Thought: if TeamGB is allowed to compete for Sports Personality of the Year - Team Division - they would walk away with it so far it might never return to earth.
We should give it to them, as a Team, as they are so clearly infused with the same marvellous ethos.
You had a good afternoon I see, much singing ginger consumed.
It can get weird. Nigella Lawson went from John Diamond to Charles Saatchi, Charles Saatchi went from Nigella Lawson to Trinny Woodall. My favorite in WTF is Wendi Deng: went from Rupert Murdoch to Vladimir Putin, allegedly via you-know-who...
Single polls are always misleading, do people deliberately post outliers to help their betting position? Doesn't seem fair on those who they seek to mislead.
Rather than seeking to mislead anyone or help my betting position (keep your hair on! ), I was just posting the surely postworthy fact that the latest national poll puts Trump in the lead. RCP is exactly where I got the info from.
It's true that LATimes-USC efforts have tended to yield results showing Trump doing better than in other polls. Then again, of all the national polls listed at RCP, theirs is the only one for which at least some of the data was collected during 18-20 August. And 18 August was the day that Trump issued his so-called "apology".
I am sure people here bellowed with glee and posted links to the LATimes poll when it showed Trump sinking in the polls.
(And we still haven't had the effect of Trump visiting Louisiana while Obama visited the Clubhouse on the19th green - and Hillary sending her sorrow by twitter.)
Rather than seeking to mislead anyone or help my betting position (keep your hair on! ), I was just posting the surely postworthy fact that the latest national poll puts Trump in the lead. RCP is exactly where I got the info from.
It's true that LATimes-USC efforts have tended to yield results showing Trump doing better than in other polls. Then again, of all the national polls listed at RCP, theirs is the only one for which at least some of the data was collected during 18-20 August. And 18 August was the day that Trump issued his so-called "apology".
As an aside it's worthy of note that RCP has included this poll but not earlier polls with Clinton ahead. Nate Silver places a Clinton +4 on this tracker results.
So in other words, the PLP have made complete and utter fools of themselves as expected and now they're looking for a way to back down without losing too much face.
Brilliant!
Afternoon GIN, going to be large amount of donkeys eating humble pie soon.
Even Malc!
Certainly seems so.
GIN, just amazed at the Frothers on here, wetting their pants at us only having to spend £6M per medal to prove we are not a crap country full of poverty and foodbanks. Makes you feel good. Surely all those medallists will mean that our poor peopel will strive harder and become rich as well.
Your insistence on referring to people not bothered by such a thing as frothers is absolutely ridiculous - you seem to be the only one frothing about it, others are simply disagreeing with you malc.
More generally, when people feel good and positive and confident about their country it helps economically and socially in many ways.
kle4, People are easily pleased, it is typical of this country. It is full of merde yet people are happy that some twit ran round a track faster than someone from another country, that is their yardstick of success. The country is falling to bits around them but they won some baubles, well woo hoo all is well.
Bet he does not get JSA now though and would not hav ebeen on breadline then either , and does he even spend any time in the UK???? Would be nice if government would pay me to go live in the sun.
He was born in Mogadishu in Somalia and lived there until he was eight, that was technically living in the sun too though hardly a life of luxury
Your point is , we spend millions on immigrants as well as locals, does that make you feel good
I think the point is that your wish to live in the sun Is unlikely to be based on a desire to move to Somalia or the Ethiopian mountains...
No the point is that wasting millions on some twat to run round a track whether he is a local or an immigrant is madness, £12M to get his two medals is a national disgrace when we hav epeople starving and sleeping in doorways.
I think you're perfectly well aware that it's not really £6m per medal, and that Olympic medallists are just the tip of the iceberg of what we get from sports funding, which also includes Olympic non-medallists, professional athletes/sportspeople who don't make it to the Olympics, and people who are more interested in sport and healthier as a result. A fantastic return on investment.
Thought: if TeamGB is allowed to compete for Sports Personality of the Year - Team Division - they would walk away with it so far it might never return to earth.
We should give it to them, as a Team, as they are so clearly infused with the same marvellous ethos.
You had a good afternoon I see, much singing ginger consumed.
"singing ginger" - I love the phrase - but what does it mean??
You have imbibed some strong drink. Well known up here , we call "pop" ginger and so if you think someone has had a good bevvy you say they have been on the "singing ginger".
Not derogatory I have to add, normally endearing comment as in this case.
Just spent a *happy* afternoon with my new Corbynite squeeze (25, scientist)
She is a passionate Europhile, yet will still vote Corbyn, even though she agrees he is to blame, partly, for Brexit
She is an ardent Labour member, yet will still vote Corbyn, even though she agrees his election, once more, might split the party in a tragic fashion
Conclusion: Corbyn is bound to win. His fans have not deserted him.
Passionate *and* ardent?
Just how happy was your afternoon?
On second thoughts don't answer that...
No. He should and I have a feeing he will.
The Olympics: Great advertisement for socialist projects. Spend £4bn over 20 years and it works ! Boost in national "feel-good" factor cannot be estimated.
Sadly, poorer people paid most of the "taxes".
Gordon Brown upped the spending massively before Beijing and further when London was selected.
I have a lot of sympathy for, for example AIS women (and yes, I know there are varying degrees of androgen receptor sensitivity). But to find out at puberty, that your lack of periods is because you lack ovaries and a uterus, when you have been brought up female and regard yourself as female, must be a crushing blow. Then to have the IOC interfere too ...
It used to be called testicular feminisation, a cruel name now thankfully in the past, but intersex isn't a lot better and even 'hyperandrogenic' or whatever Latin phrase you care to use is a problem too.
On alternative is to make the Olympics open with no distinction for sex. Forget drug testing too as we're always playing catch-up.
It means women with normal female testosterone levels would probably never win an athletics medal and would have little chance with many other sports (unless the horsey competitions could be extended). Possibly the diving and gymnastics where style rather than brute strength is important? But I believe that spatial awareness and reflexes are also helped by androgens.
I know that would be a great pity and a sad loss. Female participation is sport is to be encouraged. but the IOC is in a hole and there's no obvious spade.
Otherwise bite the bullet. Go for XX chromosomal patterns for the female events. Unfair on some, but the dividing line is clear. Vicious but fair as the Python version of the Krays said.
So in other words, the PLP have made complete and utter fools of themselves as expected and now they're looking for a way to back down without losing too much face.
Brilliant!
Afternoon GIN, going to be large amount of donkeys eating humble pie soon.
Even Malc!
Certainly seems so.
GIN, just amazed at the Frothers on here, wetting their pants at us only having to spend £6M per medal to prove we are not a crap country full of poverty and foodbanks. Makes you feel good. Surely all those medallists will mean that our poor peopel will strive harder and become rich as well.
Your insistence on referring to people not bothered by such a thing as frothers is absolutely ridiculous - you seem to be the only one frothing about it, others are simply disagreeing with you malc.
More generally, when people feel good and positive and confident about their country it helps economically and socially in many ways.
kle4, People are easily pleased, it is typical of this country. It is full of merde yet people are happy that some twit ran round a track faster than someone from another country, that is their yardstick of success. The country is falling to bits around them but they won some baubles, well woo hoo all is well.
More bollox, what exactly has he contributed. He does not live here , he runs under the flag and gets well paid for it. I await your list of his contributions.
Is it necessary to wear a hair shirt, reside atop the Grampians and live on the minimum wage to merit a measure of sporting approbation?
TeamGB mathematically guaranteed to finish 2nd in the medal table.
This is an interesting stat
@GerryHassan: #TeamGB's tally of 66 medals cost £5,378,787.88 each in public funding. Value for money or not? Big question. #Rio2016
The responses seem to be split along traditional left/right lines, or perhaps benefit recipient, nett taxpayer lines
There are lots of "should spend the money on foodbanks", but the alternative is "would you rather your tax dollars were spent on Laura Trott or White Dee?"
Note also some dispute about the phrase "public spending"
Lottery spending is not public spending as such
If the government spends the money it's public spending.
The money comes from voluntary gambling, it is not a tax
bollox, it was meant for charity and has been stolen by the Tories to fund their pet projects
It was never meant exclusively for charity. The Heritage Lottery Fund, for example, has existed from the beginning.
Pedant , OK , charity and good causes
It was not meant to buy baubles for some poncy Tory athletes
Poncy Tory athletes like Andy Murray, Mo Farrah and Adam Peaty?
YES, I don't know Paety but the other two are squillionaires and need no more wonga flung at them. One of them does not even live in the UK
Mo Farrah certainly was not a squillionaire when he started running profesionally which was several years after the lottery was started
Bet he does
He was born in M
Your point is , we spend m
I think the point is that your wish .
No the point is that wasting millions on some twat to run round a track whether he is a local or an immigrant is madness, £12M to get his two medals is a national disgrace when we hav epeople starving and sleeping in doorways.
It can get weird. Nigella Lawson went from John Diamond to Charles Saatchi, Charles Saatchi went from Nigella Lawson to Trinny Woodall. My favorite in WTF is Wendi Deng: went from Rupert Murdoch to Vladimir Putin, allegedly via you-know-who...
I heard yesterday that fiery Guardian columnist Marina Hyde had a passionate several-year-affair with... Piers Morgan.
Bet he does not get JSA now though and would not hav ebeen on breadline then either , and does he even spend any time in the UK???? Would be nice if government would pay me to go live in the sun.
He was born in Mogadishu in Somalia and lived there until he was eight, that was technically living in the sun too though hardly a life of luxury
Your point is , we spend millions on immigrants as well as locals, does that make you feel good
I think the point is that your wish to live in the sun Is unlikely to be based on a desire to move to Somalia or the Ethiopian mountains...
No the point is that wasting millions on some twat to run round a track whether he is a local or an immigrant is madness, £12M to get his two medals is a national disgrace when we hav epeople starving and sleeping in doorways.
I think you're perfectly well aware that it's not really £6m per medal, and that Olympic medallists are just the tip of the iceberg of what we get from sports funding, which also includes Olympic non-medallists, professional athletes/sportspeople who don't make it to the Olympics, and people who are more interested in sport and healthier as a result. A fantastic return on investment.
If it was spent sensibly on grassroots sport rather than on a small elite group just to win medals. It is money wasted. Have you ever looked at the breakdown of the medals and see how popular the sports are ? It is jingoism at its worst.
TeamGB mathematically guaranteed to finish 2nd in the medal table.
This is an interesting stat
@GerryHassan: #TeamGB's tally of 66 medals cost £5,378,787.88 each in public funding. Value for money or not? Big question. #Rio2016
The responses seem to be split along traditional left/right lines, or perhaps benefit recipient, nett taxpayer lines
There are lots of "should spend the money on foodbanks", but the alternative is "would you rather your tax dollars were spent on Laura Trott or White Dee?"
Note also some dispute about the phrase "public spending"
Lottery spending is not public spending as such
If the government spends the money it's public spending.
The money comes from voluntary gambling, it is not a tax
bollox, it was meant for charity and has been stolen by the Tories to fund their pet projects
It was never meant exclusively for charity. The Heritage Lottery Fund, for example, has existed from the beginning.
Pedant , OK , charity and good causes
It was not meant to buy baubles for some poncy Tory athletes
Poncy Tory athletes like Andy Murray, Mo Farrah and Adam Peaty?
YES, I don't know Paety but the other two are squillionaires and need no more wonga flung at them. One of them does not even live in the UK
Mo Farrah certainly was not a squillionaire when he started running profesionally which was several years after the lottery was started
Bet he does not get JSA now though and would not hav ebeen on breadline then either , and does he even spend any time in the UK???? Would be nice if government would pay me to go live in the sun.
He was born in Mogadishu in Somalia and lived there until he was eight, that was technically living in the sun too though hardly a life of luxury
Your point is , we spend millions on immigrants as well as locals, does that make you feel good
If they contribute a great deal to the country yes, as Mo clearly does
More bollox, what exactly has he contributed. He does not live here , he runs under the flag and gets well paid for it. I await your list of his contributions.
More bollox, what exactly has he contributed. He does not live here , he runs under the flag and gets well paid for it. I await your list of his contributions.
Is it necessary to wear a hair shirt, reside atop the Grampians and live on the minimum wage to merit a measure of sporting approbation?
No , but it also does not need millions that could be better spent elsewhere.
TeamGB mathematically guaranteed to finish 2nd in the medal table.
This is an interesting stat
@GerryHassan: #TeamGB's tally of 66 medals cost £5,378,787.88 each in public funding. Value for money or not? Big question. #Rio2016
The responses seem to be split along traditional left/right lines, or perhaps benefit recipient, nett taxpayer lines
There are lots of "should spend the money on foodbanks", but the alternative is "would you rather your tax dollars were spent on Laura Trott or White Dee?"
Note also some dispute about the phrase "public spending"
Lottery spending is not public spending as such
If the government spends the money it's public spending.
The money comes from voluntary gambling, it is not a tax
bollox, it was meant for charity and has been stolen by the Tories to fund their pet projects
It was never meant exclusively for charity. The Heritage Lottery Fund, for example, has existed from the beginning.
Pedant , OK , charity and good causes
It was not meant to buy baubles for some poncy Tory athletes
Poncy Tory athletes like Andy Murray, Mo Farrah and Adam Peaty?
YES, I don't know Paety but the other t
Mo Farrah certainly was not a squillion
Bet he does not get JSA now though and would not hav ebeen on breadline then either , and does he even spend any time in the UK???? Would be nice if government would pay me to go live in the sun.
He was born in Mogadishu in Somalia and lived there until he was eight, that was technically living in the sun too though hardly a life of luxury
Your point is , we spend millions on immigrants as well as locals, does that make you feel good
If they contribute a great deal to the country yes, as Mo clearly does
More bollox, what exactly has he contributed. He does not live here , he runs under the flag and gets well paid for it. I await your list of his contributions.
If 2 Olympics gold medals does not count as contributing to your country I don't know what is? He also set up a foundation in 2011
Thought: if TeamGB is allowed to compete for Sports Personality of the Year - Team Division - they would walk away with it so far it might never return to earth.
We should give it to them, as a Team, as they are so clearly infused with the same marvellous ethos.
You had a good afternoon I see, much singing ginger consumed.
"singing ginger" - I love the phrase - but what does it mean??
You have imbibed some strong drink. Well known up here , we call "pop" ginger and so if you think someone has had a good bevvy you say they have been on the "singing ginger".
Not derogatory I have to add, normally endearing comment as in this case.
Brilliant phrase! Shall use.
Yes I've been drinking champagne all afternoon. It goes well with *the commerce of limbs*. Pol Roger is better than Pommery, however.
More bollox, what exactly has he contributed. He does not live here , he runs under the flag and gets well paid for it. I await your list of his contributions.
Is it necessary to wear a hair shirt, reside atop the Grampians and live on the minimum wage to merit a measure of sporting approbation?
No , but it also does not need millions that could be better spent elsewhere.
He did not have millions when he began his career and given his success he is as entitled to funding as any other successful Olympic athlete
So in other words, the PLP have made complete and utter fools of themselves as expected and now they're looking for a way to back down without losing too much face.
Brilliant!
Afternoon GIN, going to be large amount of donkeys eating humble pie soon.
Even Malc!
Certainly seems so.
GIN, just amazed at the Frothers on here, wetting their pants at us only having to spend £6M per medal to prove we are not a crap country full of poverty and foodbanks. Makes you feel good. Surely all those medallists will mean that our poor peopel will strive harder and become rich as well.
Your insistence on referring to people not bothered by such a thing as frothers is absolutely ridiculous - you seem to be the only one frothing about it, others are simply disagreeing with you malc.
More generally, when people feel good and positive and confident about their country it helps economically and socially in many ways.
kle4, People are easily pleased, it is typical of this country. It is full of merde yet people are happy that some twit ran round a track faster than someone from another country, that is their yardstick of success. The country is falling to bits around them but they won some baubles, well woo hoo all is well.
I would imagine those Roman spectacles cost a bit, as well. Lions weren't easy to come by in Italy and I doubt they were awash with Christians in the early days, either.
Rather than seeking to mislead anyone or help my betting position (keep your hair on! ), I was just posting the surely postworthy fact that the latest national poll puts Trump in the lead. RCP is exactly where I got the info from.
It's true that LATimes-USC efforts have tended to yield results showing Trump doing better than in other polls. Then again, of all the national polls listed at RCP, theirs is the only one for which at least some of the data was collected during 18-20 August. And 18 August was the day that Trump issued his so-called "apology".
As an aside it's worthy of note that RCP has included this poll but not earlier polls with Clinton ahead. Nate Silver places a Clinton +4 on this tracker results.
They included the one July 30th - August 5th - which had Clinton ahead.
TeamGB mathematically guaranteed to finish 2nd in the medal table.
The responses seem to be split along traditional left/right lines, or perhaps benefit recipient, nett taxpayer lines
There are lots of "should spend the money on foodbanks", but the alternative is "would you rather your tax dollars were spent on Laura Trott or White Dee?"
Note also some dispute about the phrase "public spending"
Lottery spending is not public spending as such
If the government spends the money it's public spending.
The money comes from voluntary gambling, it is not a tax
bollox, it was meant for charity and has been stolen by the Tories to fund their pet projects
It was never meant exclusively for charity. The Heritage Lottery Fund, for example, has existed from the beginning.
Pedant , OK , charity and good causes
It was not meant to buy baubles for some poncy Tory athletes
Poncy Tory athletes like Andy Murray, Mo Farrah and Adam Peaty?
YES, I don't know Paety but the other t
Mo Farrah certainly was not a squillion
Bet he does not get JSA now though and would not hav ebeen on breadline then either , and does he even spend any time in the UK???? Would be nice if government would pay me to go live in the sun.
He was born in Mogadishu in Somalia and lived there until he was eight, that was technically living in the sun too though hardly a life of luxury
Your point is , we spend millions on immigrants as well as locals, does that make you feel good
If they contribute a great deal to the country yes, as Mo clearly does
More bollox, what exactly has he contributed. He does not live here , he runs under the flag and gets well paid for it. I await your list of his contributions.
If 2 Olympics gold medals does not count as contributing to your country I don't know what is? He also set up a foundation in 2011
But to Scottish nationalists, there is no British country. They certainly hate anything that celebrates British identity, and 67 medals surrounded by Union flags and singing God Save the Queen is undoubtedly their worst nightmare!
So in other words, the PLP have made complete and utter fools of themselves as expected and now they're looking for a way to back down without losing too much face.
Brilliant!
Afternoon GIN, going to be large amount of donkeys eating humble pie soon.
Even Malc!
Certainly seems so.
GIN, just amazed at the Frothers on here, wetting their pants at us only having to spend £6M per medal to prove we are not a crap country full of poverty and foodbanks. Makes you feel good. Surely all those medallists will mean that our poor peopel will strive harder and become rich as well.
Your insistence on referring to people not bothered by such a thing as frothers is absolutely ridiculous - you seem to be the only one frothing about it, others are simply disagreeing with you malc.
More generally, when people feel good and positive and confident about their country it helps economically and socially in many ways.
kle4, People are easily pleased, it is typical of this country. It is full of merde yet people are happy that some twit ran round a track faster than someone from another country, that is their yardstick of success. The country is falling to bits around them but they won some baubles, well woo hoo all is well.
I hate to break it to you, but people have found enjoyment and national pride in sporting contests and other trivial entertainments for thousands of years, including when things were a lot worse than they are now. You seem to be saying that 'The country is in a bad state, how stupid are people for enjoying things', well that is not typical of this country, it is typical of all countries, its human nature to find small things to enjoy even if there are other problems.
Well, for most people at least.
Edit - To be clear, not enjoying the games, or not thinking the price is worth paying I have no real issue with, that's a personal choice. But to pretend there is something unique to 'this country' as you put it in finding enjoyment even though things are terrible, in your view, is without foundation.
So in other words, the PLP have made complete and utter fools of themselves as expected and now they're looking for a way to back down without losing too much face.
Brilliant!
Afternoon GIN, going to be large amount of donkeys eating humble pie soon.
Even Malc!
Certainly seems so.
GIN, just amazed at the Frothers on here, wetting their pants at us only having to spend £6M per medal to prove we are not a crap country full of poverty and foodbanks. Makes you feel good. Surely all those medallists will mean that our poor peopel will strive harder and become rich as well.
Your insistence on referring to people not bothered by such a thing as frothers is absolutely ridiculous - you seem to be the only one frothing about it, others are simply disagreeing with you malc.
More generally, when people feel good and positive and confident about their country it helps economically and socially in many ways.
kle4, People are easily pleased, it is typical of this country. It is full of merde yet people are happy that some twit ran round a track faster than someone from another country, that is their yardstick of success. The country is falling to bits around them but they won some baubles, well woo hoo all is well.
Genuine question, Malcolm: if Scotland were competing as a nation and they'd got 2nd in the medal table, and it was revealed that Scotland had invested heavily and cleverly in elite sport to secure this result, would you be as grumpy, and resentful?
Hmmm , tricky question , probably not. I do think though that it is a bit bogus to be so specialised and given the issues in UK that the money could be better spent. It is a very false measure to think that because we got these medals all is well in the UK, far from it. I just think the priorities in this country are so f**ked up it is not real and the fact that the lumpen proles think it is great amazes me even more.
More bollox, what exactly has he contributed. He does not live here , he runs under the flag and gets well paid for it. I await your list of his contributions.
Is it necessary to wear a hair shirt, reside atop the Grampians and live on the minimum wage to merit a measure of sporting approbation?
No , but it also does not need millions that could be better spent elsewhere.
Perhaps so. However the nation might spend all its treasure on the NHS and other worthy social causes and still not sate the hunger of the beasts.
TeamGB mathematically guaranteed to finish 2nd in the medal table.
The responses seem to be split along traditional left/right lines, or perhaps benefit recipient, nett taxpayer lines
There are lots of "should spend the money on foodbanks", but the alternative is "would you rather your tax dollars were spent on Laura Trott or White Dee?"
Note also some dispute about the phrase "public spending"
Lottery spending is not public spending as such
If the government spends the money it's public spending.
The money comes from voluntary gambling, it is not a tax
bollox, it was meant for charity and has been stolen by the Tories to fund their pet projects
It was never meant exclusively for charity. The Heritage Lottery Fund, for example, has existed from the beginning.
Pedant , OK , charity and good causes
It was not meant to buy baubles for some poncy Tory athletes
Poncy Tory athletes like Andy Murray, Mo Farrah and Adam Peaty?
YES, I don't know Paety but the other t
Mo Farrah certainly was not a squillion
Bet he does n
He was born in Mogadishu in Somalia and lived there until he was eight, that was technically living in the sun too though hardly a life of luxury
Your point is , we spend millions on immigrants as well as locals, does that make you feel good
If they contribute a great deal to the country yes, as Mo clearly does
More bollox, what exactly has he contributed.
If 2 Olympics gold medals does not count as contributing to your country I don't know what is? He also set up a foundation in 2011
But to Scottish nationalists, there is no British country. They certainly hate anything that celebrates British identity, and 67 medals surrounded by Union flags and singing God Save the Queen is undoubtedly their worst nightmare!
Indeed, I suspect if Mo Farrah's parents had emigrated to Scotland and he had been raised on a council estate in Glasgow and had backed Yes in the referendum MalcG may be celebrating his victories rather more than he is now
It can get weird. Nigella Lawson went from John Diamond to Charles Saatchi, Charles Saatchi went from Nigella Lawson to Trinny Woodall. My favorite in WTF is Wendi Deng: went from Rupert Murdoch to Vladimir Putin, allegedly via you-know-who...
I heard yesterday that fiery Guardian columnist Marina Hyde had a passionate several-year-affair with... Piers Morgan.
My wife and Piers were on the same flight back from L.A. this week. He is disturbingly pro Trump.
TeamGB mathematically guaranteed to finish 2nd in the medal table.
This is an interesting stat
@GerryHassan: #TeamGB's tally of 66 medals cost £5,378,787.88 each in public funding. Value for money or not? Big question. #Rio2016
The responses seem to be split along traditional left/right lines, or perhaps benefit recipient, nett taxpayer lines
There are lots of "should spend the money on foodbanks", but the alternative is "would you rather your tax dollars were spent on Laura Trott or White Dee?"
Note also some dispute about the phrase "public spending"
Lottery spending is not public spending as such
If the government spends the money it's public spending.
The money comes from voluntary gambling, it is not a tax
Pedant , OK , charity and good causes
It was not meant to buy baubles for some poncy Tory athletes
Poncy Tory athletes like Andy Murray, Mo Farrah and Adam Peaty?
Mo Farrah certainly was not a squillionaire when he started running profesionally which was several years after the lottery was started
Bet he does not get JSA now though and would not hav ebeen on breadline then either , and does he even spend any time in the UK???? Would be nice if government would pay me to go live in the sun.
He was born in Mogadishu in Somalia and lived there until he was eight, that was technically living in the sun too though hardly a life of luxury
Your point is , we spend millions on immigrants as well as locals, does that make you feel good
If they contribute a great deal to the country yes, as Mo clearly does
More bollox, what exactly has he contributed. He does not live here , he runs under the flag and gets well paid for it. I await your list of his contributions.
The same could be said for many of them.
absolutely , just happens HYFUD was talking about him, nothing personal re him.
TeamGB mathematically guaranteed to finish 2nd in the medal table.
Lottery spending is not public spending as such
If the government spends the money it's public spending.
The money comes from voluntary gambling, it is not a tax
bollox, it was meant for charity and has been stolen by the Tories to fund their pet projects
It was never meant exclusively for charity. The Heritage Lottery Fund, for example, has existed from the beginning.
Pedant , OK , charity and good causes
It was not meant to buy baubles for some poncy Tory athletes
Poncy Tory athletes like Andy Murray, Mo Farrah and Adam Peaty?
YES, I don't know Paety but the other t
Mo Farrah certainly was not a squillion
Bet he does not get JSA now though and would not hav ebeen on breadline then either , and does he even spend any time in the UK???? Would be nice if government would pay me to go live in the sun.
He was born in Mogadishu in Somalia and lived there until he was eight, that was technically living in the sun too though hardly a life of luxury
Your point is , we spend millions on immigrants as well as locals, does that make you feel good
If they contribute a great deal to the country yes, as Mo clearly does
More bollox, what exactly has he contributed. He does not live here , he runs under the flag and gets well paid for it. I await your list of his contributions.
If 2 Olympics gold medals does not count as contributing to your country I don't know what is? He also set up a foundation in 2011
But to Scottish nationalists, there is no British country. They certainly hate anything that celebrates British identity, and 67 medals surrounded by Union flags and singing God Save the Queen is undoubtedly their worst nightmare!
For sure, Scotland would have been well up the table on its own and it is a crying shame they are not their in their own right.
So in other words, the PLP have made complete and utter fools of themselves as expected and now they're looking for a way to back down without losing too much face.
Brilliant!
Afternoon GIN, going to be large amount of donkeys eating humble pie soon.
Even Malc!
Certainly seems so.
GIN, just amazed at the Frothers on here, wetting their pants at us only having to spend £6M per medal to prove we are not a crap country full of poverty and foodbanks. Makes you feel good. Surely all those medallists will mean that our poor peopel will strive harder and become rich as well.
I think our Olympic success is wonderful Malc.
Not sure what it means for the country in terms of foodbanks and poverty (probably nothing) but it's nice that for a couple of weeks we've actually done well at something!
More bollox, what exactly has he contributed. He does not live here , he runs under the flag and gets well paid for it. I await your list of his contributions.
Is it necessary to wear a hair shirt, reside atop the Grampians and live on the minimum wage to merit a measure of sporting approbation?
No , but it also does not need millions that could be better spent elsewhere.
Perhaps so. However the nation might spend all its treasure on the NHS and other worthy social causes and still not sate the hunger of the beasts.
For sure, plenty money squandered elsewhere for sure. Just today we found out a private prison , funded by Labour on PFI , based on an £80 million build will cost us £1 billion on PFI costs. Brown and his chums should be in jail.
So in other words, the PLP have made complete and utter fools of themselves as expected and now they're looking for a way to back down without losing too much face.
Brilliant!
Afternoon GIN, going to be large amount of donkeys eating humble pie soon.
Even Malc!
Certainly seems so.
GIN, just amazed at the Frothers on here, wetting their pants at us only having to spend £6M per medal to prove we are not a crap country full of poverty and foodbanks. Makes you feel good. Surely all those medallists will mean that our poor peopel will strive harder and become rich as well.
I think our Olympic success is wonderful Malc.
Not sure what it means for the country in terms of foodbanks and poverty (probably nothing) but it's nice that for a couple of weeks we've actually done well at something!
Well done to all concerned.
GIN, I have little interest nowadays, they are either pampered millionaires or cheats , the everyday harworking ones win zilch. It is a debased charade.
It can get weird. Nigella Lawson went from John Diamond to Charles Saatchi, Charles Saatchi went from Nigella Lawson to Trinny Woodall. My favorite in WTF is Wendi Deng: went from Rupert Murdoch to Vladimir Putin, allegedly via you-know-who...
I heard yesterday that fiery Guardian columnist Marina Hyde had a passionate several-year-affair with... Piers Morgan.
My wife and Piers were on the same flight back from L.A. this week. He is disturbingly pro Trump.
Putting in an outside bid to be his White House Press Secretary?
It can get weird. Nigella Lawson went from John Diamond to Charles Saatchi, Charles Saatchi went from Nigella Lawson to Trinny Woodall. My favorite in WTF is Wendi Deng: went from Rupert Murdoch to Vladimir Putin, allegedly via you-know-who...
I heard yesterday that fiery Guardian columnist Marina Hyde had a passionate several-year-affair with... Piers Morgan.
"Hyde began her career in journalism as a temporary secretary on the showbiz desk at The Sun newspaper. She was later sacked by Sun editor David Yelland after it emerged she had been exchanging emails with Piers Morgan, editor of rival newspaper the Daily Mirror" wikipedia
I'm a Brexiteer, but Liam Fox is a twat, and a bit creepy.
Creepy indeed. He was at an event during the last General Election, and for some unfathomable reason - given we have never met and were on different tables - spent lunch giving me the Death Stare.
@Viewcode Herself emerged from her bath (one hour and thirty-two minutes, nearly but not quite a record) and when I took her an early evening cup of tea I explained that we had chosen each other by stochastic processing. I am afraid she laughed, laughed hard and finally said, "What rubbish".
To follow up on Dr. Sox's point about the failure rate of modern partnerships, whether chosen by stochastic processing or otherwise. I rather think that factors other than the method used to find the partner may have more to do with the failure rate. Occupation being a major one.
The last time I looked at this I think I one marriage in three ended in divorce. However amongst some occupations and professions the rate was much higher. Of the blokes I served closely with and who are still alive and in contact (probably about 15 in all) I think there are only two of us who are still with their first wives.
So in other words, the PLP have made complete and utter fools of themselves as expected and now they're looking for a way to back down without losing too much face.
Brilliant!
Afternoon GIN, going to be large amount of donkeys eating humble pie soon.
Even Malc!
Certainly seems so.
GIN, just amazed at the Frothers on here, wetting their pants at us only having to spend £6M per medal to prove we are not a crap country full of poverty and foodbanks. Makes you feel good. Surely all those medallists will mean that our poor peopel will strive harder and become rich as well.
I think our Olympic success is wonderful Malc.
Not sure what it means for the country in terms of foodbanks and poverty (probably nothing) but it's nice that for a couple of weeks we've actually done well at something!
Well done to all concerned.
GIN, I have little interest nowadays, they are either pampered millionaires or cheats , the everyday harworking ones win zilch. It is a debased charade.
Surely you got a warm glow in your heart when the hockey girls won GOLD and sang the national anthem the other night?
For sure, Scotland would have been well up the table on its own and it is a crying shame they are not their in their own right.
Didn't you say that caring about some twat from your country running around a track faster than people from other countries was jingoistic bollox, or something to that effect? Or would post-secession Scotland be an exception to that?
SeanT, while you're around, and pertaining to our conversation a week ago, I have now returned from Cornwall, and, well, I can see why you feel the way you do about the place. In parts, it is absolutely perfect. Polzeath in particular was a moment of genuine heaven. I felt a pang of genuine sadness passing the 'welcome to Devon' sign on the way home yesterday morning. And it WAS an adventure getting there - a slog, certainly, leaving at 5am from Manchester and not getting there until 3, but a family experience nonetheless. And a slightly quicker journey than my mother-in-law's, whose plane from Manchester to Newquay was delayed by 6 hours and who ended up being delivered by a Portuguese taxi driver shortly after midnight.*
An observation: almost all the accents I heard - tourists and business owners/employees alike - were south-eastern. Which is different from the honeypot with which I am most familiar - the Lake District - where the accents may not be Cumbrian but are predominantly northwestern, or occasionally north eastern. I don't know whether this has an impact on relationships between locals and outsiders.
*It was a special sort of dark, that first Cornish midnight. The farm on which we were staying was at the bottom of a deep, wooded valley - that sort of dark, in that sort of valley is something you only get in the far south west: north of Wiltshire, glaciation turned the v-shaped valleys u-shaped, and east of Devon you don't really get the scale of hills. Standing with a torch to attract the attention of the taxi and to guide my mother-in-law back to the lodge was one of the odder experiences of August.
It can get weird. Nigella Lawson went from John Diamond to Charles Saatchi, Charles Saatchi went from Nigella Lawson to Trinny Woodall. My favorite in WTF is Wendi Deng: went from Rupert Murdoch to Vladimir Putin, allegedly via you-know-who...
I heard yesterday that fiery Guardian columnist Marina Hyde had a passionate several-year-affair with... Piers Morgan.
"Hyde began her career in journalism as a temporary secretary on the showbiz desk at The Sun newspaper. She was later sacked by Sun editor David Yelland after it emerged she had been exchanging emails with Piers Morgan, editor of rival newspaper the Daily Mirror" wikipedia
Quite amusing given her holier than thou attitude.
Silver for Joyce Oh well....... well done that man
Where was the shocking judges' decision when we needed one!
In that first round to be honest. To me Joyce just edged it on the first and certainly took the third but still.
Meanwhile the 4 x 400 relay........ Are we any wiser?
I think the Frenchman's boxing was just that bit cleverer and sharper. It was close, hence the split decision, but he edged it.
Certainly not a *fix* anyway
But who cares. WE ARE SECOND. IN THE MEDAL TABLE.
I very much doubt I will live to see this again. Indeed I am sure I won't. So let's celebrate what we have, here and now. It's marvellous.
We'll see in Tokyo, but the talent conveyer is supposedly still very strong on the track and for Gymnastics. We also have depth in the rowing squad with a lot of young talent being developed. In four years time the new focus on marginal gains in the pool may have begun to yield results too, we saw the start of it in action this year with the two relay medals and generally stronger team, next time we could really take the fight to the Americans. Especially now that swimming will get a funding boost for their over achievement.
2020 could be another vintage year for us, and the longer that rival teams spend on bitching about the unfairness and casting aspersions over doping or other bullshit allegations, the less time they are spending catching up.
I think the biggest worry is that Japan realise that technology and science can win them golds in cycling, they may have the capability to get a track team together which can challenge our domination in 2020. How long will it be before Japan get Nissan and Honda's Motorsport teams involved in cycle design and recruit Australian coaches and nutritionists on big wages? If I were in charge of Japan's Olympic performance in 2020 I'd be looking to make those basic moves.
Bet he does not get JSA now though and would not hav ebeen on breadline then either , and does he even spend any time in the UK???? Would be nice if government would pay me to go live in the sun.
He was born in Mogadishu in Somalia and lived there until he was eight, that was technically living in the sun too though hardly a life of luxury
Your point is , we spend millions on immigrants as well as locals, does that make you feel good
I think the point is that your wish to live in the sun Is unlikely to be based on a desire to move to Somalia or the Ethiopian mountains...
No the point is that wasting millions on some twat to run round a track whether he is a local or an immigrant is madness, £12M to get his two medals is a national disgrace when we hav epeople starving and sleeping in doorways.
I think you're perfectly well aware that it's not really £6m per medal, and that Olympic medallists are just the tip of the iceberg of what we get from sports funding, which also includes Olympic non-medallists, professional athletes/sportspeople who don't make it to the Olympics, and people who are more interested in sport and healthier as a result. A fantastic return on investment.
Sports Council allocated £273m to the summer Olympics events over 4 years which is £68m a year. We won 67 medals so that is £4.1m per medal or £1m per medal per year. (financial figures from UK Sports Council website pages).
So in other words, the PLP have made complete and utter fools of themselves as expected and now they're looking for a way to back down without losing too much face.
Brilliant!
Afternoon GIN, going to be large amount of donkeys eating humble pie soon.
Even Malc!
Certainly seems so.
GIN, just amazed at the Frothers on here, wetting their pants at us only having to spend £6M per medal to prove we are not a crap country full of poverty and foodbanks. Makes you feel good. Surely all those medallists will mean that our poor peopel will strive harder and become rich as well.
Your insistence on referring to people not bothered by such a thing as frothers is absolutely ridiculous - you seem to be the only one frothing about it, others are simply disagreeing with you malc.
More generally, when people feel good and positive and confident about their country it helps economically and socially in many ways.
kle4, People are easily pleased, it is typical of this country. It is full of merde yet people are happy that some twit ran round a track faster than someone from another country, that is their yardstick of success. The country is falling to bits around them but they won some baubles, well woo hoo all is well.
Genuine question, Malcolm: if Scotland were competing as a nation and they'd got 2nd in the medal table, and it was revealed that Scotland had invested heavily and cleverly in elite sport to secure this result, would you be as grumpy, and resentful?
I also think that the 2020 golf tournament is going to be massive. Japan is golf crazy and you could see this year just how much the players who went to Rio wanted to win. I think the PGA might schedule a break for that week.
So in other words, the PLP have made complete and utter fools of themselves as expected and now they're looking for a way to back down without losing too much face.
Brilliant!
Afternoon GIN, going to be large amount of donkeys eating humble pie soon.
Even Malc!
Certainly seems so.
GIN, just amazed at the Frothers on here, wetting their pants at us only having to spend £6M per medal to prove we are not a crap country full of poverty and foodbanks. Makes you feel good. Surely all those medallists will mean that our poor peopel will strive harder and become rich as well.
Your insistence on referring to people not bothered by such a thing as frothers is absolutely ridiculous - you seem to be the only one frothing about it, others are simply disagreeing with you malc.
More generally, when people feel good and positive and confident about their country it helps economically and socially in many ways.
kle4, People are easily pleased, it is typical of this country. It is full of merde yet people are happy that some twit ran round a track faster than someone from another country, that is their yardstick of success. The country is falling to bits around them but they won some baubles, well woo hoo all is well.
I would imagine those Roman spectacles cost a bit, as well. Lions weren't easy to come by in Italy and I doubt they were awash with Christians in the early days, either.
And the cost of the gladiators! First the base cost of acquiring the slave, then all the training, plus board and lodging - all that muscle needs protein to build and maintain and meat wasn't cheap. Then some pillock, to please a crowd, points his thumb the wrong way and all that money was wasted. Well, someone had to pay for it all and if not the sponsor of the games who?
Silver for Joyce Oh well....... well done that man
Where was the shocking judges' decision when we needed one!
In that first round to be honest. To me Joyce just edged it on the first and certainly took the third but still.
Meanwhile the 4 x 400 relay........ Are we any wiser?
I think the Frenchman's boxing was just that bit cleverer and sharper. It was close, hence the split decision, but he edged it.
Certainly not a *fix* anyway
But who cares. WE ARE SECOND. IN THE MEDAL TABLE.
I very much doubt I will live to see this again. Indeed I am sure I won't. So let's celebrate what we have, here and now. It's marvellous.
We'll see in Tokyo, but the talent conveyer is supposedly still very strong on the track and for Gymnastics. We also have depth in the rowing squad with a lot of young talent being developed. In four years time the new focus on marginal gains in the pool may have begun to yield results too, we saw the start of it in action this year with the two relay medals and generally stronger team, next time we could really take the fight to the Americans. Especially now that swimming will get a funding boost for their over achievement.
2020 could be another vintage year for us, and the longer that rival teams spend on bitching about the unfairness and casting aspersions over doping or other bullshit allegations, the less time they are spending catching up.
I think the biggest worry is that Japan realise that technology and science can win them golds in cycling, they may have the capability to get a track team together which can challenge our domination in 2020. How long will it be before Japan get Nissan and Honda's Motorsport teams involved in cycle design and recruit Australian coaches and nutritionists on big wages? If I were in charge of Japan's Olympic performance in 2020 I'd be looking to make those basic moves.
Well, the Japanese state is so far into unrecoverable debt that they may as well print more money and go for it
Silver for Joyce Oh well....... well done that man
Where was the shocking judges' decision when we needed one!
In that first round to be honest. To me Joyce just edged it on the first and certainly took the third but still.
Meanwhile the 4 x 400 relay........ Are we any wiser?
I think the Frenchman's boxing was just that bit cleverer and sharper. It was close, hence the split decision, but he edged it.
Certainly not a *fix* anyway
But who cares. WE ARE SECOND. IN THE MEDAL TABLE.
I very much doubt I will live to see this again. Indeed I am sure I won't. So let's celebrate what we have, here and now. It's marvellous.
We'll see in Tokyo, but the talent conveyer is supposedly still very strong on the track and for Gymnastics. We also have depth in the rowing squad with a lot of young talent being developed. In four years time the new focus on marginal gains in the pool may have begun to yield results too, we saw the start of it in action this year with the two relay medals and generally stronger team, next time we could really take the fight to the Americans. Especially now that swimming will get a funding boost for their over achievement.
2020 could be another vintage year for us, and the longer that rival teams spend on bitching about the unfairness and casting aspersions over doping or other bullshit allegations, the less time they are spending catching up.
I think the biggest worry is that Japan realise that technology and science can win them golds in cycling, they may have the capability to get a track team together which can challenge our domination in 2020. How long will it be before Japan get Nissan and Honda's Motorsport teams involved in cycle design and recruit Australian coaches and nutritionists on big wages? If I were in charge of Japan's Olympic performance in 2020 I'd be looking to make those basic moves.
We saw Japan doing very well in the sprint relay....it seemed to me they had to smoothest / best drilled change overs. Somebody had been doing some thinking, compared to the big boys who rely on the speed over the ground to make up for some dodgy handling.
So thats it...end of the OmniShambles Games 2016....anybody fancy trip to Rio?
Still the closing ceremony to look forward to later tonight, not that I will be staying up beyond the first half hour
How many athletes are still there? I seems like most of the Team GB stars are already back in the UK (or back on the pro circuit in the case of the likes of tennis).
@Viewcode Herself emerged from her bath (one hour and thirty-two minutes, nearly but not quite a record) and when I took her an early evening cup of tea I explained that we had chosen each other by stochastic processing. I am afraid she laughed, laughed hard and finally said, "What rubbish".
(Stochastic programming, not processing: my bad)
It may sound like pretentious bollocks but it is actually true. People have short lifespans and little information concerning ideal mates. You start off at your starting point and move from one person to another in a probablistic fashion. The maths of this are known and the heuristic used to reach a good-enough solution is also known, and is as I described
This cropped up the other day in conversation, weirdly enough, during a viewing of "Cracked". It used to be that lonely-hearts-clubs ran by allowing people to select criteria and then be matched according to those criteria: a deterministic approach that always failed because people became too specific. Once people worked out that very rapidly cycling through a selection of randomly-generated candidates based on the two most important selection criteria (looks and location) worked more like people do IRL, then apps like Grindr and Tinder started to appear and that worked much better.
So thats it...end of the OmniShambles Games 2016....anybody fancy trip to Rio?
Still the closing ceremony to look forward to later tonight, not that I will be staying up beyond the first half hour
How many athletes are still there? I seems like most of the Team GB stars are already back in the UK (or back on the pro circuit in the case of the likes of tennis).
Adam Peaty is there as they have just interviewed him on BBC1, I still hope the Brazilians take up my idea of hiring Barry Manilow to sing 'Copacabana' to close the show surrounded by a 1,000 samba dancers
So thats it...end of the OmniShambles Games 2016....anybody fancy trip to Rio?
Still the closing ceremony to look forward to later tonight, not that I will be staying up beyond the first half hour
How many athletes are still there? I seems like most of the Team GB stars are already back in the UK (or back on the pro circuit in the case of the likes of tennis).
Adam Peaty is there as they have just interviewed him on BBC1, I still hope the Brazilians take up my idea of hiring Barry Manilow to sing 'Copacabana' to close the show surrounded by a 1,000 samba dancers
I have to say I think if I was in their position I would have stayed...if nothing else so many empty seats, I could have watched days of elite sport.
So thats it...end of the OmniShambles Games 2016....anybody fancy trip to Rio?
Good point. Rio has been terminated from my bucket list with extreme prejudice.
What you mean you don't want to run the gauntlet of being shot at on the way from the airport and being on constant guard against being robbed anytime day or night, so you could visit the "museum of tomorrow"?
So thats it...end of the OmniShambles Games 2016....anybody fancy trip to Rio?
Good point. Rio has been terminated from my bucket list with extreme prejudice.
What you mean you don't want to run the gauntlet of being shot at from the airport and being on constant guard against being robbed anytime day or night, so you could visit the "museum of tomorrow"?
I think its more the idea of taking a swim and then immediately dying of anthrax.
So thats it...end of the OmniShambles Games 2016....anybody fancy trip to Rio?
Good point. Rio has been terminated from my bucket list with extreme prejudice.
What you mean you don't want to run the gauntlet of being shot at from the airport and being on constant guard against being robbed anytime day or night, so you could visit the "museum of tomorrow"?
I think its more the idea of taking a swim and then immediately dying of anthrax.
LOL....they had on the Team GB windsurfer, who spent several months in Rio preparing for this and they said have you enjoyed being able to take a dip in the ocean after a hard days training...the look on his face was priceless. I can't remember his exact response was along the lines of "I ain't going in there for pleasure, I'm not crazy".
So thats it...end of the OmniShambles Games 2016....anybody fancy trip to Rio?
Still the closing ceremony to look forward to later tonight, not that I will be staying up beyond the first half hour
How many athletes are still there? I seems like most of the Team GB stars are already back in the UK (or back on the pro circuit in the case of the likes of tennis).
Adam Peaty is there as they have just interviewed him on BBC1, I still hope the Brazilians take up my idea of hiring Barry Manilow to sing 'Copacabana' to close the show surrounded by a 1,000 samba dancers
You were joking about Manilow? *cancels Sky Plus recording*
@Viewcode Herself emerged from her bath (one hour and thirty-two minutes, nearly but not quite a record) and when I took her an early evening cup of tea I explained that we had chosen each other by stochastic processing. I am afraid she laughed, laughed hard and finally said, "What rubbish".
To follow up on Dr. Sox's point about the failure rate of modern partnerships, whether chosen by stochastic processing or otherwise. I rather think that factors other than the method used to find the partner may have more to do with the failure rate. Occupation being a major one.
The last time I looked at this I think I one marriage in three ended in divorce. However amongst some occupations and professions the rate was much higher. Of the blokes I served closely with and who are still alive and in contact (probably about 15 in all) I think there are only two of us who are still with their first wives.
I agree - the lower separation rate of arranged marriages is far more likely to be because they take place in an environment where the partners, particularly the women, are less financially independent, the number of alternative options that come their way are fewer (narrower social circles and less independence) and because of the social pressure (family, closer relations with a wide range of relatives etc.) making divorce a socially more costly choice, than because of any inmate advantages in having someone else pick your partner for you.
So thats it...end of the OmniShambles Games 2016....anybody fancy trip to Rio?
Still the closing ceremony to look forward to later tonight, not that I will be staying up beyond the first half hour
How many athletes are still there? I seems like most of the Team GB stars are already back in the UK (or back on the pro circuit in the case of the likes of tennis).
Adam Peaty is there as they have just interviewed him on BBC1, I still hope the Brazilians take up my idea of hiring Barry Manilow to sing 'Copacabana' to close the show surrounded by a 1,000 samba dancers
You were joking about Manilow? *cancels Sky Plus recording*
We will find out later, elderly Brazilian ladies across Rio have pants at the ready!
So thats it...end of the OmniShambles Games 2016....anybody fancy trip to Rio?
Still the closing ceremony to look forward to later tonight, not that I will be staying up beyond the first half hour
How many athletes are still there? I seems like most of the Team GB stars are already back in the UK (or back on the pro circuit in the case of the likes of tennis).
Adam Peaty is there as they have just interviewed him on BBC1, I still hope the Brazilians take up my idea of hiring Barry Manilow to sing 'Copacabana' to close the show surrounded by a 1,000 samba dancers
I have to say I think if I was in their position I would have stayed...if nothing else so many empty seats, I could have watched days of elite sport.
Yes, he is a Staffordshire boy so knows a bargain when he sees one and I expect he would get a seat for free
@Viewcode Herself emerged from her bath (one hour and thirty-two minutes, nearly but not quite a record) and when I took her an early evening cup of tea I explained that we had chosen each other by stochastic processing. I am afraid she laughed, laughed hard and finally said, "What rubbish".
(Stochastic programming, not processing: my bad)
It may sound like pretentious bollocks but it is actually true. People have short lifespans and little information concerning ideal mates. You start off at your starting point and move from one person to another in a probablistic fashion. The maths of this are known and the heuristic used to reach a good-enough solution is also known, and is as I described
This cropped up the other day in conversation, weirdly enough, during a viewing of "Cracked". It used to be that lonely-hearts-clubs ran by allowing people to select criteria and then be matched according to those criteria: a deterministic approach that always failed because people became too specific. Once people worked out that very rapidly cycling through a selection of randomly-generated candidates based on the two most important selection criteria (looks and location) worked more like people do IRL, then apps like Grindr and Tinder started to appear and that worked much better.
You learn something new every day...
Mr. Code, very interesting to find out how modern dating agencies work, but I am sceptical that is how people find partners off-line. It certainly doesn't fit my own experience or that of my wife. Maybe it is true for some but not a universal rule.
Yes it was a suggestion, Mr Duncan-Smith, it was a suggestion because it was not legally binding. As a Brexit voter myself, I can say that quite comfortably, and that some people are still holding out hope of stopping it does not change that it was still legally only a suggestion. Nor is your vision of Brexit the one that 'must' be adopted, no one voted on that. It will happen, but that doesn't make it other than what it was.
But his whinging is just a part of the attempting to win the post-war game, so that's fair enough - he doesn't want Brexit lite, so trying to paint any option than his own as illegitimate is part of the game.
He needs to calm down and stfu. If he hasn't figured out that it's complicated, he's even dimmer than I thought.
I imagine he knows its complicated. But being on the outside now means he can stay in referendum mode to clamour for his preferred option without admitting there are various options to select.
Yes it was a suggestion, Mr Duncan-Smith, it was a suggestion because it was not legally binding. As a Brexit voter myself, I can say that quite comfortably, and that some people are still holding out hope of stopping it does not change that it was still legally only a suggestion. Nor is your vision of Brexit the one that 'must' be adopted, no one voted on that. It will happen, but that doesn't make it other than what it was.
But his whinging is just a part of the attempting to win the post-war game, so that's fair enough - he doesn't want Brexit lite, so trying to paint any option than his own as illegitimate is part of the game.
I'm sure we all have views; pb was mostly EEA folk pre-referendum. I think people have moved on from that to a certain extent.
I'm perfectly content to leave Brexit execution to HMG. We can't hope to grasp all the complexities and tradeoffs that will have to be assessed, nor can we be expected to predict the overall tenor and scope of the ensuing multilateral negotiations. I just have to trust in PM May to do the right thing for the country I love, even if the result isn't to my taste.
Yes it was a suggestion, Mr Duncan-Smith, it was a suggestion because it was not legally binding. As a Brexit voter myself, I can say that quite comfortably, and that some people are still holding out hope of stopping it does not change that it was still legally only a suggestion. Nor is your vision of Brexit the one that 'must' be adopted, no one voted on that. It will happen, but that doesn't make it other than what it was.
But his whinging is just a part of the attempting to win the post-war game, so that's fair enough - he doesn't want Brexit lite, so trying to paint any option than his own as illegitimate is part of the game.
I'm sure we all have views; pb was mostly EEA folk pre-referendum. I think people have moved on from that to a certain extent.
I'm perfectly content to leave Brexit execution to HMG. We can't hope to grasp all the complexities and tradeoffs that will have to be assessed, nor can we be expected to predict the overall tenor and scope of the ensuing multilateral negotiations. I just have to trust in PM May to do the right thing for the country I love, even if the result isn't to my taste.
Seems a reasonable approach, and presumably why it was left to HMG to pull the trigger officially and decide how to manage it, some on both sides are really insistent that campaign statements are binding on the government's position, when even manifestos are not (and those at least contain detailed promises). Some it makes sense as posturing for their own preference at least.
Yes it was a suggestion, Mr Duncan-Smith, it was a suggestion because it was not legally binding. As a Brexit voter myself, I can say that quite comfortably, and that some people are still holding out hope of stopping it does not change that it was still legally only a suggestion. Nor is your vision of Brexit the one that 'must' be adopted, no one voted on that. It will happen, but that doesn't make it other than what it was.
But his whinging is just a part of the attempting to win the post-war game, so that's fair enough - he doesn't want Brexit lite, so trying to paint any option than his own as illegitimate is part of the game.
I'm sure we all have views; pb was mostly EEA folk pre-referendum. I think people have moved on from that to a certain extent.
I'm perfectly content to leave Brexit execution to HMG. We can't hope to grasp all the complexities and tradeoffs that will have to be assessed, nor can we be expected to predict the overall tenor and scope of the ensuing multilateral negotiations. I just have to trust in PM May to do the right thing for the country I love, even if the result isn't to my taste.
Seems a reasonable approach, and presumably why it was left to HMG to pull the trigger officially and decide how to manage it, some on both sides are really insistent that campaign statements are binding on the government's position, when even manifestos are not (and those at least contain detailed promises). Some it makes sense as posturing for their own preference at least.
As far as I'm concerned we were asked whether we'd like to withdraw from the political structures of the EU, destination unspecified. I (not unreasonably I think) assumed that the question wouldn't have been put to a referendum if it were impossibly difficult to deliver.
Still interested in the economic effects, though as my leg gets better that interest is dwindling, too much to do in the garden!
Yes it was a suggestion, Mr Duncan-Smith, it was a suggestion because it was not legally binding. As a Brexit voter myself, I can say that quite comfortably, and that some people are still holding out hope of stopping it does not change that it was still legally only a suggestion. Nor is your vision of Brexit the one that 'must' be adopted, no one voted on that. It will happen, but that doesn't make it other than what it was.
But his whinging is just a part of the attempting to win the post-war game, so that's fair enough - he doesn't want Brexit lite, so trying to paint any option than his own as illegitimate is part of the game.
I'm sure we all have views; pb was mostly EEA folk pre-referendum. I think people have moved on from that to a certain extent.
I'm perfectly content to leave Brexit execution to HMG. We can't hope to grasp all the complexities and tradeoffs that will have to be assessed, nor can we be expected to predict the overall tenor and scope of the ensuing multilateral negotiations. I just have to trust in PM May to do the right thing for the country I love, even if the result isn't to my taste.
Even the city have gone off EEA/Passporting and say they would prefer equivalent regulation instead which is what the US do and apparently has much the same benefit as passporting.
They've worked out tbat outside the passporting regime its wholly uk regulated, among the benefits is the repeal of bonus caps.
It is a testament to the resilience of the economy and general confidence in ourselves that a hard brexit with something like the Canadian deal with Europe is on the agenda
- although if the EU and particularly Germany think we are serious about that they may make us a decent EFTA/EEA deal with movement restrictions that is too good to refuse - they have billions in lost membership fees if we don't stay in the single market which they need like a hole in the hesd.
Yes it was a suggestion, Mr Duncan-Smith, it was a suggestion because it was not legally binding. As a Brexit voter myself, I can say that quite comfortably, and that some people are still holding out hope of stopping it does not change that it was still legally only a suggestion. Nor is your vision of Brexit the one that 'must' be adopted, no one voted on that. It will happen, but that doesn't make it other than what it was.
But his whinging is just a part of the attempting to win the post-war game, so that's fair enough - he doesn't want Brexit lite, so trying to paint any option than his own as illegitimate is part of the game.
I'm sure we all have views; pb was mostly EEA folk pre-referendum. I think people have moved on from that to a certain extent.
I'm perfectly content to leave Brexit execution to HMG. We can't hope to grasp all the complexities and tradeoffs that will have to be assessed, nor can we be expected to predict the overall tenor and scope of the ensuing multilateral negotiations. I just have to trust in PM May to do the right thing for the country I love, even if the result isn't to my taste.
Even the city have gone off EEA/Passporting and say they would prefer equivalent regulation instead which is what the US do and apparently has much the same benefit as passporting.
They've worked out tbat outside the passporting regime its wholly uk regulated, among the benefits is the repeal of bonus caps.
It is a testament to the resilience of the economy and general confidence in ourselves that a hard brexit with something like the Canadian deal with Europe is on the agenda
- although if the EU and particularly Germany think we are serious about that they may make us a decent EFTA/EEA deal with movement restrictions that is too good to refuse - they have billions in lost membership fees if we don't stay in the single market which they need like a hole in the hesd.
Agree with all of that apart from your last paragraph. Our contribution is peanuts in terms of the EU27 economy. From memory it's around 11 trillion Euros. I never understood why everyone (on both sides) seemed so exercised by the £18bn p.a. Even that gross figure is tiny in the great scheme of things. It's about a third of the money we spend on debt servicing. Net, its about a fifth.
Comments
(And we still haven't had the effect of Trump visiting Louisiana while Obama visited the Clubhouse on the19th green - and Hillary sending her sorrow by twitter.)
Not derogatory I have to add, normally endearing comment as in this case.
The Olympics: Great advertisement for socialist projects. Spend £4bn over 20 years and it works ! Boost in national "feel-good" factor cannot be estimated.
Sadly, poorer people paid most of the "taxes".
Gordon Brown upped the spending massively before Beijing and further when London was selected.
Is there an actual definition of "female".
I have a lot of sympathy for, for example AIS women (and yes, I know there are varying degrees of androgen receptor sensitivity). But to find out at puberty, that your lack of periods is because you lack ovaries and a uterus, when you have been brought up female and regard yourself as female, must be a crushing blow. Then to have the IOC interfere too ...
It used to be called testicular feminisation, a cruel name now thankfully in the past, but intersex isn't a lot better and even 'hyperandrogenic' or whatever Latin phrase you care to use is a problem too.
On alternative is to make the Olympics open with no distinction for sex. Forget drug testing too as we're always playing catch-up.
It means women with normal female testosterone levels would probably never win an athletics medal and would have little chance with many other sports (unless the horsey competitions could be extended). Possibly the diving and gymnastics where style rather than brute strength is important? But I believe that spatial awareness and reflexes are also helped by androgens.
I know that would be a great pity and a sad loss. Female participation is sport is to be encouraged. but the IOC is in a hole and there's no obvious spade.
Otherwise bite the bullet. Go for XX chromosomal patterns for the female events. Unfair on some, but the dividing line is clear. Vicious but fair as the Python version of the Krays said.
Science versus emotion.
Edit: Feel free to criticise - you will anyway.
http://hitchensblog.mailonsunday.co.uk/2016/08/peter-hitchens-gold-for-synchronised-sunburn-and-self-delusion-goes-to.html
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/aug/17/olympics-hysteria-britain-turned-soviet-team-gb
https://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/global-content/press-releases/scotland/190814_sco_helping-the-homeless
£112 million was given in the same year more generally to housing associations and homelessness charities
http://www.insidehousing.co.uk/big-lottery-fund-grants-cash-for-homelessness-services/7002172.article
It is jingoism at its worst.
Well, for most people at least.
Edit - To be clear, not enjoying the games, or not thinking the price is worth paying I have no real issue with, that's a personal choice. But to pretend there is something unique to 'this country' as you put it in finding enjoyment even though things are terrible, in your view, is without foundation.
Also can I make a request, in four years time can you go all ponceyboots Gaylord about how few Team GB are going to win at Tokyo 2020.
I think you're a lucky charm
Oh well....... well done that man
Not sure what it means for the country in terms of foodbanks and poverty (probably nothing) but it's nice that for a couple of weeks we've actually done well at something!
Well done to all concerned.
Meanwhile the 4 x 400 relay........ Are we any wiser?
No TRUE biased opinion pollster would use the LA Times with Clinton Ahead.
(They have one on 27th July as well)
Herself emerged from her bath (one hour and thirty-two minutes, nearly but not quite a record) and when I took her an early evening cup of tea I explained that we had chosen each other by stochastic processing. I am afraid she laughed, laughed hard and finally said, "What rubbish".
To follow up on Dr. Sox's point about the failure rate of modern partnerships, whether chosen by stochastic processing or otherwise. I rather think that factors other than the method used to find the partner may have more to do with the failure rate. Occupation being a major one.
The last time I looked at this I think I one marriage in three ended in divorce. However amongst some occupations and professions the rate was much higher. Of the blokes I served closely with and who are still alive and in contact (probably about 15 in all) I think there are only two of us who are still with their first wives.
The LA daily (but not on RCP) tracker is one, Morning Consult another.
I felt a pang of genuine sadness passing the 'welcome to Devon' sign on the way home yesterday morning.
And it WAS an adventure getting there - a slog, certainly, leaving at 5am from Manchester and not getting there until 3, but a family experience nonetheless. And a slightly quicker journey than my mother-in-law's, whose plane from Manchester to Newquay was delayed by 6 hours and who ended up being delivered by a Portuguese taxi driver shortly after midnight.*
An observation: almost all the accents I heard - tourists and business owners/employees alike - were south-eastern. Which is different from the honeypot with which I am most familiar - the Lake District - where the accents may not be Cumbrian but are predominantly northwestern, or occasionally north eastern. I don't know whether this has an impact on relationships between locals and outsiders.
*It was a special sort of dark, that first Cornish midnight. The farm on which we were staying was at the bottom of a deep, wooded valley - that sort of dark, in that sort of valley is something you only get in the far south west: north of Wiltshire, glaciation turned the v-shaped valleys u-shaped, and east of Devon you don't really get the scale of hills. Standing with a torch to attract the attention of the taxi and to guide my mother-in-law back to the lodge was one of the odder experiences of August.
I had Adams losing and Joyce winning.
2020 could be another vintage year for us, and the longer that rival teams spend on bitching about the unfairness and casting aspersions over doping or other bullshit allegations, the less time they are spending catching up.
I think the biggest worry is that Japan realise that technology and science can win them golds in cycling, they may have the capability to get a track team together which can challenge our domination in 2020. How long will it be before Japan get Nissan and Honda's Motorsport teams involved in cycle design and recruit Australian coaches and nutritionists on big wages? If I were in charge of Japan's Olympic performance in 2020 I'd be looking to make those basic moves.
(financial figures from UK Sports Council website pages).
But then again he thinks Murray is a Tory....
....https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/sep/23/andy-murray-scottish-independence-tweet-no-regrets
Some people are just miserable gits.
We all have our crosses to bear, mine is that I voted the same way as Fox, Farage and the entire readership of the Daily Express.
Who's Next?
It may sound like pretentious bollocks but it is actually true. People have short lifespans and little information concerning ideal mates. You start off at your starting point and move from one person to another in a probablistic fashion. The maths of this are known and the heuristic used to reach a good-enough solution is also known, and is as I described
This cropped up the other day in conversation, weirdly enough, during a viewing of "Cracked". It used to be that lonely-hearts-clubs ran by allowing people to select criteria and then be matched according to those criteria: a deterministic approach that always failed because people became too specific. Once people worked out that very rapidly cycling through a selection of randomly-generated candidates based on the two most important selection criteria (looks and location) worked more like people do IRL, then apps like Grindr and Tinder started to appear and that worked much better.
You learn something new every day...
@georgeeaton: Sadiq Khan - council estate boy, human rights lawyer, first Muslim mayor of a major western city - booed tonight at Corbyn rally.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0OSQLp8EDU
The referendum was not a suggestion
But his whinging is just a part of the attempting to win the post-war game, so that's fair enough - he doesn't want Brexit lite, so trying to paint any option than his own as illegitimate is part of the game.
It's a tactic, that's all.
A pleasant night to all.
I'm perfectly content to leave Brexit execution to HMG. We can't hope to grasp all the complexities and tradeoffs that will have to be assessed, nor can we be expected to predict the overall tenor and scope of the ensuing multilateral negotiations. I just have to trust in PM May to do the right thing for the country I love, even if the result isn't to my taste.
Still interested in the economic effects, though as my leg gets better that interest is dwindling, too much to do in the garden!
They've worked out tbat outside the passporting regime its wholly uk regulated, among the benefits is the repeal of bonus caps.
It is a testament to the resilience of the economy and general confidence in ourselves that a hard brexit with something like the Canadian deal with Europe is on the agenda
- although if the EU and particularly Germany think we are serious about that they may make us a decent EFTA/EEA deal with movement restrictions that is too good to refuse - they have billions in lost membership fees if we don't stay in the single market which they need like a hole in the hesd.