Off-topic: has anyone been following the @newdawn1997 Twitter account? Tracking all the events in the lead-up to the '97 election.
It's quite striking that, even though we all assume that election was a foregone conclusion, there seemed to be a LOT of uncertainty leading up to it. There's been lots of newspaper articles saying how the Tories might still win it, or that Labour would only scrape in by the skin of their teeth. It's only been in the last few days (after the Wirral South byelection at the end of February 1997) that some commentators are starting to realise that Labour could actually get a landslide.
William Hill were still quoting 2/9 Labour 'yesterday'. That's longer than they are about the Tories now, with the election still - probably - 3 years away.
Yep. It's like snowflakes suddenly realising we need voting reform, only after their side loses, annoying those who wanted it all along.
To answer your question from last night, Ben Tre was the place in the Vietnam war of which a US Major said: "'It became necessary to destroy the town to save it".
Hence Ben Tre Brexiter, of which Mr Vance seems a prime example.
Thanks. Perhaps it is mealy mouthed of me or I am committing treason to the Leaver cause, but there are things that are too important to erase or entirely subordinate merely because they are frustrating the Brexit process. This example is particularly egregious, because its the lords job to suggest changes to legislation. If they refuse to budge no matter how many times the commons sends the bill back unlamented, that's a time for thinking about how to respond.
Also from that 1997 Twitter account: there was a poll the other day which surprisingly gave the Tory government a 15% lead on the Economy, contrary to the claims that whichever party leads on the economy always wins the election. Although that same poll gave Labour MASSIVE leads on issues like Health, Education, Unemployment, etc.:
I haven't seen the offending tweets, but what could she be charged with? The report says she tweeted several graphic pictures highlighting the brutality of ISIS. Is that really criminal? Surely it is more a breach of T&C of twitter, as nobody thinks she is posting them as post for ISIS.
LOL at the banning mobile phones in schools policy. I don't see that one working.
At my school the mobile issue was solved very simply: phones were expected to be put at the back of your locker during lessons, and if you were caught with your phone then it was confiscated. There were no issues with people using their phones en masse during lessons.
At the school my wife teaches at (bog standard comprehensive on the Sussex coast) a ban on phones has been in place since September. It applies to any use on the school grounds apart from some lessons where the internet is used. Seems not to have caused too much fuss after the initial furore. Stopping bullying was the major motive I think.
Just looking at my kids school manual: Prohibition of bringing to school expensive jewelery and other items such as: bracelets, necklaces, rings, cellular phones, electronic games and pagers
But then again British kids don't know they are born All male students shall sport a decent barbers haircut, the hair should not touch the ears or collar or the shirt. Haircut inspection will be done on the first Monday of the month and the school reserves the right to cut the hair of any student who fails to comply with the above provision
Doesn't seem likely to change much. She'll win the first round, then lose the second like she was always going to. I guess it'll be up to Marion Le Pen to take the party one step further, should whoever wins this time mess up.
Off-topic: has anyone been following the @newdawn1997 Twitter account? Tracking all the events in the lead-up to the '97 election.
It's quite striking that, even though we all assume that election was a foregone conclusion, there seemed to be a LOT of uncertainty leading up to it. There's been lots of newspaper articles saying how the Tories might still win it, or that Labour would only scrape in by the skin of their teeth. It's only been in the last few days (after the Wirral South byelection at the end of February 1997) that some commentators are starting to realise that Labour could actually get a landslide.
William Hill were still quoting 2/9 Labour 'yesterday'. That's longer than they are about the Tories now, with the election still - probably - 3 years away.
Because of '92 no one really believed the polls. New Labour included.
LOL at the banning mobile phones in schools policy. I don't see that one working.
At my school the mobile issue was solved very simply: phones were expected to be put at the back of your locker during lessons, and if you were caught with your phone then it was confiscated. There were no issues with people using their phones en masse during lessons.
Why don't you see it working ?
I can see kids secretly sneaking in their phones.
@midwinter If it's been done to stop bullying, I understand. Although with social media being the way it is, bullying can still occur off the school premises. I do wonder whether kids really are leaving their phones at home, or whether they are just successfully hiding them though, in regard to your wife's school.
@kle4 You don't have to apologise! I just wanted to make myself clear that I wasn't trying to demonise you or anything like it. It was just a genuine disagreement on the May thing. I think at that time as well I was feeling a bit overwhelmed. I apologise if I offended you, or anything like that.
They can take phones in but only use them in some lessons. No doubt they are used when they shouldn't be but they're confiscated if found. Agree re the bullying out of school hours but surely can't be a bad thing to try and encourage kids to do stuff other than sit with their heads down over a phone some of the time.
LOL at the banning mobile phones in schools policy. I don't see that one working.
At my school the mobile issue was solved very simply: phones were expected to be put at the back of your locker during lessons, and if you were caught with your phone then it was confiscated. There were no issues with people using their phones en masse during lessons.
Why don't you see it working ?
I can see kids secretly sneaking in their phones.
So can I because most British school wouldn't know discipline these days if it walked up and punched them in the face.
Mr. Royale, the Morris Dancer Party is committed to not being slavish to technology. All shops and so forth would be required to accept cash. No wanky restaurants only accepting payment via apps.
A national policy banning mobile phones in schools (presumably not for teachers?) is ridiculous. It should be up to schools to decide how and if they want to deal with this.
This is France we're talking about. Unless things have changed since I lived there, they even have laws regulating the order in which seats on buses should be offered to the vulnerable (mutilés de guerre taking priority over mutilés civiles, who in turn trump pregnent women, all carefuly documented and posted in every bus). Sadly I never saw an occasion where the full pecking order was played out. In fact I never saw anyone give up their seat to anyone.
We have similar guidelines don't we on disabled > prams on buses? A law does seem way OTT though
Wasn't there some big hoo-ha recently when someone refused to move for a pram or a wheelchair or somesuch?
Nothing written down in UK law AFAIK but of course IANAL.
Yeah you're right. I think at the time I thought disabled should trump pram.
It's astonishing how many people on public transport have to be asked to move for someone who obviously needs help (and then do so with very bad grace). When my other half was still using a wheelchair for longer journeys, I once had to enlist help from a bus driver to get a very fit young man with a folding bicycle to give up the space allotted for securing a wheelchair.
I hear this kind of story a lot... And consequently am slightly paranoid about missing the chance to offer someone my seat on public transport.
I know a few female friends who have taken a seat out of embarrassment when the person offering thought incorrectly they were pregnant.
One of the advantages of increasing age is that one is spared this sort of anxiety. On the other side of the coin it can be embarrassing to be offered assistance. When travelling any sort of distance I now need a stick (soon to be white one if my eyes get much worse) and last year suffered shame and embarrassment when a lovely young lady insisted on helping me off a train at Kings Cross.
Also from that 1997 Twitter account: there was a poll the other day which surprisingly gave the Tory government a 15% lead on the Economy, contrary to the claims that whichever party leads on the economy always wins the election. Although that same poll gave Labour MASSIVE leads on issues like Health, Education, Unemployment, etc.:
That lead was only amongst the surprisingly low 29% of the electorate who considered the economy "important", which would be a heavily biased subsample [as indeed are the massive Labour leads]. This is of course because the economy was doing very well indeed.
When a Treasury mandarin highlighted the "golden" nature of his inheritance to the new Chancellor, Gordon Brown, he famously replied: "What do you want, me to write a thank you note?"
I haven't seen the offending tweets, but what could she be charged with? The report says she tweeted several graphic pictures highlighting the brutality of ISIS. Is that really criminal? Surely it is more a breach of T&C of twitter, as nobody thinks she is posting them as post for ISIS.
All it does is raise terrorism and national security up the agenda again which boosts her and that will be even more the case in the unfortunate event of another terrorist attack on French soil
Off-topic: has anyone been following the @newdawn1997 Twitter account? Tracking all the events in the lead-up to the '97 election.
It's quite striking that, even though we all assume that election was a foregone conclusion, there seemed to be a LOT of uncertainty leading up to it. There's been lots of newspaper articles saying how the Tories might still win it, or that Labour would only scrape in by the skin of their teeth. It's only been in the last few days (after the Wirral South byelection at the end of February 1997) that some commentators are starting to realise that Labour could actually get a landslide.
William Hill were still quoting 2/9 Labour 'yesterday'. That's longer than they are about the Tories now, with the election still - probably - 3 years away.
Because of '92 no one really believed the polls. New Labour included.
Mr. Royale, the Morris Dancer Party is committed to not being slavish to technology. All shops and so forth would be required to accept cash. No wanky restaurants only accepting payment via apps.
The RN has especially big problems in this area and there are times when ships cannot put to sea because there are not the skilled senior people available.
One of the root causes of this issue in the RN is the lack of a USN style 'up or out' policy for officers. There are officers who hit the limit of their capacities quite early in their careers then hang around on the same rank for, in some cases, decades. In my last RN posting I was 38 year old Lt Cdr and one of my subordinates was a 47 year old Lt! So they end up with a large cohort of aged, expensive and undermotivated junior officers sucking up resources that could be better employed elsewhere.
In Nelson's day the RN had a large number of middle aged midshipmen, so I suppose middle aged lieutenants could be seen as a step forward!
A national policy banning mobile phones in schools (presumably not for teachers?) is ridiculous. It should be up to schools to decide how and if they want to deal with this.
This is France we're talking about. Unless things have changed since I lived there, they even have laws regulating the order in which seats on buses should be offered to the vulnerable (mutilés de guerre taking priority over mutilés civiles, who in turn trump pregnent women, all carefuly documented and posted in every bus). Sadly I never saw an occasion where the full pecking order was played out. In fact I never saw anyone give up their seat to anyone.
We have similar guidelines don't we on disabled > prams on buses? A law does seem way OTT though
Wasn't there some big hoo-ha recently when someone refused to move for a pram or a wheelchair or somesuch?
Nothing written down in UK law AFAIK but of course IANAL.
Yeah you're right. I think at the time I thought disabled should trump pram.
It's astonishing how many people on public transport have to be asked to move for someone who obviously needs help (and then do so with very bad grace). When my other half was still using a wheelchair for longer journeys, I once had to enlist help from a bus driver to get a very fit young man with a folding bicycle to give up the space allotted for securing a wheelchair.
I hear this kind of story a lot... And consequently am slightly paranoid about missing the chance to offer someone my seat on public transport.
I know a few female friends who have taken a seat out of embarrassment when the person offering thought incorrectly they were pregnant.
I suppose unfortunately in this day and age I am still old fashioned enough to think I should offer my seat because they are a lady rather than because they are pregnant.
But not old enough to be offered a seat yourself?
Fairly sure I offended an elderlyish gentleman once by offering him a seat.
Mr. Royale, the Morris Dancer Party is committed to not being slavish to technology. All shops and so forth would be required to accept cash. No wanky restaurants only accepting payment via apps.
Sometimes I just want to escape to a small farm in rural Devon, get some pigs, a large vegetable patch and a couple of dogs, and never trouble or be troubled by the world again.
Sorry to say that I thought the discussion on the Podcast was far too Brexit obsessed again. No apparent recognition of the minor role played by the issue in the two by elections at all.
Hardly a minor role when the Tories won Copeland largely through defections of Leave voting Labour and UKIP voters over Brexit and despite Labour attempts to make it all about the NHS
Mr. Royale, the Morris Dancer Party is committed to not being slavish to technology. All shops and so forth would be required to accept cash. No wanky restaurants only accepting payment via apps.
You should rename yourself the Luddite Party.
With the early nineteenth century superhero Captain Swing as its mascot.
Off-topic: has anyone been following the @newdawn1997 Twitter account? Tracking all the events in the lead-up to the '97 election.
It's quite striking that, even though we all assume that election was a foregone conclusion, there seemed to be a LOT of uncertainty leading up to it. There's been lots of newspaper articles saying how the Tories might still win it, or that Labour would only scrape in by the skin of their teeth. It's only been in the last few days (after the Wirral South byelection at the end of February 1997) that some commentators are starting to realise that Labour could actually get a landslide.
William Hill were still quoting 2/9 Labour 'yesterday'. That's longer than they are about the Tories now, with the election still - probably - 3 years away.
Because of '92 no one really believed the polls. New Labour included.
Surely the same applies now?
We are in totally uncharted waters.
A huge amount can happen in the next three years and only a mug would call GE2020 right now.
I understand his private meeting with the Russian ambassador to be in addition to general discussions with ambassadors including the Russian ambassador. But that's not the issue. The question is whether a meeting is a communication. If he had said he had had no meetings with the Russians that would be a clear perjury. In the part of the hearing about communications between the Trump campaign and Russia he said he had had no communications without revealing he had had a private meeting while part of the campaign.
Sarah Isgur Flores told NBC News that Sessions did have a conversation with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak last year. The meeting was first reported by The Washington Post.
But she said "there was absolutely nothing misleading about his answer" because Sessions was asked during the hearing about "communications between Russia and the Trump campaign" and not about meetings he took as a member of the Armed Services Committee.
Think he will weasel out.
I think he will weasal out. His spokesperson is disingenuous. Of course his answer of "no communications" was totally misleading because it was in response to "Anyone with ties to the Trump campaign having communications with the Russians". No reasonable person would interpret his meeting any other way. Whether they were justified is another matter.
Sputnik News disputed the claim that it operates as a propaganda machine for the Kremlin. However, in evidence to the Committee its representative, Oxana Brazhnik, could not provide any examples of reporting that criticised Russian military actions.
Mr. Royale, the Morris Dancer Party is committed to not being slavish to technology. All shops and so forth would be required to accept cash. No wanky restaurants only accepting payment via apps.
How do you feel on Oyster cards/credit cards being compulsory on public transport?
In the past I'd waste 30 mins trying to ring up the surgery to order them, spend another 30 mins going to the surgery to pick it up, then another hour to drop it off at the pharmacy.
Now, I use an app on my phone, order my prescription, it is sent electronically to my nominated pharmacy, and two days later, my prescription is ready and waiting for me at the pharmacy.
Mr. Royale, the Morris Dancer Party is committed to not being slavish to technology. All shops and so forth would be required to accept cash. No wanky restaurants only accepting payment via apps.
You should rename yourself the Luddite Party.
With the early nineteenth century superhero Captain Swing as its mascot.
Mr. Royale, the Morris Dancer Party is committed to not being slavish to technology. All shops and so forth would be required to accept cash. No wanky restaurants only accepting payment via apps.
Welcome to my world Everything is cash. Makes life very simple.
Mr. Royale, the Morris Dancer Party is committed to not being slavish to technology. All shops and so forth would be required to accept cash. No wanky restaurants only accepting payment via apps.
Sometimes I just want to escape to a small farm in rural Devon, get some pigs, a large vegetable patch and a couple of dogs, and never trouble or be troubled by the world again.
LOL at the banning mobile phones in schools policy. I don't see that one working.
At my school the mobile issue was solved very simply: phones were expected to be put at the back of your locker during lessons, and if you were caught with your phone then it was confiscated. There were no issues with people using their phones en masse during lessons.
Why don't you see it working ?
I can see kids secretly sneaking in their phones.
@midwinter If it's been done to stop bullying, I understand. Although with social media being the way it is, bullying can still occur off the school premises. I do wonder whether kids really are leaving their phones at home, or whether they are just successfully hiding them though, in regard to your wife's school.
@kle4 You don't have to apologise! I just wanted to make myself clear that I wasn't trying to demonise you or anything like it. It was just a genuine disagreement on the May thing. I think at that time as well I was feeling a bit overwhelmed. I apologise if I offended you, or anything like that.
They can take phones in but only use them in some lessons. No doubt they are used when they shouldn't be but they're confiscated if found. Agree re the bullying out of school hours but surely can't be a bad thing to try and encourage kids to do stuff other than sit with their heads down over a phone some of the time.
I can see why the policy works then. Although tbh I don't know why they are even allowed to use them in lessons. I only had access to my phone during breaks, and after school and it wasn't a big deal. I do think my school having lockers did help matters - it provided a safe place to put your phone where it could not distract you during lessons.
I do think though, with the rise of not just twitter/facebook but Instagram and snapchat things have gotten worse. Even I will admit that I'm attached to my phone. I think the trouble is now is that it is no longer just as 'kids thing' in terms of people with their head down looking over a phone. I travel on the met line four days a week (with the exception of one day where I work from home, i.e. today). Every time I'm on tube literally everyone is looking down at their phone. Whether it be that they're texting, listening to music, going online etc literally everyone is pretty much on their phone. It's the same when you're on the bus as well. This is something not just limited to young people, but people across all age groups. My mum was telling me the other day about a few people at her work place that are constantly on their phones!
Mr. Eagles, in a world without hackers or theft from within companies. It also means people without a smartphone can't use their own money to buy things.
Mr. Eagles (2), I'm not saying such payment schemes should be forbidden, only that cash should not be forbidden.
Mr. Royale, the Morris Dancer Party is committed to not being slavish to technology. All shops and so forth would be required to accept cash. No wanky restaurants only accepting payment via apps.
How do you feel on Oyster cards/credit cards being compulsory on public transport?
In anywhere other than London it would be Orwellian, it gives TFL and anyone they want to share it with a unique key to track your travels around the city both in real time, and as history data. As it is with London being about the most heavily surveilled city on the planet, it won't make a significant difference
Yep. It's like snowflakes suddenly realising we need voting reform, only after their side loses, annoying those who wanted it all along.
To answer your question from last night, Ben Tre was the place in the Vietnam war of which a US Major said: "'It became necessary to destroy the town to save it".
Hence Ben Tre Brexiter, of which Mr Vance seems a prime example.
Thanks. Perhaps it is mealy mouthed of me or I am committing treason to the Leaver cause, but there are things that are too important to erase or entirely subordinate merely because they are frustrating the Brexit process. This example is particularly egregious, because its the lords job to suggest changes to legislation. If they refuse to budge no matter how many times the commons sends the bill back unlamented, that's a time for thinking about how to respond.
I agree. The Lords is doing its job, which, in this case, is pathetic resistance and ineffectual virtue signalling over legislation where, as it well knows, it will eventually have to yield, or risk Abolition. It's a time honoured thing; it's what we do.
The Commons will send it back and the noble derelicts will surrender.
As an aside, it does have one genuinely good aspect: it shows EU citizens in Britain that we do care, that our parliament takes their situation seriously. This will be reassuring for them, and they deserve reassurance.
It's not TMay's fault that the EU refused her immediate and generous offer of reciprocal rights, in an area where we theoretically have more "leverage".
I would agree except TMay's "generous offer" is also also ineffectual virtue signalling. She would be more immediately helpful to those affected if she ameliorated Britain's woeful application process for ILR and worked with other EU countries to get UK citizens' residence status sorted out there on current immigration policies. Existing residence rights will stay everywhere after we leave the EU.
The RN has especially big problems in this area and there are times when ships cannot put to sea because there are not the skilled senior people available.
One of the root causes of this issue in the RN is the lack of a USN style 'up or out' policy for officers. There are officers who hit the limit of their capacities quite early in their careers then hang around on the same rank for, in some cases, decades. In my last RN posting I was 38 year old Lt Cdr and one of my subordinates was a 47 year old Lt! So they end up with a large cohort of aged, expensive and undermotivated junior officers sucking up resources that could be better employed elsewhere.
In Nelson's day the RN had a large number of middle aged midshipmen...
The most famous of whom was probably Billy Culmer who was still a midshipman at the age of 57. He was finally promoted to Lieutenant though and died after two commissions in 1802.
Mr. Eagles, the idea a shop can refuse service if you try and pay them with money is dystopian and deranged.
Mr. Royale, indeed.
It reduces thefts and forged cash.
It puts a lot of eggs in a small number of baskets. Rather than someone dipping a fiver out of your pocket. Some hacker will eventually break Apple Pay or someone else's equivalent service and help themselves to tens of millions of pounds.
Doesn't seem likely to change much. She'll win the first round, then lose the second like she was always going to. I guess it'll be up to Marion Le Pen to take the party one step further, should whoever wins this time mess up.
Hmmm. Marion is more like Jean Marie than Marine. She has the anti-islam part down but she's not quite tapped into anti-globalisation leftish economics part, which has attracted some of the WWC vote. She also doesn't defend republicain secular values so much as 'traditional christian' ones - so the headway Marine has made with women voters, gay voters etc would be at risk.
She's a very good media performer however so if she modified her views it's possible.
I think if Marine loses she will stick around to fight 2022 though.
Mr. Eagles, in a world without hackers or theft from within companies. It also means people without a smartphone can't use their own money to buy things.
Mr. Eagles (2), I'm not saying such payment schemes should be forbidden, only that cash should not be forbidden.
It does save time I think... The one that really pissed me off was Dublin buses not giving change... To save time supposedly. They give you a bit of paper that if you go to an office somewhere you can reclaim the money. Don't know if it's still like that but what a moneymaking scheme!
In the past I'd waste 30 mins trying to ring up the surgery to order them, spend another 30 mins going to the surgery to pick it up, then another hour to drop it off at the pharmacy.
Now, I use an app on my phone, order my prescription, it is sent electronically to my nominated pharmacy, and two days later, my prescription is ready and waiting for me at the pharmacy.
But down with technology say the Luddites.
Why don't you order a repeat prescription each time you collect ? You don't even need the technology.
Mr. Royale, the Morris Dancer Party is committed to not being slavish to technology. All shops and so forth would be required to accept cash. No wanky restaurants only accepting payment via apps.
Sometimes I just want to escape to a small farm in rural Devon, get some pigs, a large vegetable patch and a couple of dogs, and never trouble or be troubled by the world again.
I did that last week. Booked myself an idyllic cottage on Dartmoor, a mile from an agreeable pub (the Rugglestone, in Widecombe). Dartmoor ponies cantered across the moorland right outside my window. I was all set for a gorgeous week of writing, hiking, reading and thinking.
By day four I was so mad, bored and lonely I booked into a five star hotel near Plymouth, with much better wifi (and an amazing spa).
Rustic isolation is overrated.
It didn't help that the weather was unbelievably harsh: very cold, very wet, very windy. Great for invoking the bleak moods I wanted in my thriller but, in reality, just pretty damn bleak.
Ptah.
Real country dwellers work on the land rather than play at bored rural squires with nothing to do...
Mr. Royale, the Morris Dancer Party is committed to not being slavish to technology. All shops and so forth would be required to accept cash. No wanky restaurants only accepting payment via apps.
Sometimes I just want to escape to a small farm in rural Devon, get some pigs, a large vegetable patch and a couple of dogs, and never trouble or be troubled by the world again.
I did that last week. Booked myself an idyllic cottage on Dartmoor, a mile from an agreeable pub (the Rugglestone, in Widecombe). Dartmoor ponies cantered across the moorland right outside my window. I was all set for a gorgeous week of writing, hiking, reading and thinking.
By day four I was so mad, bored and lonely I booked into a five star hotel near Plymouth, with much better wifi (and an amazing spa).
Rustic isolation is overrated.
It didn't help that the weather was unbelievably harsh: very cold, very wet, very windy. Great for invoking the bleak moods I wanted in my thriller but, in reality, just pretty damn bleak.
Pretty bloody gorgeous down here in Devon today. But you'd still be mad, bored and lonely.
In the past I'd waste 30 mins trying to ring up the surgery to order them, spend another 30 mins going to the surgery to pick it up, then another hour to drop it off at the pharmacy.
Now, I use an app on my phone, order my prescription, it is sent electronically to my nominated pharmacy, and two days later, my prescription is ready and waiting for me at the pharmacy.
But down with technology say the Luddites.
Why don't you order a repeat prescription each time you collect ? You don't even need the technology.
I have the option of different quantities/dosages/strengths available on a few of them.
Some months I need industrial amounts of gabapentin for example.
In the past I'd waste 30 mins trying to ring up the surgery to order them, spend another 30 mins going to the surgery to pick it up, then another hour to drop it off at the pharmacy.
Now, I use an app on my phone, order my prescription, it is sent electronically to my nominated pharmacy, and two days later, my prescription is ready and waiting for me at the pharmacy.
But down with technology say the Luddites.
Why don't you order a repeat prescription each time you collect ? You don't even need the technology.
And if one's condition changes? Doing this was a significant source of waste when I was involved with this sort of thing.
Has anybody yet done an analysis of the possible gains and losses for this years locals on May 4th?
Labour could lose control — (ignoring by-elections since 2013) — of the only two county councils they control in Notts and Derbyshire. (Excludes Durham which is unitary). In Notts Labour are defending a 9 vote majority in a ward in Ken Clarke's constituency.
Thanks Andy. Here's hoping. Will be very hard for Corbyn to find an excuse for losing those two great counties. Losing a remote seat in the middle of nowhere might be considered unfortunate. Losing two first-class cricket counties in the heart of the nation, downright negligent.
Lol.
The battle of the May elections will be on spinning the results. Will the London media report on the English results - which shouldn't be too disastrous for Labour because they'll win most of the metro-mayoralties and are starting at a low base in the council elections as they're in more Tory-leaning areas - or will they report the GB results i.e. including Wales and Scotland.
In England, as last year, it's quite possible Labour's losses will be measured in the two digits: not great by any stretch of the imagination but not a disaster either. By contrast, Scottish Labour could lose 60-70% of their councillors if the Holyrood / Westminster VI is a guide, which would equate to a net -200 people. They might also end up as not the largest party in any council.
If the figures are given across GB, it will look a *lot* worse for Lab (and a lot better for Con) than if it's England-only.
Yes, I completely agree. As ever, the starting point is vote share and swing. We Tories want Jezza to survive, and the good news in the May local elections, is that a loss of 9% of votes actually won't change much in England, as where Labour have seats, they have good majorities, or they have no chance at all. There aren't many marginals. As you say, in Scotland/Wales, they will likely lose seats, but that will be spun as a hangover from SINDY.
And Labour will spin it, Jezza will say 'rejoice' at the new Mayors, and everyone will forget hat 100-odd councillors have lost. Most importantly, hardly anyone will notice the 9% decline in vote share. After 2020 GE Labour vote share have crumbled without many noticing and suddenly we see a party in proper decline, hopefully. That's good. Why? I was at a Council meeting last night and all the Labour Councillors are knobs. Every policy is their personal preference is to say to the residents: 'fuck you, we're in charge." Nasty, evil bastards. The real nasty party
Mr. Royale, the Morris Dancer Party is committed to not being slavish to technology. All shops and so forth would be required to accept cash. No wanky restaurants only accepting payment via apps.
Sometimes I just want to escape to a small farm in rural Devon, get some pigs, a large vegetable patch and a couple of dogs, and never trouble or be troubled by the world again.
I did that last week. Booked myself an idyllic cottage on Dartmoor, a mile from an agreeable pub (the Rugglestone, in Widecombe). Dartmoor ponies cantered across the moorland right outside my window. I was all set for a gorgeous week of writing, hiking, reading and thinking.
By day four I was so mad, bored and lonely I booked into a five star hotel near Plymouth, with much better wifi (and an amazing spa).
Rustic isolation is overrated.
It didn't help that the weather was unbelievably harsh: very cold, very wet, very windy. Great for invoking the bleak moods I wanted in my thriller but, in reality, just pretty damn bleak.
Ptah.
Real country dwellers work on the land rather than play at bored rural squires with nothing to do...
The crucial point, not raised by Curtice, is identifying those voters which are using their Brexit vote to switch voting intention. It's one thing to say x% voted Leave therefore Lab should do y. But which of those voters place Brexit above all other considerations?
Cash's days are numbered and rightly so. Its extinction cannot come soon enough. It is a deeply flawed means of trading
- is the most open currency medium to forgery - is hugely expensive to produce - is wasteful (the Lost Pennies Problem) - is inconvenient - is risky (susceptible to theft)
Its impending demise is the logical progression from the advent electronic banking. Get ready!
In the past I'd waste 30 mins trying to ring up the surgery to order them, spend another 30 mins going to the surgery to pick it up, then another hour to drop it off at the pharmacy.
Now, I use an app on my phone, order my prescription, it is sent electronically to my nominated pharmacy, and two days later, my prescription is ready and waiting for me at the pharmacy.
But down with technology say the Luddites.
Youse a sick man! are old and decrepit or young and unlucky?
Cash is the best. You can spend it without being tracked, and without being charged for each transaction. It's mine, to do with as I wish, requiring neither the permission not the surveillance of a third party.
If you want to do stuff electronically, then go ahead. But don't try and forbid others from using cash.
In the past I'd waste 30 mins trying to ring up the surgery to order them, spend another 30 mins going to the surgery to pick it up, then another hour to drop it off at the pharmacy.
Now, I use an app on my phone, order my prescription, it is sent electronically to my nominated pharmacy, and two days later, my prescription is ready and waiting for me at the pharmacy.
But down with technology say the Luddites.
Youse a sick man! are old and decrepit or young and unlucky?
Young and decrepit.
Complications from diabetes from birth and complications with another long term condition, which these days I mean I walk like John Wayne.
Mr. Royale, the Morris Dancer Party is committed to not being slavish to technology. All shops and so forth would be required to accept cash. No wanky restaurants only accepting payment via apps.
Sometimes I just want to escape to a small farm in rural Devon, get some pigs, a large vegetable patch and a couple of dogs, and never trouble or be troubled by the world again.
I did that last week. Booked myself an idyllic cottage on Dartmoor, a mile from an agreeable pub (the Rugglestone, in Widecombe). Dartmoor ponies cantered across the moorland right outside my window. I was all set for a gorgeous week of writing, hiking, reading and thinking.
By day four I was so mad, bored and lonely I booked into a five star hotel near Plymouth, with much better wifi (and an amazing spa).
Rustic isolation is overrated.
It didn't help that the weather was unbelievably harsh: very cold, very wet, very windy. Great for invoking the bleak moods I wanted in my thriller but, in reality, just pretty damn bleak.
Pretty bloody gorgeous down here in Devon today. But you'd still be mad, bored and lonely.
Devon is a lovely place. If I were ever to retire from London life, but stay in the UK, the south Devon coast around Salcombe and Dartmouth would be high on my list of possible resting places, along with the Cornish coast around Falmouth.
But ideally I'd like to have enough money to end my days wintering in Thailand and Australia, and summering in London.
Three hours to London from Totnes, on a lunch or dinner train serving fine Mitch Tonks food in agreeable company (Tim Smit of the Eden Project is a regular for example) means London (and its airports) will always be there if you want it. But really, maybe one or two nights every two or three weeks is all you need to keep up with business contacts. The rest of the time, you won't miss it.
(Spoken as someone who lives on a hill top and can see Dartmouth to the left of me, over to Salcombe to the right - with a spectacular Devon valley down to the sea straight ahead.... In a Victorian house in the middle of 9 acres, that you could buy for the cost of a VERY modest London pad.)
Cash's days are numbered and rightly so. Its extinction cannot come soon enough. It is a deeply flawed means of trading
- is the most open currency medium to forgery - is hugely expensive to produce - is wasteful (the Lost Pennies Problem) - is inconvenient - is risky (susceptible to theft)
Its impending demise is the logical progression from the advent electronic banking. Get ready!
I have a number of Chinese friends who don't use cash. At all. Ever. It's all done on smartphone, including buying vegetables from the peasant at the market, giving gifts, splitting restaurant bills etc
Has anybody yet done an analysis of the possible gains and losses for this years locals on May 4th?
Labour could lose control — (ignoring by-elections since 2013) — of the only two county councils they control in Notts and Derbyshire. (Excludes Durham which is unitary). In Notts Labour are defending a 9 vote majority in a ward in Ken Clarke's constituency.
Thanks Andy. Here's hoping. Will be very hard for Corbyn to find an excuse for losing those two great counties. Losing a remote seat in the middle of nowhere might be considered unfortunate. Losing two first-class cricket counties in the heart of the nation, downright negligent.
Lol.
The battle of the May elections will be on spinning the results. Will the London media report on the English results - which shouldn't be too disastrous for Labour because they'll win most of the metro-mayoralties and are starting at a low base in the council elections as they're in more Tory-leaning areas - or will they report the GB results i.e. including Wales and Scotland.
In England, as last year, it's quite possible Labour's losses will be measured in the two digits: not great by any stretch of the imagination but not a disaster either. By contrast, Scottish Labour could lose 60-70% of their councillors if the Holyrood / Westminster VI is a guide, which would equate to a net -200 people. They might also end up as not the largest party in any council.
If the figures are given across GB, it will look a *lot* worse for Lab (and a lot better for Con) than if it's England-only.
I was at a Council meeting last night and all the Labour Councillors are knobs. Every policy is their personal preference is to say to the residents: 'fuck you, we're in charge." Nasty, evil bastards. The real nasty party
As opposed to you, who sounds lovely, apart from almost everything you say above...
In the past I'd waste 30 mins trying to ring up the surgery to order them, spend another 30 mins going to the surgery to pick it up, then another hour to drop it off at the pharmacy.
Now, I use an app on my phone, order my prescription, it is sent electronically to my nominated pharmacy, and two days later, my prescription is ready and waiting for me at the pharmacy.
But down with technology say the Luddites.
Youse a sick man! are old and decrepit or young and unlucky?
Young and decrepit.
Complications from diabetes from birth and complications with another long term condition, which these days I mean I walk like John Wayne.
You may be able to get a reduction on the NHS. As opposed to the enlargement options, which are usually found in your Spam folder.
I understand his private meeting with the Russian ambassador to be in addition to general discussions with ambassadors including the Russian ambassador. But that's not the issue. The question is whether a meeting is a communication. If he had said he had had no meetings with the Russians that would be a clear perjury. In the part of the hearing about communications between the Trump campaign and Russia he said he had had no communications without revealing he had had a private meeting while part of the campaign.
I am guessing you are not a lawyer...
There is a difference between a communication between the Trump campaign (represented by Jeff Sessions) and the Russian ambassador and a meeting between the Armed Services Committee (represented by Jeff Sessions) and the Russian ambassador.
Cash is the best. You can spend it without being tracked, and without being charged for each transaction. It's mine, to do with as I wish, requiring neither the permission not the surveillance of a third party.
If you want to do stuff electronically, then go ahead. But don't try and forbid others from using cash.
I tried to place a cash bet on a reasonably obscure market in Corals yesterday. Normally they'd phone up and get the odds and place it on a plain slip. They weren't having it - I had to sign up for a Connect card or no bet (so, no bet, given that once I'd given them my identity the account would be worthless).
Cash's days are numbered and rightly so. Its extinction cannot come soon enough. It is a deeply flawed means of trading
- is the most open currency medium to forgery - is hugely expensive to produce - is wasteful (the Lost Pennies Problem) - is inconvenient - is risky (susceptible to theft)
Its impending demise is the logical progression from the advent electronic banking. Get ready!
On the other hand
- it is private (no one can see how much you have) - it is anonymous (no one can see what you spend it on) - it is personal (its no one elses fault if you lose it) - it works where there is no network (most of the world) - it works where people cant afford smartphones (most of the world) - it's universal (you can pay a beggar or a prince with cash) - it's easier for people with small budgets to manage their money - it isn't subject to identity theft - it's doesn't get stolen in huge corporate data breaches (Target, Neiman Marcus etc)
Mr. Royale, the Morris Dancer Party is committed to not being slavish to technology. All shops and so forth would be required to accept cash. No wanky restaurants only accepting payment via apps.
Sometimes I just want to escape to a small farm in rural Devon, get some pigs, a large vegetable patch and a couple of dogs, and never trouble or be troubled by the world again.
I did that last week. Booked myself an idyllic cottage on Dartmoor, a mile from an agreeable pub (the Rugglestone, in Widecombe). Dartmoor ponies cantered across the moorland right outside my window. I was all set for a gorgeous week of writing, hiking, reading and thinking.
By day four I was so mad, bored and lonely I booked into a five star hotel near Plymouth, with much better wifi (and an amazing spa).
Rustic isolation is overrated.
It didn't help that the weather was unbelievably harsh: very cold, very wet, very windy. Great for invoking the bleak moods I wanted in my thriller but, in reality, just pretty damn bleak.
The weather last week was normal for Dartmoor in February. And in any of the 11 months of the year.
The SNP completely opposed Brexit. It claims that the return of these powers from the EU is a disaster. But now that Brexit is happening it starts getting annoyed that there is not enough Brexit quickly enough.
Even more amusingly, these are anyway powers that the SNP wants to take to Edinburgh only to hand back to the EU and Brussels if the SNP can wangle a way back into the EU. What’s the point of that or the complaint? There isn’t one, really. It is simply more anti-Westminster grievance-hunting.
Mr. Royale, the Morris Dancer Party is committed to not being slavish to technology. All shops and so forth would be required to accept cash. No wanky restaurants only accepting payment via apps.
Sometimes I just want to escape to a small farm in rural Devon, get some pigs, a large vegetable patch and a couple of dogs, and never trouble or be troubled by the world again.
I did that last week. Booked myself an idyllic cottage on Dartmoor, a mile from an agreeable pub (the Rugglestone, in Widecombe). Dartmoor ponies cantered across the moorland right outside my window. I was all set for a gorgeous week of writing, hiking, reading and thinking.
By day four I was so mad, bored and lonely I booked into a five star hotel near Plymouth, with much better wifi (and an amazing spa).
Rustic isolation is overrated.
It didn't help that the weather was unbelievably harsh: very cold, very wet, very windy. Great for invoking the bleak moods I wanted in my thriller but, in reality, just pretty damn bleak.
Ptah.
Real country dwellers work on the land rather than play at bored rural squires with nothing to do...
Cash is the best. You can spend it without being tracked, and without being charged for each transaction. It's mine, to do with as I wish, requiring neither the permission not the surveillance of a third party.
If you want to do stuff electronically, then go ahead. But don't try and forbid others from using cash.
We live in tbe 21st century so good luck spending cash legally without being tracked at all. Go into any shop to spend cash and I bet they already have CCTV covering you entering and leaving as well as probably covering the cash transaction at the tills.
In the past I'd waste 30 mins trying to ring up the surgery to order them, spend another 30 mins going to the surgery to pick it up, then another hour to drop it off at the pharmacy.
Now, I use an app on my phone, order my prescription, it is sent electronically to my nominated pharmacy, and two days later, my prescription is ready and waiting for me at the pharmacy.
But down with technology say the Luddites.
Why don't you order a repeat prescription each time you collect ? You don't even need the technology.
I have the option of different quantities/dosages/strengths available on a few of them.
Some months I need industrial amounts of gabapentin for example.
The RN has especially big problems in this area and there are times when ships cannot put to sea because there are not the skilled senior people available.
One of the root causes of this issue in the RN is the lack of a USN style 'up or out' policy for officers. There are officers who hit the limit of their capacities quite early in their careers then hang around on the same rank for, in some cases, decades. In my last RN posting I was 38 year old Lt Cdr and one of my subordinates was a 47 year old Lt! So they end up with a large cohort of aged, expensive and undermotivated junior officers sucking up resources that could be better employed elsewhere.
Mr Ace, I was thinking of senior rates rather than the wardroom but I am astonished that the RN has abandoned the Up or Out policy that held for much of modern times and still does, I think, in the army and possibly the Crabs (though who knows what that lot get up to in the privacy of their own aerodromes).
A 47 year old doing a job that someone in their late 20s should be doing, and would be doing doing better (energy, enthusiasm, motivation), is crackers and certainly wouldn't be tolerated in the infantry. One wonders what lead to this daft policy, a desire to cut training costs?
I was FAA which tends to have a lot of technical and knowledge based roles so, yes, partly to save on training and partly an attempt to retain hard won organisational knowledge. There are still plenty of 40 and 50 something Flt Lts in the RAF too...
Cash is the best. You can spend it without being tracked, and without being charged for each transaction. It's mine, to do with as I wish, requiring neither the permission not the surveillance of a third party.
If you want to do stuff electronically, then go ahead. But don't try and forbid others from using cash.
We live in tbe 21st century so good luck spending cash legally without being tracked at all. Go into any shop to spend cash and I bet they already have CCTV covering you entering and leaving as well as probably covering the cash transaction at the tills.
Not the same thing at all. If you buy something with a credit card its a primary key to you. What you bought will be used to sell you stuff, and the fact that you bought it will be aggregated and sold to third parties. None of that is likely to happen because they caught you on CCTV.
In the past I'd waste 30 mins trying to ring up the surgery to order them, spend another 30 mins going to the surgery to pick it up, then another hour to drop it off at the pharmacy.
Now, I use an app on my phone, order my prescription, it is sent electronically to my nominated pharmacy, and two days later, my prescription is ready and waiting for me at the pharmacy.
But down with technology say the Luddites.
Why don't you order a repeat prescription each time you collect ? You don't even need the technology.
I have the option of different quantities/dosages/strengths available on a few of them.
Some months I need industrial amounts of gabapentin for example.
It's that time of year again. When pension companies and advisors suggest that you need to put lump sums into pensions now before the tax benefits disappear. Perhaps this year it will be more than churnalism.
Further thought - won't most Express readers be in the drawing pension demographic so changes (joy, misery, whatever) will be neither here or there for them.
Cash's days are numbered and rightly so. Its extinction cannot come soon enough. It is a deeply flawed means of trading
- is the most open currency medium to forgery - is hugely expensive to produce - is wasteful (the Lost Pennies Problem) - is inconvenient - is risky (susceptible to theft)
Its impending demise is the logical progression from the advent electronic banking. Get ready!
On the other hand
- it is private (no one can see how much you have) - it is anonymous (no one can see what you spend it on) - it is personal (its no one elses fault if you lose it) - it works where there is no network (most of the world) - it works where people cant afford smartphones (most of the world) - it's universal (you can pay a beggar or a prince with cash) - it's easier for people with small budgets to manage their money - it isn't subject to identity theft - it's doesn't get stolen in huge corporate data breaches (Target, Neiman Marcus etc)
I can recall reading a book sometime ago about someone who, needing to hide in London found himself a small piece of land where he could sleep, got all the cash he could out of the bank then threw his credit cards and his mobile phone into the Thames, and, to top up his money begged and used such places as the Sally Army. He stayed out of sight for some time considerable time.
Mr. Royale, the Morris Dancer Party is committed to not being slavish to technology. All shops and so forth would be required to accept cash. No wanky restaurants only accepting payment via apps.
Sometimes I just want to escape to a small farm in rural Devon, get some pigs, a large vegetable patch and a couple of dogs, and never trouble or be troubled by the world again.
I did that last week. Booked myself an idyllic cottage on Dartmoor, a mile from an agreeable pub (the Rugglestone, in Widecombe). Dartmoor ponies cantered across the moorland right outside my window. I was all set for a gorgeous week of writing, hiking, reading and thinking.
By day four I was so mad, bored and lonely I booked into a five star hotel near Plymouth, with much better wifi (and an amazing spa).
Rustic isolation is overrated.
It didn't help that the weather was unbelievably harsh: very cold, very wet, very windy. Great for invoking the bleak moods I wanted in my thriller but, in reality, just pretty damn bleak.
Your nubile Momentum floozy was obviously of the wrong stamp as an urban revolutionary. Because surely you didn't go there on your own did you?
The RN has especially big problems in this area and there are times when ships cannot put to sea because there are not the skilled senior people available.
One of the root causes of this issue in the RN is the lack of a USN style 'up or out' policy for officers. There are officers who hit the limit of their capacities quite early in their careers then hang around on the same rank for, in some cases, decades. In my last RN posting I was 38 year old Lt Cdr and one of my subordinates was a 47 year old Lt! So they end up with a large cohort of aged, expensive and undermotivated junior officers sucking up resources that could be better employed elsewhere.
In Nelson's day the RN had a large number of middle aged midshipmen...
The most famous of whom was probably Billy Culmer who was still a midshipman at the age of 57. He was finally promoted to Lieutenant though and died after two commissions in 1802.
Ah, yes. Thanks for that Mr Llama - I was trying to look him up just now but had misremembered his name.
Actually men like him were highly valued - they cost peanuts, were vastly experienced (often much more so than most commission officers) and could keep the midshipmen's birth in order.
The most famous anecdote about Culmer concerned his examination for lieutenant when he was quizzed by a board of officers much younger than he was. When they asked him what he would do in an impossible situation on a lea shore he told them he would let the ship go on shore and be damned, and wish they were all on board. He passed the exam.
Sky - Jeff Sessions has reportedly told US media he is prepared to step down as Attorney General because of his dealings with Russia.
So that would be the National Security Advisor and the Attorney General resigning over their links to Russia.
Donald Trump, lock him up.
one private meeting with a russian ambassador amongst meeting 25 other foreign ambassadors hardly constitutes "links" to russia
But he lied to the Senate about it.
Lock him up.
no he said he "did not meet with any russians at any time to discuss any political campaign" which does not mean he did not meet the russian ambassador as a member of the Senate armed services Comittee. This is a hatchet job by the Democtrats
Mr. Royale, the Morris Dancer Party is committed to not being slavish to technology. All shops and so forth would be required to accept cash. No wanky restaurants only accepting payment via apps.
Sometimes I just want to escape to a small farm in rural Devon, get some pigs, a large vegetable patch and a couple of dogs, and never trouble or be troubled by the world again.
I did that last week. Booked myself an idyllic cottage on Dartmoor, a mile from an agreeable pub (the Rugglestone, in Widecombe). Dartmoor ponies cantered across the moorland right outside my window. I was all set for a gorgeous week of writing, hiking, reading and thinking.
By day four I was so mad, bored and lonely I booked into a five star hotel near Plymouth, with much better wifi (and an amazing spa).
Rustic isolation is overrated.
It didn't help that the weather was unbelievably harsh: very cold, very wet, very windy. Great for invoking the bleak moods I wanted in my thriller but, in reality, just pretty damn bleak.
Pretty bloody gorgeous down here in Devon today. But you'd still be mad, bored and lonely.
Devon is a lovely place. If I were ever to retire from London life, but stay in the UK, the south Devon coast around Salcombe and Dartmouth would be high on my list of possible resting places, along with the Cornish coast around Falmouth.
But ideally I'd like to have enough money to end my days wintering in Thailand and Australia, and summering in London.
Three hours to London from Totnes, on a lunch or dinner train serving fine Mitch Tonks food in agreeable company (Tim Smit of the Eden Project is a regular for example) means London (and its airports) will always be there if you want it. But really, maybe one or two nights every two or three weeks is all you need to keep up with business contacts. The rest of the time, you won't miss it.
(Spoken as someone who lives on a hill top and can see Dartmouth to the left of me, over to Salcombe to the right - with a spectacular Devon valley down to the sea straight ahead.... In a Victorian house in the middle of 9 acres, that you could buy for the cost of a VERY modest London pad.)
The London - Bodmin Parkway service is a joy. And you end up in Cornwall afterwards.
Sky - Jeff Sessions has reportedly told US media he is prepared to step down as Attorney General because of his dealings with Russia.
So that would be the National Security Advisor and the Attorney General resigning over their links to Russia.
Donald Trump, lock him up.
one private meeting with a russian ambassador amongst meeting 25 other foreign ambassadors hardly constitutes "links" to russia
But he lied to the Senate about it.
Lock him up.
no he said he "did not meet with any russians at any time to discuss any political campaign" which does not mean he did not meet the russian ambassador as a member of the Senate armed services Comittee. This is a hatchet job by the Democtrats
Let's keep to the facts. He said he "had no communications" .
The RN has especially big problems in this area and there are times when ships cannot put to sea because there are not the skilled senior people available.
One of the root causes of this issue in the RN is the lack of a USN style 'up or out' policy for officers. There are officers who hit the limit of their capacities quite early in their careers then hang around on the same rank for, in some cases, decades. In my last RN posting I was 38 year old Lt Cdr and one of my subordinates was a 47 year old Lt! So they end up with a large cohort of aged, expensive and undermotivated junior officers sucking up resources that could be better employed elsewhere.
In Nelson's day the RN had a large number of middle aged midshipmen...
The most famous of whom was probably Billy Culmer who was still a midshipman at the age of 57. He was finally promoted to Lieutenant though and died after two commissions in 1802.
Ah, yes. Thanks for that Mr Llama - I was trying to look him up just now but had misremembered his name.
Actually men like him were highly valued - they cost peanuts, were vastly experienced (often much more so than most commission officers) and could keep the midshipmen's birth in order.
The most famous anecdote about Culmer concerned his examination for lieutenant when he was quizzed by a board of officers much younger than he was. When they asked him what he would do in an impossible situation on a lea shore he told them he would let the ship go on shore and be damned, and wish they were all on board. He passed the exam.
The father of a friend of mine was the youngest wartime major at age 22. He retired as a major aged 55.
Sky - Jeff Sessions has reportedly told US media he is prepared to step down as Attorney General because of his dealings with Russia.
So that would be the National Security Advisor and the Attorney General resigning over their links to Russia.
Donald Trump, lock him up.
one private meeting with a russian ambassador amongst meeting 25 other foreign ambassadors hardly constitutes "links" to russia
But he lied to the Senate about it.
Lock him up.
no he said he "did not meet with any russians at any time to discuss any political campaign" which does not mean he did not meet the russian ambassador as a member of the Senate armed services Comittee. This is a hatchet job by the Democtrats
This is turning into Bill Clinton's definition of 'is' during the Lewinsky investigation.
Sky - Jeff Sessions has reportedly told US media he is prepared to step down as Attorney General because of his dealings with Russia.
So that would be the National Security Advisor and the Attorney General resigning over their links to Russia.
Donald Trump, lock him up.
one private meeting with a russian ambassador amongst meeting 25 other foreign ambassadors hardly constitutes "links" to russia
But he lied to the Senate about it.
Lock him up.
no he said he "did not meet with any russians at any time to discuss any political campaign" which does not mean he did not meet the russian ambassador as a member of the Senate armed services Comittee. This is a hatchet job by the Democtrats
Let's keep to the facts. He said he "had no communications" .
that reply was given in the context of a question regarding the Trump campaign not regarding his position as a member the Senate Armed Services Comittee
Comments
http://www.politicalbetting.com/index.php/archives/2013/12/11/is-it-all-about-leader-ratings-and-the-economic-lead/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-39141391
I haven't seen the offending tweets, but what could she be charged with? The report says she tweeted several graphic pictures highlighting the brutality of ISIS. Is that really criminal? Surely it is more a breach of T&C of twitter, as nobody thinks she is posting them as post for ISIS.
Prohibition of bringing to school expensive jewelery and other items such as: bracelets, necklaces, rings, cellular phones, electronic games and pagers
But then again British kids don't know they are born
All male students shall sport a decent barbers haircut, the hair should not touch the ears or collar or the shirt. Haircut inspection will be done on the first Monday of the month and the school reserves the right to cut the hair of any student who fails to comply with the above provision
When a Treasury mandarin highlighted the "golden" nature of his inheritance to the new Chancellor, Gordon Brown, he famously replied: "What do you want, me to write a thank you note?"
Fairly sure I offended an elderlyish gentleman once by offering him a seat.
A huge amount can happen in the next three years and only a mug would call GE2020 right now.
Mr. Eagles, the idea a shop can refuse service if you try and pay them with money is dystopian and deranged.
Mr. Royale, indeed.
https://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201617/cmselect/cmfaff/120/120.pdf
One LOL:
Sputnik News disputed the claim that it operates as a propaganda machine for the Kremlin. However, in evidence to the Committee its representative, Oxana Brazhnik, could not provide any examples of reporting that criticised Russian military actions.
In the past I'd waste 30 mins trying to ring up the surgery to order them, spend another 30 mins going to the surgery to pick it up, then another hour to drop it off at the pharmacy.
Now, I use an app on my phone, order my prescription, it is sent electronically to my nominated pharmacy, and two days later, my prescription is ready and waiting for me at the pharmacy.
But down with technology say the Luddites.
I do think though, with the rise of not just twitter/facebook but Instagram and snapchat things have gotten worse. Even I will admit that I'm attached to my phone. I think the trouble is now is that it is no longer just as 'kids thing' in terms of people with their head down looking over a phone. I travel on the met line four days a week (with the exception of one day where I work from home, i.e. today). Every time I'm on tube literally everyone is looking down at their phone. Whether it be that they're texting, listening to music, going online etc literally everyone is pretty much on their phone. It's the same when you're on the bus as well. This is something not just limited to young people, but people across all age groups. My mum was telling me the other day about a few people at her work place that are constantly on their phones!
Mr. Eagles, in a world without hackers or theft from within companies. It also means people without a smartphone can't use their own money to buy things.
Mr. Eagles (2), I'm not saying such payment schemes should be forbidden, only that cash should not be forbidden.
http://www.spectator.co.uk/2017/03/the-real-reason-nigel-farage-hates-douglas-carswell/
She's a very good media performer however so if she modified her views it's possible.
I think if Marine loses she will stick around to fight 2022 though.
The one that really pissed me off was Dublin buses not giving change... To save time supposedly. They give you a bit of paper that if you go to an office somewhere you can reclaim the money. Don't know if it's still like that but what a moneymaking scheme!
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/03/02/sweden-reintroduce-conscription-amid-baltic-military-build-up/
Russia's near neighbours don't appear to find Putin as benign as Trump does.
Real country dwellers work on the land rather than play at bored rural squires with nothing to do...
---
Leavers will become less prickly or Remainers more grateful?
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/mar/02/sports-direct-agent-provocateur-lingerie-mike-ashley
http://www.spectator.co.uk/2017/03/trumps-real-strategy-for-facing-putin-speak-softly-and-buy-more-nukes/
Some months I need industrial amounts of gabapentin for example.
And Labour will spin it, Jezza will say 'rejoice' at the new Mayors, and everyone will forget hat 100-odd councillors have lost. Most importantly, hardly anyone will notice the 9% decline in vote share. After 2020 GE Labour vote share have crumbled without many noticing and suddenly we see a party in proper decline, hopefully. That's good. Why? I was at a Council meeting last night and all the Labour Councillors are knobs. Every policy is their personal preference is to say to the residents: 'fuck you, we're in charge." Nasty, evil bastards. The real nasty party
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVwOcz-VMlU
Cash's days are numbered and rightly so. Its extinction cannot come soon enough. It is a deeply flawed means of trading
- is the most open currency medium to forgery
- is hugely expensive to produce
- is wasteful (the Lost Pennies Problem)
- is inconvenient
- is risky (susceptible to theft)
Its impending demise is the logical progression from the advent electronic banking. Get ready!
Cash is the best. You can spend it without being tracked, and without being charged for each transaction. It's mine, to do with as I wish, requiring neither the permission not the surveillance of a third party.
If you want to do stuff electronically, then go ahead. But don't try and forbid others from using cash.
Complications from diabetes from birth and complications with another long term condition, which these days I mean I walk like John Wayne.
(Spoken as someone who lives on a hill top and can see Dartmouth to the left of me, over to Salcombe to the right - with a spectacular Devon valley down to the sea straight ahead.... In a Victorian house in the middle of 9 acres, that you could buy for the cost of a VERY modest London pad.)
There is a difference between a communication between the Trump campaign (represented by Jeff Sessions) and the Russian ambassador and a meeting between the Armed Services Committee (represented by Jeff Sessions) and the Russian ambassador.
- it is private (no one can see how much you have)
- it is anonymous (no one can see what you spend it on)
- it is personal (its no one elses fault if you lose it)
- it works where there is no network (most of the world)
- it works where people cant afford smartphones (most of the world)
- it's universal (you can pay a beggar or a prince with cash)
- it's easier for people with small budgets to manage their money
- it isn't subject to identity theft
- it's doesn't get stolen in huge corporate data breaches (Target, Neiman Marcus etc)
Even more amusingly, these are anyway powers that the SNP wants to take to Edinburgh only to hand back to the EU and Brussels if the SNP can wangle a way back into the EU. What’s the point of that or the complaint? There isn’t one, really. It is simply more anti-Westminster grievance-hunting.
https://reaction.life/hilarious-snp-demands-return-powers-wants-send-back-brussels-anyway/
So that would be the National Security Advisor and the Attorney General resigning over their links to Russia.
Donald Trump, lock him up.
Further thought - won't most Express readers be in the drawing pension demographic so changes (joy, misery, whatever) will be neither here or there for them.
Lock him up.
Wow... I thought he could weather this easily.... Is this confirmed?
He stayed out of sight for some time considerable time.
Actually men like him were highly valued - they cost peanuts, were vastly experienced (often much more so than most commission officers) and could keep the midshipmen's birth in order.
The most famous anecdote about Culmer concerned his examination for lieutenant when he was quizzed by a board of officers much younger than he was. When they asked him what he would do in an impossible situation on a lea shore he told them he would let the ship go on shore and be damned, and wish they were all on board. He passed the exam.
Even Republicans are recoiling from Sessions
https://www.axios.com/house-majority-leader-says-sessions-should-recuse-himself-2294643689.html
If does resign it will probably be because the Democrats can get him back to the Senate for cross-examination, which will be very painful for him.
Sessions offers to recuse himself from Russia investigation
http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/321947-sessions-denies-talking-campaign-with-russia