding, uninspiring speaker, odious sense of entitlement, disobeyed the information security policy.
In normal times that third one would justify disqualification from public office, and also a lifetime ban on using electronic devices. But Trump is the opponent, so these aren't normal times.
Hillary Clinton is not very good at what we might call the tradecraft of politics, but private email servers excited very few on pb when it was Conservative cabinet ministers running them. Of course, here again Clinton is lucky in her opponent. Those Americans most exercised by the email scandal are ex-military types who did used to handle classified information. But in unforced error number 394, Trump has upset these voters by seeming to undermine Nato and even worse (number 395) by taking that ex-soldier's medal instead of politely declining it with a short speech about bravery and sacrifice.
Hillary was certainly a bit casual with email security, but the really catastrophic data leakage came from Bradley Manning while a serving soldier. Military people concerned with data security should lock their own doors first.
It's not just stopping things leaking - like the Manning cables most of this stuff was probably already widely enough circulated that you should assume the adversary already has it - it's also records retention. The aim lf the whole exercise was probably to avoid freedom of information laws, which is a very bad sign in a future president.
Trump's bad signs are in a different league, though.
Rio is an absolute nightmare to get around. The locals - very wisely - stick to their areas. And a lot of the venues are on the edge of town. It's a lovely-looking place, Rio; but totally dysfunctional. I am not a fan!
Barcelona, Sydney, Beijing, London of recent games all produced an excellent Olympics show and even Athens and Atlanta had a higher attendance in the stadium than Rio has. It is a shame as it is a great city but Brazil will not be getting any more major sporting events for a generation, nor most probably will South America. They did a better better in the World Cup but that was the one sport Brazilians are really interested in, soccer.
The next two Olympics will be Tokyo in 2020 and almost certainly Paris in 2024 so the IOC can guarantee little will go wrong. South Africa is a possibility for 2028 but it needs an excellent Commonwealth games in 2022 in Durban to have a chance
Beijing opening ceremony was amazing - I couldn't tell if it was robots/CGI... and it was people.
I slightly know the man who did the cinematographic wizardry for the Beijing opening ceremony. Not what you would expect: he's a shrunken old man with half his teeth missing.
The despised Economist has an interesting article on Rio, which has lost its raison d'etre and is looking for a role. It's no longer the capital and the commercial and financial hub of Brazil is now in Sao Paolo.
The problem with cities and the Olympics is that the bidding war is entirely about who can be more wasteful. It's possible to hold a sustainable, cost=effective, meaningful and fun games by making some sensible compromises - use existing facilities where possible, spread the action amongst a number of neighbouring cities.
PS Effectively you get a two week party at the cost of £10 billion. It doesn't compute for any city - including London
"More realistically, his support – and that going to Stein – is a protest against the dreadful quality offered up by the Republicans and the Democrats...:
Can someone please tell me what's dreadful about Hillary (apart from the fact that she's not Tory friendly) ?
Plodding, uninspiring speaker, odious sense of entitlement, disobeyed the information security policy.
In normal times that third one would justify disqualification from public office, and also a lifetime ban on using electronic devices. But Trump is the opponent, so these aren't normal times.
Hillary Clinton is not very good at what we might call the tradecraft of politics, but private email servers excited very few on pb when it was Conservative cabinet ministers running them. Of course, here again Clinton is lucky in her opponent. Those Americans most exercised by the email scandal are ex-military types who did used to handle classified information. But in unforced error number 394, Trump has upset these voters by seeming to undermine Nato and even worse (number 395) by taking that ex-soldier's medal instead of politely declining it with a short speech about bravery and sacrifice.
Hillary was certainly a bit casual with email security, but the really catastrophic data leakage came from Bradley Manning while a serving soldier. Military people concerned with data security should lock their own doors first.
It's not just stopping things leaking - like the Manning cables most of this stuff was probably already widely enough circulated that you should assume the adversary already has it - it's also records retention. The aim lf the whole exercise was probably to avoid freedom of information laws, which is a very bad sign in a future president.
Trump's bad signs are in a different league, though.
It's a classic sign of a ring organisation. When your information security regime is too severe, your best and brightest will start smuggling documents outside the organisation - usually by stripping or modifying classification headers (harder in the US - they classify on the paragraph level). You end up with your valuables floating around outside the perimeter as people strive to 'get things done'.
"More realistically, his support – and that going to Stein – is a protest against the dreadful quality offered up by the Republicans and the Democrats...:
Can someone please tell me what's dreadful about Hillary (apart from the fact that she's not Tory friendly) ?
Plodding, uninspiring speaker, odious sense of entitlement, disobeyed the information security policy.
In normal times that third one would justify disqualification from public office, and also a lifetime ban on using electronic devices. But Trump is the opponent, so these aren't normal times.
Hillary Clinton is not very good at what we might call the tradecraft of politics, but private email servers excited very few on pb when it was Conservative cabinet ministers running them. Of course, here again Clinton is lucky in her opponent. Those Americans most exercised by the email scandal are ex-military types who did used to handle classified information. But in unforced error number 394, Trump has upset these voters by seeming to undermine Nato and even worse (number 395) by taking that ex-soldier's medal instead of politely declining it with a short speech about bravery and sacrifice.
Hillary was certainly a bit casual with email security, but the really catastrophic data leakage came from Bradley Manning while a serving soldier. Military people concerned with data security should lock their own doors first.
It's not just stopping things leaking - like the Manning cables most of this stuff was probably already widely enough circulated that you should assume the adversary already has it - it's also records retention. The aim lf the whole exercise was probably to avoid freedom of information laws, which is a very bad sign in a future president.
Trump's bad signs are in a different league, though.
Clearly it frustrated the Russian hackers as they seem to have known where to go to find, and have been able to hack into, everything else.
I don't suppose you're afraid of me. Would you like to give me a percentage of your income every year and let me decide how it should be spent?
As another_richard has just pointed out, it appears that I already have.
Time for the civilised parts of the country to look for the exits. The United Kingdom is done now. Time to create demoses on smaller levels.
I'd be genuinely sad if London left
London needs a new settlement. The rest of the UK cannot expect to keep fleecing it and simultaneously holding its opinions in contempt. One or both will need to give sooner or later.
Wouldn't it be cheaper and easier for all concerned if you just sold up and moved to Brussels. I mean it would save years of red tape and legal fees for the entire country, think of the benefits and the children.
You could probably negotiate a good package to be fair given potential overall CAPEX savings and Eurostar and Easyjet tickets are quite competitive at the moment
I'm not sure it would be particularly convenient for Leavers if all those who supported Remain were to decamp to another country. Who would pay for their lifestyles?
We just meant you Alistair.
Trust me, I'm a moderate compared with many. Here's Stephen Bayley's take on it:
Rio is an absolute nightmare to get around. The locals - very wisely - stick to their areas. And a lot of the venues are on the edge of town. It's a lovely-looking place, Rio; but totally dysfunctional. I am not a fan!
Imagine an Olympics in Delhi
The 2010 Commonwealth Games were in Delhi. They had some issues.
Rio is an absolute nightmare to get around. The locals - very wisely - stick to their areas. And a lot of the venues are on the edge of town. It's a lovely-looking place, Rio; but totally dysfunctional. I am not a fan!
Breathtaking scenery.
Beautiful people.
No plugs in the hotel basin or bath.
Take only taxis of known operators.
Avoid being mugged by gangs of 12 year olds.
It's that sort of place.
All that is true. It does have a surprisingly efficient underground, though (by far the best way to get from the beaches to the city centre).
Barcelona, Sydney, Beijing, London of recent games all produced an excellent Olympics show and even Athens and Atlanta had a higher attendance in the stadium than Rio has. It is a shame as it is a great city but Brazil will not be getting any more major sporting events for a generation, nor most probably will South America. They did a better better in the World Cup but that was the one sport Brazilians are really interested in, soccer.
The next two Olympics will be Tokyo in 2020 and almost certainly Paris in 2024 so the IOC can guarantee little will go wrong. South Africa is a possibility for 2028 but it needs an excellent Commonwealth games in 2022 in Durban to have a chance
Beijing opening ceremony was amazing - I couldn't tell if it was robots/CGI... and it was people.
I slightly know the man who did the cinematographic wizardry for the Beijing opening ceremony. Not what you would expect: he's a shrunken old man with half his teeth missing.
The despised Economist has an interesting article on Rio, which has lost its raison d'etre and is looking for a role. It's no longer the capital and the commercial and financial hub of Brazil is now in Sao Paolo.
The problem with cities and the Olympics is that the bidding war is entirely about who can be more wasteful. It's possible to hold a sustainable, cost=effective, meaningful and fun games by making some sensible compromises - use existing facilities where possible, spread the action amongst a number of neighbouring cities.
PS Effectively you get a two week party at the cost of £10 billion. It doesn't compute for any city - including London
Whatever happened to Brasilia? Would that be a better venue? Bit like Brussels if you ask me.
I'm not seeking to halt or delay the outcome. I set out a route map for Remainers last week for engagement.
Oddly, all the Leavers focused on one minor detail in that proposal. It seems that Leavers were extremely happy to leave the EU, so long as they didn't have to pay any part of the costs entailed in that.
As we are seeing again this morning, where the Leavers are trying to sting London for the bill.
Alistair, how long would you last without the water supplies from the rest of the country? Or the food we grow? Or the electricity we generate and send to you? Or farmers taking the processed residue of the sewage of London's sewers to be spread on their land?
Bluntly, I don't like London much - it's an expensive dump - but I think you will find if you look at the externalities rather than just the headline figure your case is a lot less clear cut. I don't object to that because it's part of being one country. I do object to London thinking it is all a question of money. It makes me wonder just how divorced from reality you all are.
Yes, this argument can also be made to a lesser extent for Scotland and Wales - with Wales, remember 10%+ of England's population gets its water from reservoirs in Wales.
I see. So the rest of the UK is now borrowing Putinist tactics. Would you really want to be damming the Thames to blackmail London? Is that the sort of neighbour that the rest of the UK would wish to be?
London would not be the only place in the world that was dependent on others for essential supplies (Britain itself hasn't been self-sufficient in food for many years). It's a bizarre objection really.
Only because RoI succeeded. As we have a common travel (and trading) area with them that is a bit of a strawman. The British Isles are self sufficient in food
I'm not seeking to halt or delay the outcome. I set out a route map for Remainers last week for engagement.
Oddly, all the Leavers focused on one minor detail in that proposal. It seems that Leavers were extremely happy to leave the EU, so long as they didn't have to pay any part of the costs entailed in that.
As we are seeing again this morning, where the Leavers are trying to sting London for the bill.
Alistair, how long would you last without the water supplies from the rest of the country? Or the food we grow? Or the electricity we generate and send to you? Or farmers taking the processed residue of the sewage of London's sewers to be spread on their land?
Bluntly, I don't like London much - it's an expensive dump - but I think you will find if you look at the externalities rather than just the headline figure your case is a lot less clear cut. I don't object to that because it's part of being one country. I do object to London thinking it is all a question of money. It makes me wonder just how divorced from reality you all are.
Yes, this argument can also be made to a lesser extent for Scotland and Wales - with Wales, remember 10%+ of England's population gets its water from reservoirs in Wales.
I see. So the rest of the UK is now borrowing Putinist tactics. Would you really want to be damming the Thames to blackmail London? Is that the sort of neighbour that the rest of the UK would wish to be?
London would not be the only place in the world that was dependent on others for essential supplies (Britain itself hasn't been self-sufficient in food for many years). It's a bizarre objection really.
Only because RoI succeeded. As we have a common travel (and trading) area with them that is a bit of a strawman. The British Isles are self sufficient in food
The Republic of Ireland is committed to membership of a federation to which you take a somewhat hostile view. It's a bit of a cheek therefore to put their natural resources in the UK column.
Rio is an absolute nightmare to get around. The locals - very wisely - stick to their areas. And a lot of the venues are on the edge of town. It's a lovely-looking place, Rio; but totally dysfunctional. I am not a fan!
Imagine an Olympics in Delhi
The 2010 Commonwealth Games were in Delhi. They had some issues.
The media were desperate for their preconceived stereotypes to be true.
Barcelona, Sydney, Beijing, London of recent games all produced an excellent Olympics show and even Athens and Atlanta had a higher attendance in the stadium than Rio has. It is a shame as it is a great city but Brazil will not be getting any more major sporting events for a generation, nor most probably will South America. They did a better better in the World Cup but that was the one sport Brazilians are really interested in, soccer.
The next two Olympics will be Tokyo in 2020 and almost certainly Paris in 2024 so the IOC can guarantee little will go wrong. South Africa is a possibility for 2028 but it needs an excellent Commonwealth games in 2022 in Durban to have a chance
Beijing opening ceremony was amazing - I couldn't tell if it was robots/CGI... and it was people.
I slightly know the man who did the cinematographic wizardry for the Beijing opening ceremony. Not what you would expect: he's a shrunken old man with half his teeth missing.
The despised Economist has an interesting article on Rio, which has lost its raison d'etre and is looking for a role. It's no longer the capital and the commercial and financial hub of Brazil is now in Sao Paolo.
The problem with cities and the Olympics is that the bidding war is entirely about who can be more wasteful. It's possible to hold a sustainable, cost=effective, meaningful and fun games by making some sensible compromises - use existing facilities where possible, spread the action amongst a number of neighbouring cities.
PS Effectively you get a two week party at the cost of £10 billion. It doesn't compute for any city - including London
Whatever happened to Brasilia? Would that be a better venue? Bit like Brussels if you ask me.
It's an entirely artificial capital in the middle of nowhere (with no direct flights from Europe).
Rio is an absolute nightmare to get around. The locals - very wisely - stick to their areas. And a lot of the venues are on the edge of town. It's a lovely-looking place, Rio; but totally dysfunctional. I am not a fan!
Imagine an Olympics in Delhi
The 2010 Commonwealth Games were in Delhi. They had some issues.
The media were desperate for their preconceived stereotypes to be true.
TBF, Delhi's traffic lives up to all its stereotypes in my experience!
I seek out countervailing views and opinions. It's healthy. Sam Coates is a much better advocate against Brexit, Janan Ganesh better still. I've always held that if you can't put the other side's argument for them, you're not merely partisan, you're a bigot. I flatter myself I can write a fairly decent pro-EU case.
Bayley's article is just an extended whine full of irrelevant assertions and non sequiturs.
Leavers haven't begun to understand the depth of emotion among some Remainers (incidentally, I am not one of those - I have other outlets for my emotion right now). The intense feeling of disgust with Leavers continues unabated. It is not going to subside quickly, especially since at present it has no effective political outlet. Sooner or later, it will find one.
If you think that an alienated underclass is a bad thing, just wait until you feel the full force of an alienated metropolitan elite.
"The intense feeling of disgust with Leavers contiuned unabated"
That they feel intense disgust because people exercised their democratic right to vote in a way that remainers didn't reveals rather more about the remainers than they intended to reveal.
If they have not got a political outlet for their disgust is because they are an unrepresentative little claque who are no longer able to get away with setting the agenda by infiltrating all three political parites ensuring no other agenda is offered to the voters.
No wonder so many who voted remain due to project feel now feel bad about it and enormously relieved that so many of their fellow citizens stood up to the deception and intimidation.
Rio is an absolute nightmare to get around. The locals - very wisely - stick to their areas. And a lot of the venues are on the edge of town. It's a lovely-looking place, Rio; but totally dysfunctional. I am not a fan!
Imagine an Olympics in Delhi
The 2010 Commonwealth Games were in Delhi. They had some issues.
The media were desperate for their preconceived stereotypes to be true.
The same may apply to Rio. Daily Mai,l I'm looking at you. Rio put on a decent opening ceremony at a fraction of the cost of the Beijing and London predecessors, but weren't given credit for it, nor for what as far as I can tell has been a competent organisation of the games themselves.
Rio is an absolute nightmare to get around. The locals - very wisely - stick to their areas. And a lot of the venues are on the edge of town. It's a lovely-looking place, Rio; but totally dysfunctional. I am not a fan!
Breathtaking scenery.
Beautiful people.
No plugs in the hotel basin or bath.
Take only taxis of known operators.
Avoid being mugged by gangs of 12 year olds.
It's that sort of place.
All that is true. It does have a surprisingly efficient underground, though (by far the best way to get from the beaches to the city centre).
And presumably the only safe way.
Beaches with Underground stations on them does sound cool though.
Although we have one on the Isle of Wight with an underground station - sort of.
I'm not seeking to halt or delay the outcome. I set out a route map for Remainers last week for engagement.
Oddly, all the Leavers focused on one minor detail in that proposal. It seems that Leavers were extremely happy to leave the EU, so long as they didn't have to pay any part of the costs entailed in that.
As we are seeing again this morning, where the Leavers are trying to sting London for the bill.
Alistair, how long would you last without the water supplies from the rest of the country? Or the food we grow? Or the electricity we generate and send to you? Or farmers taking the processed residue of the sewage of London's sewers to be spread on their land?
Bluntly, I don't like London much - it's an expensive dump - but I think you will find if you look at the externalities rather than just the headline figure your case is a lot less clear cut. I don't object to that because it's part of being one country. I do object to London thinking it is all a question of money. It makes me wonder just how divorced from reality you all are.
Yes, this argument can also be made to a lesser extent for Scotland and Wales - with Wales, remember 10%+ of England's population gets its water from reservoirs in Wales.
I see. So the rest of the UK is now borrowing Putinist tactics. Would you really want to be damming the Thames to blackmail London? Is that the sort of neighbour that the rest of the UK would wish to be?
London would not be the only place in the world that was dependent on others for essential supplies (Britain itself hasn't been self-sufficient in food for many years). It's a bizarre objection really.
Only because RoI succeeded. As we have a common travel (and trading) area with them that is a bit of a strawman. The British Isles are self sufficient in food
The Republic of Ireland is committed to membership of a federation to which you take a somewhat hostile view. It's a bit of a cheek therefore to put their natural resources in the UK column.
I thought that would get a reply from your good self - top marks for speed though.
Now did I tell you about my idea to found a property company in, RoI, build several new towns taking advantage of their flexible planning laws, with 2 million houses, sell them to UKIPpers and with 4 million Kippers settled demand a referendum on RoI rejoining the UK?
I don't suppose you're afraid of me. Would you like to give me a percentage of your income every year and let me decide how it should be spent?
As another_richard has just pointed out, it appears that I already have.
Time for the civilised parts of the country to look for the exits. The United Kingdom is done now. Time to create demoses on smaller levels.
Alistair, you're doing yourself no favours. Your attitude is why so many of our countryfolk despite the people of the metropolis.
London without England would be cut adrift, diminished and ultimately irrelevant.
Victim blaming, I see
The arrogance with which the country mice expect Londoners to subsidise their hobby horses is breathtaking.
London will only go independent when NYC, Paris, Tokyo etc do too. While London did vote Remain 5 boroughs voted Leave and plenty of wealthier parts of the country outside London voted Remain
Christ on a bike is Meeks still crying about this! 40% of Londoners voted to leave for heaven sakes.
Rio is an absolute nightmare to get around. The locals - very wisely - stick to their areas. And a lot of the venues are on the edge of town. It's a lovely-looking place, Rio; but totally dysfunctional. I am not a fan!
Breathtaking scenery.
Beautiful people.
No plugs in the hotel basin or bath.
Take only taxis of known operators.
Avoid being mugged by gangs of 12 year olds.
It's that sort of place.
All that is true. It does have a surprisingly efficient underground, though (by far the best way to get from the beaches to the city centre).
And presumably the only safe way.
Beaches with Underground stations on them does sound cool though.
Although we have one on the Isle of Wight with an underground station - sort of.
I don't suppose you're afraid of me. Would you like to give me a percentage of your income every year and let me decide how it should be spent?
As another_richard has just pointed out, it appears that I already have.
Time for the civilised parts of the country to look for the exits. The United Kingdom is done now. Time to create demoses on smaller levels.
Alistair, you're doing yourself no favours. Your attitude is why so many of our countryfolk despite the people of the metropolis.
London without England would be cut adrift, diminished and ultimately irrelevant.
Victim blaming, I see
The arrogance with which the country mice expect Londoners to subsidise their hobby horses is breathtaking.
London will only go independent when NYC, Paris, Tokyo etc do too. While London did vote Remain 5 boroughs voted Leave and plenty of wealthier parts of the country outside London voted Remain
Christ on a bike is Meeks still crying about this! 40% of Londoners voted to leave for heaven sakes.
They're the morally defective ones who will be herded into the countryside, after which the moat will be filled & drawbridge raised.
"More realistically, his support – and that going to Stein – is a protest against the dreadful quality offered up by the Republicans and the Democrats...:
Can someone please tell me what's dreadful about Hillary (apart from the fact that she's not Tory friendly) ?
Plodding, uninspiring speaker, odious sense of entitlement, disobeyed the information security policy.
In normal times that third one would justify disqualification from public office, and also a lifetime ban on using electronic devices. But Trump is the opponent, so these aren't normal times.
Hillary Clinton is not very good at what we might call the tradecraft of politics, but private email servers excited very few on pb when it was Conservative cabinet ministers running them. Of course, here again Clinton is lucky in her opponent. Those Americans most exercised by the email scandal are ex-military types who did used to handle classified information. But in unforced error number 394, Trump has upset these voters by seeming to undermine Nato and even worse (number 395) by taking that ex-soldier's medal instead of politely declining it with a short speech about bravery and sacrifice.
Hillary was certainly a bit casual with email security, but the really catastrophic data leakage came from Bradley Manning while a serving soldier. Military people concerned with data security should lock their own doors first.
It's not just stopping things leaking - like the Manning cables most of this stuff was probably already widely enough circulated that you should assume the adversary already has it - it's also records retention. The aim lf the whole exercise was probably to avoid freedom of information laws, which is a very bad sign in a future president.
Trump's bad signs are in a different league, though.
Indeed, records should be available for FOI requests if within their retention time and only considered for destruction once that has expired
Pro-Brexit staff are suing their employers for "cultural bullying" from their morally superior pro-Remain colleagues, according to the Daily Telegraph They are drawing on a "philosophical beliefs" protection provided by a directive from the otherwise hateful EU.
I don't suppose you're afraid of me. Would you like to give me a percentage of your income every year and let me decide how it should be spent?
As another_richard has just pointed out, it appears that I already have.
Time for the civilised parts of the country to look for the exits. The United Kingdom is done now. Time to create demoses on smaller levels.
Alistair, you're doing yourself no favours. Your attitude is why so many of our countryfolk despite the people of the metropolis.
London without England would be cut adrift, diminished and ultimately irrelevant.
Victim blaming, I see
The arrogance with which the country mice expect Londoners to subsidise their hobby horses is breathtaking.
London will only go independent when NYC, Paris, Tokyo etc do too. While London did vote Remain 5 boroughs voted Leave and plenty of wealthier parts of the country outside London voted Remain
I don't suppose you're afraid of me. Would you like to give me a percentage of your income every year and let me decide how it should be spent?
As another_richard has just pointed out, it appears that I already have.
Time for the civilised parts of the country to look for the exits. The United Kingdom is done now. Time to create demoses on smaller levels.
Alistair, you're doing yourself no favours. Your attitude is why so many of our countryfolk despite the people of the metropolis.
London without England would be cut adrift, diminished and ultimately irrelevant.
Victim blaming, I see
The arrogance with which the country mice expect Londoners to subsidise their hobby horses is breathtaking.
London will only go independent when NYC, Paris, Tokyo etc do too. While London did vote Remain 5 boroughs voted Leave and plenty of wealthier parts of the country outside London voted Remain
Christ on a bike is Meeks still crying about this! 40% of Londoners voted to leave for heaven sakes.
Pro-Brexit staff are suing their employers for "cultural bullying" from their morally superior pro-Remain colleagues, according to the Daily Telegraph They are drawing on a "philosophical beliefs" protection provided by a directive from the otherwise hateful EU.
In an office maybe, on an assembly line or building site it will be Leavers teasing Remainers
Pro-Brexit staff are suing their employers for "cultural bullying" from their morally superior pro-Remain colleagues, according to the Daily Telegraph They are drawing on a "philosophical beliefs" protection provided by a directive from the otherwise hateful EU.
Some people get emotional about the EU - on both sides. It's a puzzle to me. It's just an institution. I generally vote Tory, but Labour and the Lib Dems have some good ideas. For example, I was wrong about the minimum wage - it's not perfect but overall is probably a net public good. The EU has done useful work and often means well. It's neither an unalloyed good or an evil empire.
OT I think Trump has broken the coalition that has made up the Republican Party since Reagan and Gary Johnson is part of the new direction that will arise from the ashes of the Trump attempt on the White House. Reagan brought social conservatives together with business interests and fiscal conservatives. Neither Trump nor Johnson has any time for social conservatives and they will be the big losers. While I don't expect corporate interests to disappear, there are no votes in being seen to support the lobby. I expect Republicans to make their pitches on competence, devolution (States' rights) and getting Big Government out of people's lives
Pro-Brexit staff are suing their employers for "cultural bullying" from their morally superior pro-Remain colleagues, according to the Daily Telegraph They are drawing on a "philosophical beliefs" protection provided by a directive from the otherwise hateful EU.
Some people get emotional about the EU - on both sides. It's a puzzle to me. It's just an institution. I generally vote Tory, but Labour and the Lib Dems have some good ideas. For example, I was wrong about the minimum wage - it's not perfect but overall is probably a net public good. The EU has done useful work and often means well. It's neither an unalloyed good or an evil empire.
The emotion is strange, I agree. However, the EU will be the central political issue for Britain over the next ten years, and not in a helpful way. In my view.
[1] Yes he is a real person, and he works at the Blair House, where the White House puts up visiting dignitaries. And no doubt he keeps it really clean and fresh...
OT I think Trump has broken the coalition that has made up the Republican Party since Reagan and Gary Johnson is part of the new direction that will arise from the ashes of the Trump attempt on the White House. Reagan brought social conservatives together with business interests and fiscal conservatives. Neither Trump nor Johnson has any time for social conservatives and they will be the big losers. While I don't expect corporate interests to disappear, there are no votes in being seen to support the lobby. I expect Republicans to make their pitches on competence, devolution (States' rights) and getting Big Government out of people's lives
If as is likely Trump loses, Cruz may well be nominee in 2020, a protectionist, nationalist followed by a staunch social conservative
Pro-Brexit staff are suing their employers for "cultural bullying" from their morally superior pro-Remain colleagues, according to the Daily Telegraph They are drawing on a "philosophical beliefs" protection provided by a directive from the otherwise hateful EU.
Some people get emotional about the EU - on both sides. It's a puzzle to me. It's just an institution. I generally vote Tory, but Labour and the Lib Dems have some good ideas. For example, I was wrong about the minimum wage - it's not perfect but overall is probably a net public good. The EU has done useful work and often means well. It's neither an unalloyed good or an evil empire.
The emotion is strange, I agree. However, the EU will be the central political issue for Britain over the next ten years, and not in a helpful way. In my view.
Oddly, you're probably the poster who I feel is most aligned to my own outlook on here, though we voted differently. You have that air of emotional detachment.
There are plenty of empty seats at Premiership matches too. Cricket attendances are not good (apart from Ashes and 2020).
In many ways these are televisual rather than crowd events.
Rather the opposite problem at Lords - It's a devilish situation ....
Hordes of plebs quaffing champers from plastic flutes and munching on pre-pack M&S fayre. Can't they get cook to rustle up a decent luncheon or if they must a hamper from Fortnum .... the country is going to the dogs !!
When my Dad was in the army he once got a Fortnum's hamper delivered to his trench on Salisbury Plain...
Class!
Can't match that but when on exercise in Germany there was a local (we called him Herman, of course) who had a bratwurst, coffee,cigarette and brandy van and he would tour the exercise area flogging his wares to the Brits. You could be dug in cammoed up to the nines and under full field discipline (no smoking, no going above ground in daylight etc.) and up would toddle Herman in his van, pull up alongside the heavily camouflaged slit trenches and start selling comforts to the troops.
Some nice bratwurst, a couple of packets of cigarettes and a bottle of brandy always went down well on a long exercise on the Sennelager Plain, especially when the weather was bad, but it did rather make a nonsense of the whole thing - especially when a queue formed.
Pro-Brexit staff are suing their employers for "cultural bullying" from their morally superior pro-Remain colleagues, according to the Daily Telegraph They are drawing on a "philosophical beliefs" protection provided by a directive from the otherwise hateful EU.
OT I think Trump has broken the coalition that has made up the Republican Party since Reagan and Gary Johnson is part of the new direction that will arise from the ashes of the Trump attempt on the White House. Reagan brought social conservatives together with business interests and fiscal conservatives. Neither Trump nor Johnson has any time for social conservatives and they will be the big losers. While I don't expect corporate interests to disappear, there are no votes in being seen to support the lobby. I expect Republicans to make their pitches on competence, devolution (States' rights) and getting Big Government out of people's lives
If as is likely Trump loses, Cruz may well be nominee in 2020, a protectionist, nationalist followed by a staunch social conservative
If Fiorina succeeds in her bid to become RNC chair it's probably a given, unless she fancies a second run.
I don't suppose you're afraid of me. Would you like to give me a percentage of your income every year and let me decide how it should be spent?
As another_richard has just pointed out, it appears that I already have.
Time for the civilised parts of the country to look for the exits. The United Kingdom is done now. Time to create demoses on smaller levels.
Alistair, you're doing yourself no favours. Your attitude is why so many of our countryfolk despite the people of the metropolis.
London without England would be cut adrift, diminished and ultimately irrelevant.
Victim blaming, I see
The arrogance with which the country mice expect Londoners to subsidise their hobby horses is breathtaking.
London will only go independent when NYC, Paris, Tokyo etc do too. While London did vote Remain 5 boroughs voted Leave and plenty of wealthier parts of the country outside London voted Remain
Christ on a bike is Meeks still crying about this! 40% of Londoners voted to leave for heaven sakes.
Seems so
It seems that number of people should re-read Orwells "Notes on Nationalism". It is still the best work on the nature and working of Nationalism and how people relate to it.
In it, he details how Nationalist thought works and how some people were transferring their nationalistic feelings to trans-national groupings - Communism, Socialism etc
It is quite clear that a portion of Remainers are, in fact Euronationalists. Hence the visceral upset, anger and denial etc.
Incidentally, *all* countries dislike their capital cities. The French (outside Paris, or course) hate Paris, the Romainians dislike Bucharest and so on.
Indeed those Nepalese I have met from outside the captial regard Kathmandu as full of idiots who spend their money on dubious exercises at the behest of the large number of foreigners (and foreign interests) that infest the place. Plus the cost of housing there is crazy, because of foreign fools buying up houses at ridiculous prices.
OT I think Trump has broken the coalition that has made up the Republican Party since Reagan and Gary Johnson is part of the new direction that will arise from the ashes of the Trump attempt on the White House. Reagan brought social conservatives together with business interests and fiscal conservatives. Neither Trump nor Johnson has any time for social conservatives and they will be the big losers. While I don't expect corporate interests to disappear, there are no votes in being seen to support the lobby. I expect Republicans to make their pitches on competence, devolution (States' rights) and getting Big Government out of people's lives
If as is likely Trump loses, Cruz may well be nominee in 2020, a protectionist, nationalist followed by a staunch social conservative
Now you mention it ... It wouldn't do them any good as America is becoming a more diverse, more secular place. It really comes down to whether Republicans have learnt the lesson of Trump. Electing Cruz would show they haven't. On balance, I think the Republicans will do the sensible thing, but there is a real chance they won't.
Given how hard it appears to be to get to the various Olympic venues in Rio, even when the best in the world are appearing there, the chances of the stadiums turning into what happened in Athens has to be pretty high.
A number of the football stadiums that were built for the World Cup are now permanently closed and rotting away.
OT I think Trump has broken the coalition that has made up the Republican Party since Reagan and Gary Johnson is part of the new direction that will arise from the ashes of the Trump attempt on the White House. Reagan brought social conservatives together with business interests and fiscal conservatives. Neither Trump nor Johnson has any time for social conservatives and they will be the big losers. While I don't expect corporate interests to disappear, there are no votes in being seen to support the lobby. I expect Republicans to make their pitches on competence, devolution (States' rights) and getting Big Government out of people's lives
If as is likely Trump loses, Cruz may well be nominee in 2020, a protectionist, nationalist followed by a staunch social conservative
Now you mention it ... It wouldn't do them any good as America is becoming a more diverse, more secular place. It really comes down to whether Republicans have learnt the lesson of Trump. Electing Cruz would show they haven't. On balance, I think the Republicans will do the sensible thing, but there is a real chance they won't.
They won't, if Trump loses the GOP base will conclude he was too liberal on gay marriage and abortion and pick a hardcore social conservative like Cruz instead. They certainly won't pick a Rink like McCain or Romney; like Labour the ideologues are in control for now. However that is good news for the Libertarian Party
I don't suppose you're afraid of me. Would you like to give me a percentage of your income every year and let me decide how it should be spent?
As another_richard has just pointed out, it appears that I already have.
Time for the civilised parts of the country to look for the exits. The United Kingdom is done now. Time to create demoses on smaller levels.
Alistair, you're doing yourself no favours. Your attitude is why so many of our countryfolk despite the people of the metropolis.
London without England would be cut adrift, diminished and ultimately irrelevant.
Victim blaming, I see
The arrogance with which the country mice expect Londoners to subsidise their hobby horses is breathtaking.
London will only go independent when NYC, Paris, Tokyo etc do too. While London did vote Remain 5 boroughs voted Leave and plenty of wealthier parts of the country outside London voted Remain
Christ on a bike is Meeks still crying about this! 40% of Londoners voted to leave for heaven sakes.
Seems so
I used to respect antifrank, but this Meeks fellow is both arrogant (anyone who does not share his viewpoint on Europe is uncivilized) and hysterical - a very unattractive combination - and anti-democratic on top of all that. Perhaps he'd feel happier if only the landed gentry had the vote.
F##king hell that German bloke who just tried to eat the camera is mammmmmmmuuuuusive. Or every other athlete around him is a midget.
What are you watching - I'm in some red button rabbithole watching steeplechase quals
Athletics online stream. They cut to a load of athletes warming up outside the stadium and this german guy, who i believe is in the discus, looked like he was warming up next to the U11's.
In it, he details how Nationalist thought works and how some people were transferring their nationalistic feelings to trans-national groupings - Communism, Socialism etc
It is quite clear that a portion of Remainers are, in fact Euronationalists. Hence the visceral upset, anger and denial etc.
Any nationalism which is expressed by a specific geographic and cultural area is by definition not the same as a trans-national ideology like communism, otherwise you'd have to tar Scottish 'No' voters with the same brush.
Denis Healey was closer to the bone with his remark that, "their Europeanism is nothing but imperialism with an inferiority complex."
F##king hell that German bloke who just tried to eat the camera is mammmmmmmuuuuusive. Or every other athlete around him is a midget.
What are you watching - I'm in some red button rabbithole watching steeplechase quals
Athletics online stream. They cut to a load of athletes warming up outside the stadium and this german guy, who i believe is in the discus, looked like he was warming up next to the U11's.
I think we're watching the same channel - BBC1 had some badminton on between two sides I cared not a jot about.
Great to see the forthsayer-of-fiction - yo' SeanT - has, single-handedly, boosted the English Team-GB medal trawl so efficiently. What next great wonders will pour from this expert of events...?
Comments
On the other hand, Wales has S4C, not STV!
In other news http://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/ritual-slaughter-at-abattoirs-will-not-be-monitored-ffzx88rgj
(Apart, I would expect, from the Green Party’s social gatherings!)
As someone who used to take advantage of that fact I have been stigmatised as an "opportunistic veggie"!
It'll be the Royal Enclosure at Ascot next .... although truth be told they're some rather ripe characters there too ....
Nuff said ....
Transmen can compete with no restrictions.
http://www.triathlon.org/uploads/docs/6.b_2015.11_IOC_consensus_meeting_on_sex_reassignment_and_hyperandrogenism-ENG.pdf
Commiserations on your burden ....
The next two Olympics will be Tokyo in 2020 and almost certainly Paris in 2024 so the IOC can guarantee little will go wrong. South Africa is a possibility for 2028 but it needs an excellent Commonwealth games in 2022 in Durban to have a chance
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/youngest-bush-brother-marvin-voting-libertarian-article-1.2728831
We don't seem to ever see puny guys wanting to be female gymnasts - except perhaps Wayne Sleep who did ballet instead.
Paris must be sliding down the short list now, surely.
My daughter's still in California - not back until later this week. But it would be good to meet up at some point.
However, it's a hard row to hoe. You really would have to be ambitious to accept all the downsides of hormone therapy.
That said, the trend is for transwomen to be identified early and if necessary, the medics suppress puberty and begin hormone therapy in the early teens. In that case, there's no discernible advantage.
Since Caster Semenya was told she no longer needs to take hormones to suppress her testosterone levels she looks to be coming into form where she could break the oldest women's T&F record on the books.
http://sportsscientists.com/2016/05/hyperandrogenism-women-vs-women-vs-men-sport-qa-joanna-harper/
The Red Arrows are back doing their thing immediately overhead - so she's now hiding in the shower. Ha!
1st gold for Singapore!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0q66NuZrB2E
Trump's bad signs are in a different league, though.
Beautiful people.
No plugs in the hotel basin or bath.
Take only taxis of known operators.
Avoid being mugged by gangs of 12 year olds.
It's that sort of place.
The despised Economist has an interesting article on Rio, which has lost its raison d'etre and is looking for a role. It's no longer the capital and the commercial and financial hub of Brazil is now in Sao Paolo.
The problem with cities and the Olympics is that the bidding war is entirely about who can be more wasteful. It's possible to hold a sustainable, cost=effective, meaningful and fun games by making some sensible compromises - use existing facilities where possible, spread the action amongst a number of neighbouring cities.
PS Effectively you get a two week party at the cost of £10 billion. It doesn't compute for any city - including London
Why do I suspect it is the less cosmopolitan bit that rankles far more than the (supposedly) poorer bit.
Clinton 45.7 .. Trump 42.2
http://cesrusc.org/election/
That they feel intense disgust because people exercised their democratic right to vote in a way that remainers didn't reveals rather more about the remainers than they intended to reveal.
If they have not got a political outlet for their disgust is because they are an unrepresentative little claque who are no longer able to get away with setting the agenda by infiltrating all three political parites ensuring no other agenda is offered to the voters.
No wonder so many who voted remain due to project feel now feel bad about it and enormously relieved that so many of their fellow citizens stood up to the deception and intimidation.
Beaches with Underground stations on them does sound cool though.
Although we have one on the Isle of Wight with an underground station - sort of.
Now did I tell you about my idea to found a property company in, RoI, build several new towns taking advantage of their flexible planning laws, with 2 million houses, sell them to UKIPpers and with 4 million Kippers settled demand a referendum on RoI rejoining the UK?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/08/13/pro-brexit-staff-could-take-legal-action-over-bullying-at-work/
[1] Yes he is a real person, and he works at the Blair House, where the White House puts up visiting dignitaries. And no doubt he keeps it really clean and fresh...
Can't match that but when on exercise in Germany there was a local (we called him Herman, of course) who had a bratwurst, coffee,cigarette and brandy van and he would tour the exercise area flogging his wares to the Brits. You could be dug in cammoed up to the nines and under full field discipline (no smoking, no going above ground in daylight etc.) and up would toddle Herman in his van, pull up alongside the heavily camouflaged slit trenches and start selling comforts to the troops.
Some nice bratwurst, a couple of packets of cigarettes and a bottle of brandy always went down well on a long exercise on the Sennelager Plain, especially when the weather was bad, but it did rather make a nonsense of the whole thing - especially when a queue formed.
In it, he details how Nationalist thought works and how some people were transferring their nationalistic feelings to trans-national groupings - Communism, Socialism etc
It is quite clear that a portion of Remainers are, in fact Euronationalists. Hence the visceral upset, anger and denial etc.
Incidentally, *all* countries dislike their capital cities. The French (outside Paris, or course) hate Paris, the Romainians dislike Bucharest and so on.
Indeed those Nepalese I have met from outside the captial regard Kathmandu as full of idiots who spend their money on dubious exercises at the behest of the large number of foreigners (and foreign interests) that infest the place. Plus the cost of housing there is crazy, because of foreign fools buying up houses at ridiculous prices.
A number of the football stadiums that were built for the World Cup are now permanently closed and rotting away.
Denis Healey was closer to the bone with his remark that, "their Europeanism is nothing but imperialism with an inferiority complex."
Great to see the forthsayer-of-fiction - yo' SeanT - has, single-handedly, boosted the
EnglishTeam-GB medal trawl so efficiently. What next great wonders will pour from this expert of events...?