@MattChorley: Spinster's will was CLEAR she wanted £520,000 to go to state coffers not politicians, Cameron admits http://t.co/3bTbO02JPv
He admits nothing of the sort. From that link -
‘But I think when you look at the wording of the will it seems to us the intention was more to benefit the nation, so what we’ve done, the Conservative Party has done, with our part of the donation is give it to the Treasury so it can help to pay down the national debt, which I think meets the spirit of what this very generous lady meant.'
Great fun. Recommend. Also good if you want to escape angry atheists.
Best view over London - a right hand window seat on a plane making its final descent into Heathrow. Stunning night or day. Can't think of a better final 15 minutes into any big city anywhere. For a first time visitor it must be magical. Shame about the rip-off journey back into town after that though.
Agree. Great isn't it. I especially like trying to pick out the football grounds if the floodlights are on.
If it's clear you can usually get good views of Spurs, Arsenal, Chelsea, Fulham, Brentford, Wembley, Lord's, Twickenham and the Olympic Stadium. Don't think I've spotted any others.
Bubble policy sending UK debt financing up, now way above France
"way above France" - bless. Like the usual BBC line that the stockmarket "plummeted" 0.3%..?
10-yr rates have been above France for weeks now. But, critically, and especially with regard to your "Tories spending more than Labour" meme, they are relatively low and come as a direct consequence of the market believing The Osbo when he arrived that the deficit would be addressed.
We know that UK 10 year rates are higher than France and remember when pbtories used to boast how they were lower than than France because of their socialist president .
But that is because the story has fundamentally changed. The question used to be where is your money safest? We were safer than France so our rates were lower. Now the question is where is likely to grow fastest and start pushing interest rates up fastest? The answer is again the UK.
Personally I think Danny Alexander deserves a lot of the blame. He has been simply excellent at a very difficult job.
The safe haven argument is fading.
It should be noted that an investor in UK 10 year bonds would have realised a loss of -5.08% over the past year.
An investor in French 10 year bonds would have realised a profit of +0.77% over the same period.
Mark Senior is focussing only on bond yields and not overall investor value.
He would have been better to first consult the relative index values of French and British bonds. Here are the Bloomberg index values today:
France :
UK: 123.64 FR: 119.98
The difference is almost certainly due to the negative impact of Hollande's incompetent socialist government on the French economy.
But then Mark Senior wouldn't know the difference between Tintin and a Tontine.
"I was a Conservative member for 46 years till recently, I have been impressed by Milliband, he is the type of person who has definitely got what it takes to be PM, PMQ's Cameron never answers a question, I believe that when the Election comes, people will look at the future and say " get rid of this incompetent coalition" good luck Ed you have my Vote!"
Sounds like a reincarnation of Phil "us blues" Roberts!
Great fun. Recommend. Also good if you want to escape angry atheists.
You're heading for 500 comments atm, maybe you can offer a trip to Holy Island for the best atheist comment and some signed bibles for the runners-up. Should keep things ticking over nicely.
I had a drink with some Telegraph bigwigs t'other day and they told me - interestingly - that more important than the number of comments is the number of "shares" - i.e. Twitter links, Facebook links, Reddits, etc
A piece can generate 1000 comments - and that's great and v welcome - but that can just be three old stoners arguing about cheese, online, at 3am. Whereas actual links prove the Telegraph website is being accessed by lots of different people. Anything that gets anywhere near the magic 1000 links is gold-dust. ATM the piece has 800 links (and it's still going up) so it's done the job.
It was an intriguing insight into the scary new world of digital journalism.
I've never understood why the telegraph was happy to use a third party comments systems (disqus).
Running the comments system in house means they have the email address of their readers, they can then email them about new stuff, or if their visits/comments decline in frequency.
Using a third-party system such as Disqus gives advantages and disadvantages: 1) You do not need the in-house knowledge on how to design and run the system (although as PB showed, they were hardly well-staffed or responsive). 2) It is independent, therefore (slightly) more trusted by the user wrt what the data is used for. 3) People are more likely to comment if they already have an account that is shared between different websites. 4) You can choose to develop the system in a certain direction.
Downsides: 1) A system with more users is more attractive to hackers; 2) User using an alias on one website might not want it to be used on another. 3) Downtime is out of your hands. 4) Support and general development direction is out of your hands.
Different usage methods may change some of the advantages to disadvantages, and vice versa.
I'm really quite stunned at how the Mail's #MrsEdwards story died within minutes of her executor's statement.
Not a peep since, I hope Mr Shipman and those at the FT and BBC are thoroughly ashamed of themselves. Ditto those in LD & CCHQ who blinked before the facts were actually sorted.
The only person who lost here is Mrs Edwards. I'm truly irked.
Great fun. Recommend. Also good if you want to escape angry atheists.
You're heading for 500 comments atm, maybe you can offer a trip to Holy Island for the best atheist comment and some signed bibles for the runners-up. Should keep things ticking over nicely.
I had a drink with some Telegraph bigwigs t'other day and they told me - interestingly - that more important than the number of comments is the number of "shares" - i.e. Twitter links, Facebook links, Reddits, etc
A piece can generate 1000 comments - and that's great and v welcome - but that can just be three old stoners arguing about cheese, online, at 3am. Whereas actual links prove the Telegraph website is being accessed by lots of different people. Anything that gets anywhere near the magic 1000 links is gold-dust. ATM the piece has 800 links (and it's still going up) so it's done the job.
It was an intriguing insight into the scary new world of digital journalism.
Your blog is not really the product. It is readers of your blog who are the product that the Telegraph is selling to their advertisers. The social media "shares" bring in more, new readers (for the same sorts of reasons Jim Messina presumably is being paid to exploit for the Conservative Party -- the implied recommendation from someone "known").
Since there is always a "government in office", the "whichever" in the will must imply whichever party is in office.
Rod is right on that - I was about to make the same point. That 'whichever' does throw in an element of support for the political party interpretation.
It's certainly a spectacularly bad bit of drafting, though. If, as Davis Wood say, "It was confirmed by Miss Edwards at the time of her instructions that her estate was to be left to whichever political party formed the government at the date of her death", then why in the name of heaven didn't they use that wording?
So, basically she wasn't bothered whichever "party" got the money ? She could not have known at that time which party would be in power. That shows she had no particular allegiance.
I personally think she meant whichever "government" in power, i.e. help the country. It was just badly drafted.
So you are saying that the statement put out by her lawyers is false?
only other alternative is they are useless and should not be practicing
"way above France" - bless. Like the usual BBC line that the stockmarket "plummeted" 0.3%..?
.
We know that UK 10 year rates are higher than France and remember when pbtories used to boast how they were lower than than France because of their socialist president .
But that is because the story has fundamentally changed. The question used to be where is your money safest? We were safer than France so our rates were lower. Now the question is where is likely to grow fastest and start pushing interest rates up fastest? The answer is again the UK.
Personally I think Danny Alexander deserves a lot of the blame. He has been simply excellent at a very difficult job.
The safe haven argument is fading.
It should be noted that an investor in UK 10 year bonds would have realised a loss of -5.08% over the past year.
An investor in French 10 year bonds would have realised a profit of +0.77% over the same period.
Mark Senior is focussing only on bond yields and not overall investor value.
He would have been better to first consult the relative index values of French and British bonds. Here are the Bloomberg index values today:
France :
UK: 123.64 FR: 119.98
The difference is almost certainly due to the negative impact of Hollande's incompetent socialist government on the French economy.
But then Mark Senior wouldn't know the difference between Tintin and a Tontine.
Avery , I am not focusing on anything . I am simply pointing out how ludicrous and partisan it is for pbtories to go from a few months ago that UK 10 year bond rates were lower than France because Osborne was great and Hollande a socialist to now saying that UK 10 year bond rates are higher than France because Osborne is great and Hollande is socialist . Even the most inept spinner such as yourself should realise the folly of that stance .
Yemeni Nobel Peace Prize winner Tawakkol Karman told Reuters Monday that the overthrow of President Mohamed Morsy by the Egyptian army marks a fatal blow to democracy in the Arab world, after Morsy became the first Egyptian president to come to power through free and fair elections.
Karman warned that the destruction of Egypt's revolution threatened the very survival of the gains of the Arab Spring.
"The first emerging democracy in Egypt's history, and in the region, since the Arab Spring is getting dismantled quickly," Karman said.
"way above France" - bless. Like the usual BBC line that the stockmarket "plummeted" 0.3%..?
.
We know that UK 10 year rates are higher than France and remember when pbtories used to boast how they were lower than than France because of their socialist president .
But that is because the story has fundamentally changed. The question used to be where is your money safest? We were safer than France so our rates were lower. Now the question is where is likely to grow fastest and start pushing interest rates up fastest? The answer is again the UK.
Personally I think Danny Alexander deserves a lot of the blame. He has been simply excellent at a very difficult job.
The safe haven argument is fading.
It should be noted that an investor in UK 10 year bonds would have realised a loss of -5.08% over the past year.
An investor in French 10 year bonds would have realised a profit of +0.77% over the same period.
Mark Senior is focussing only on bond yields and not overall investor value.
He would have been better to first consult the relative index values of French and British bonds. Here are the Bloomberg index values today:
France :
UK: 123.64 FR: 119.98
The difference is almost certainly due to the negative impact of Hollande's incompetent socialist government on the French economy.
But then Mark Senior wouldn't know the difference between Tintin and a Tontine.
Avery , I am not focusing on anything . I am simply pointing out how ludicrous and partisan it is for pbtories to go from a few months ago that UK 10 year bond rates were lower than France because Osborne was great and Hollande a socialist to now saying that UK 10 year bond rates are higher than France because Osborne is great and Hollande is socialist . Even the most inept spinner such as yourself should realise the folly of that stance .
To Avery, even the smell coming out of Osborne's arse smell of roses !
Since there is always a "government in office", the "whichever" in the will must imply whichever party is in office.
Rod is right on that - I was about to make the same point. That 'whichever' does throw in an element of support for the political party interpretation.
It's certainly a spectacularly bad bit of drafting, though. If, as Davis Wood say, "It was confirmed by Miss Edwards at the time of her instructions that her estate was to be left to whichever political party formed the government at the date of her death", then why in the name of heaven didn't they use that wording?
So, basically she wasn't bothered whichever "party" got the money ? She could not have known at that time which party would be in power. That shows she had no particular allegiance.
I personally think she meant whichever "government" in power, i.e. help the country. It was just badly drafted.
So you are saying that the statement put out by her lawyers is false?
Have you never heard of incompetent lawyers ? If that was indeed her wish, why didn't the will explicitly say that.
What is the rationale of the Liberal Democrats 20% share ? Are they so weak that they could not demand 50%. They should understand that on every government decision , they hold a veto.
What would the Tories have done if they had asked for 50% ? Go to the press ?
Because a good working relationship is worth more than the extra £150K
more like the lapdogs accepted the only bone being thrown to them
"I was a Conservative member for 46 years till recently, I have been impressed by Milliband, he is the type of person who has definitely got what it takes to be PM, PMQ's Cameron never answers a question, I believe that when the Election comes, people will look at the future and say " get rid of this incompetent coalition" good luck Ed you have my Vote!"
Sounds like a reincarnation of Phil "us blues" Roberts!
According to figures from Defra, under Labour, the wholesale price of a dozen eggs doubled from 35p to 70p – much faster than inflation – hitting families who are struggling on the egg-line. Awkwardly the figures also show that the price of eggs is actually falling under the Tories. I’m not sure Ed has cracked this one yet.
According to figures from Defra, under Labour, the wholesale price of a dozen eggs doubled from 35p to 70p – much faster than inflation – hitting families who are struggling on the egg-line. Awkwardly the figures also show that the price of eggs is actually falling under the Tories. I’m not sure Ed has cracked this one yet.
It's Vanilla. Maybe it doesn't like being called Disqus!
Oh, yeah. Ooops.
I've harangued 400 million atheists and flown in a helicopter over the Shard and nearly run over 54 drunken Scotsmen, all in one day. Think I'm a bit tired.
Can I be a troll too? Can I?
Only children and the gullible believe in "God", Sean! Whch are you?
Who would sue them ? Incompetent lawyers ? Weak Lib Dems couldn't even get their hands on 50% of the loot !
The LDs only make up ~20% of the Cabinet -- a ratio which I imagine extends to non-Cabinet ministers, so the division of the gift seems perfectly reasonable.
Alan, they have run out of scare stories so are regurgitating old polls now, long out of date and close to bollocks.
malc neither side is coming out of this smelling of roses. The nats have been totally abysmal and the unionisst are trying to match them. The whole 3 year campaign has to be one of the worst ideas ever, it provides nothing worthwhile, hasn't changed much and now everybody's bored shitless.
Who would sue them ? Incompetent lawyers ? Weak Lib Dems couldn't even get their hands on 50% of the loot !
The LDs only make up ~20% of the Cabinet -- a ratio which I imagine extends to non-Cabinet ministers, so the division of the gift seems perfectly reasonable.
According to my calculations (which are sometimes correct!), the LDs actually have less than 20% of Coalition MPs.
@MattChorley: Spinster's will was CLEAR she wanted £520,000 to go to state coffers not politicians, Cameron admits http://t.co/3bTbO02JPv
He admits nothing of the sort. From that link -
‘But I think when you look at the wording of the will it seems to us the intention was more to benefit the nation, so what we’ve done, the Conservative Party has done, with our part of the donation is give it to the Treasury so it can help to pay down the national debt, which I think meets the spirit of what this very generous lady meant.'
So, if the "wording" "seems" to explain her "intention", why did the Tories gobble up the money ? Why were the PBTories justifying the unjustiable ?
The fact is that if the furore had not taken place , the money would have been nicked !
According to figures from Defra, under Labour, the wholesale price of a dozen eggs doubled from 35p to 70p – much faster than inflation – hitting families who are struggling on the egg-line. Awkwardly the figures also show that the price of eggs is actually falling under the Tories. I’m not sure Ed has cracked this one yet.
Care to explain why this is good under the coalition but was bad under Labour?
@jdportes: "All the new jobs went to immigrants!". In the last quarter foreign-born workers up 135K, British born workers down 15K (1/3)
With your excellent skill for understanding and putting forward an argument you should be able to dissect it in minutes...
Oh wait.....
"Foreign-born" doesn't necessarily mean "non-British", which is why I detest the term! Take yours truly as an example: I was born in India, but lived in Blighty since I was a few months old!
Avery , I am not focusing on anything . I am simply pointing out how ludicrous and partisan it is for pbtories to go from a few months ago that UK 10 year bond rates were lower than France because Osborne was great and Hollande a socialist to now saying that UK 10 year bond rates are higher than France because Osborne is great and Hollande is socialist . Even the most inept spinner such as yourself should realise the folly of that stance .
Awww, bless, Mark.
I haven't been called an "inept spinner" since Pork last posted.
Not folly at all.
For the last two years investors have been prepared to suffer negative returns by investing in UK bonds rather than obtaining positive returns by investing in French bonds. This is because Osborne's handling of the UK economy was more continent and less risky than la socialiste Terreur de Citoyen Hollande.
'tis also why UK bonds are still rated higher than their French equivalents.
Irrelevant anecdote alert... Got a hair cut in North Laine today. Two shops have closed and opened as coffee bars within spitting distance of the hairdresser. So... I walked the four blocks of North Laine shopping streets, ex-shop coffee bar spotting, and found three more new ones since I was last there (and noticing anything) a few weeks ago. There were already a zillion coffee bars/cafes etc in North Laine. Who the feck's drinking all this coffee?
It's Vanilla. Maybe it doesn't like being called Disqus!
Oh, yeah. Ooops.
I've harangued 400 million atheists and flown in a helicopter over the Shard and nearly run over 54 drunken Scotsmen, all in one day. Think I'm a bit tired.
Can I be a troll too? Can I?
Only children and the gullible believe in "God", Sean! Whch are you?
Sunil you're too good natured to be a proper troll. Sorry.
Hmmm, OK. I'll try again.
Would atheists or certain types of "believers" be more likely to demand your daughter wear a headscarf should they ever take over in this country?
Who would sue them ? Incompetent lawyers ? Weak Lib Dems couldn't even get their hands on 50% of the loot !
The LDs only make up ~20% of the Cabinet -- a ratio which I imagine extends to non-Cabinet ministers, so the division of the gift seems perfectly reasonable.
I wasn't aware that the Coalition agreement stipulated what share each party would take of the loot. The LD's could have said 50% , take it or leave it. The Tories could have done nothing.
Better still, they should have come out saying "we do not want the money for ourselves". Sadly, greed took over for both parties of the coalition.
Any of you folk been anywhere near Tewkesbury??. I stayed in a fabulous hotel nearby and visited the town. It seems to have refused to allow any hypermarket development (there is a small Morrisons on the outskirts that I saw) but the town is full of the sort of shops we all knew and loved....
So, if the "wording" "seems" to explain her "intention", why did the Tories gobble up the money ? Why were the PBTories justifying the unjustiable ?
The fact is that if the furore had not taken place , the money would have been nicked !
The executors explicitly said that the money had gone exactly where Ms Edwards wanted it go. If you want to publicly post about them being liars, and the Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties being thieves, be my guest.
Irrelevant anecdote alert... Got a hair cut in North Laine today. Two shops have closed and opened as coffee bars within spitting distance of the hairdresser. So... I walked the four blocks of North Laine shopping streets, ex-shop coffee bar spotting, and found three more new ones since I was last there (and noticing anything) a few weeks ago. There were already a zillion coffee bars/cafes etc in North Laine. Who the feck's drinking all this coffee?
Coffee bars can be profitable because margins are high and while prices are eye-watering, it really is better than the stuff you make at home or get out of the machine at work.
Irrelevant anecdote alert... Got a hair cut in North Laine today. Two shops have closed and opened as coffee bars within spitting distance of the hairdresser. So... I walked the four blocks of North Laine shopping streets, ex-shop coffee bar spotting, and found three more new ones since I was last there (and noticing anything) a few weeks ago. There were already a zillion coffee bars/cafes etc in North Laine. Who the feck's drinking all this coffee?
They are all being set up by 'self-employed' retirees as a front for claiming what is left of Labour's in-work benefits.
Shameful, I know, but we have to remember that Lloyds of London started as a Coffee Bar in 1688. There is hope for the Brighton economy yet.
Try to find the pearl amongst the swine and invest.
It's Vanilla. Maybe it doesn't like being called Disqus!
Oh, yeah. Ooops.
I've harangued 400 million atheists and flown in a helicopter over the Shard and nearly run over 54 drunken Scotsmen, all in one day. Think I'm a bit tired.
Can I be a troll too? Can I?
Only children and the gullible believe in "God", Sean! Whch are you?
Sunil you're too good natured to be a proper troll. Sorry.
Hmmm, OK. I'll try again.
Would atheists or certain types of "believers" be more likely to demand your daughter wear a headscarf should they ever take over in this country?
There!
Nope. Sorry. Your love of different trains and buses fatally undermines your trolling persona.
Final go, then!
If "God" exists, why didn't Dave get his majority in 2010?
It's Vanilla. Maybe it doesn't like being called Disqus!
Oh, yeah. Ooops.
I've harangued 400 million atheists and flown in a helicopter over the Shard and nearly run over 54 drunken Scotsmen, all in one day. Think I'm a bit tired.
Can I be a troll too? Can I?
Only children and the gullible believe in "God", Sean! Whch are you?
Sunil you're too good natured to be a proper troll. Sorry.
Hmmm, OK. I'll try again.
Would atheists or certain types of "believers" be more likely to demand your daughter wear a headscarf should they ever take over in this country?
There!
Sean is a poor laboratory subject, Sunil.
Try offering him a drink and he'll say anything you want.
It's Vanilla. Maybe it doesn't like being called Disqus!
Oh, yeah. Ooops.
I've harangued 400 million atheists and flown in a helicopter over the Shard and nearly run over 54 drunken Scotsmen, all in one day. Think I'm a bit tired.
Can I be a troll too? Can I?
Only children and the gullible believe in "God", Sean! Whch are you?
Sunil you're too good natured to be a proper troll. Sorry.
Dr Sunil would surely be a Hall of the Mountain King troll - one of the aristocracy and with splendid breeding?
Alan, they have run out of scare stories so are regurgitating old polls now, long out of date and close to bollocks.
malc neither side is coming out of this smelling of roses. The nats have been totally abysmal and the unionisst are trying to match them. The whole 3 year campaign has to be one of the worst ideas ever, it provides nothing worthwhile, hasn't changed much and now everybody's bored shitless.
Alan, we have consolation that there are only 400 days left to go. Time to head for the pub to see Scotland thrashing England. I may be gone a while.
It's Vanilla. Maybe it doesn't like being called Disqus!
Oh, yeah. Ooops.
I've harangued 400 million atheists and flown in a helicopter over the Shard and nearly run over 54 drunken Scotsmen, all in one day. Think I'm a bit tired.
Can I be a troll too? Can I?
Only children and the gullible believe in "God", Sean! Whch are you?
Sunil you're too good natured to be a proper troll. Sorry.
Hmmm, OK. I'll try again.
Would atheists or certain types of "believers" be more likely to demand your daughter wear a headscarf should they ever take over in this country?
There!
Sean is a poor laboratory subject, Sunil.
Try offering him a drink and he'll say anything you want.
Note: The subject Avery Sean responds to the stimulus as predicted!
Irrelevant anecdote alert... Got a hair cut in North Laine today. Two shops have closed and opened as coffee bars within spitting distance of the hairdresser. So... I walked the four blocks of North Laine shopping streets, ex-shop coffee bar spotting, and found three more new ones since I was last there (and noticing anything) a few weeks ago. There were already a zillion coffee bars/cafes etc in North Laine. Who the feck's drinking all this coffee?
Coffee bars can be profitable because margins are high and while prices are eye-watering, it really is better than the stuff you make at home or get out of the machine at work.
Oh I like coffee bars and decent coffee (don't bother at home). It's the only time I ever 'properly' read a paper. But they were fairly empty despite the fact that the streets were teeming.
I'm really quite stunned at how the Mail's #MrsEdwards story died within minutes of her executor's statement.
Not a peep since, I hope Mr Shipman and those at the FT and BBC are thoroughly ashamed of themselves. Ditto those in LD & CCHQ who blinked before the facts were actually sorted.
The only person who lost here is Mrs Edwards. I'm truly irked.
What is truly remarkable is that the Conservative and LibDem parties, before and instead of checking what was intended, divvied up the dosh between them.
They knew it smelled, because they approached the AG for advice, and also knew it would be made public and would be picked up by the papers, but did not have the nous, the political common sense, if not to decline the money then at least to check what was intended and then get their story straight in advance.
Irrelevant anecdote alert... Got a hair cut in North Laine today. Two shops have closed and opened as coffee bars within spitting distance of the hairdresser. So... I walked the four blocks of North Laine shopping streets, ex-shop coffee bar spotting, and found three more new ones since I was last there (and noticing anything) a few weeks ago. There were already a zillion coffee bars/cafes etc in North Laine. Who the feck's drinking all this coffee?
Coffee bars can be profitable because margins are high and while prices are eye-watering, it really is better than the stuff you make at home or get out of the machine at work.
Oh I like coffee bars and decent coffee (don't bother at home). It's the only time I ever 'properly' read a paper. But they were fairly empty despite the fact that the streets were teeming.
Probably too many opening at the same time in the same place and cutting each others' throats: this can happen when franchises are sold to the recently redundant and general public, and a lot of people can blow their life's savings. It has happened round here with mobile phone shops, pizza bars and dry cleaners in the past decade or so: none to six to none inside a year.
One thing we can say for sure is that the Tories have seriously upped their media management game. In recent weeks that have come over as much more ruthless, aggressive and professional. And Labour look a bit hapless in response.
I'm guessing this must be Lynton Crosby's doing?
Probably, but although the results are showing up in the headlines, this is not reflected in the polls.
Ed Miliband would be the most gormless, unpopular, disliked, voter-unfriendly PM ever elected to office, if he wins in 2015. Discuss.
Probably right. Certainly in modern times. Of course, Gordon Brown wasn't elected to office, so maybe he doesn't count, but even if you include him I think Ed M would soon be more unpopular. It's the combination of his personality with the disastrous strategic traps he's laid for himself which I think will be the killer.
It baffles me why Labour supporters aren't more terrified of the risk of winning, or even worse half-winning, in these circumstances. Maybe the sensible ones are.
Yet the story has died. Passed off in seconds in C4 news, whereas Egg Miliband got 10 minutes. The Force favours the Coalition. At the moment.
Yes, the media have got it in for Ed at present. I suspect this will continue until his conference speech, at which point the anti-Cameron Right might do the old 'Ed plays a blinder with his audacious raid on Tory territory' routine. Then again it might get universally derided. If that happens Ed's in trouble.
Just been looking back at archive footage and this re the Tacoma Bridge is just brilliant. No panicking. The chap finally leaves his car holding his pipe as the road buckles and leaps about behind him.
I'm really quite stunned at how the Mail's #MrsEdwards story died within minutes of her executor's statement.
Not a peep since, I hope Mr Shipman and those at the FT and BBC are thoroughly ashamed of themselves. Ditto those in LD & CCHQ who blinked before the facts were actually sorted.
The only person who lost here is Mrs Edwards. I'm truly irked.
What is truly remarkable is that the Conservative and LibDem parties, before and instead of checking what was intended, divvied up the dosh between them.
They knew it smelled, because they approached the AG for advice, and also knew it would be made public and would be picked up by the papers, but did not have the nous, the political common sense, if not to decline the money then at least to check what was intended and then get their story straight in advance.
Yet the story has died. Passed off in seconds in C4 news, whereas Egg Miliband got 10 minutes. The Force favours the Coalition. At the moment.
Not sure what you are talking about as Michael Crick has just started the piece on the political donation on Channel 4 news.
@seant (or anyone who's shown an interest in/knows anything about paywall v the dead tree...). Question...
If, like me, you only read papers 'properly' in coffee bars when you have the time and otherwise surf sections that you're interested in online - politics, say...
If all go paywall - what's the chance in the future of papers getting together/whatever via a host site/whatever and you pay a fee to access the sections that you're interested in across the lot?
Sean, just in reference to your TV article the other day.
A lot of people in America are talking about a golden age of US television, possibly their best ever, with a common reason suggested that a lot of Hollywood talent have shifted from films to television and it is this influx of talent that explains the uptick in quality in US television specifically.
I'm really quite stunned at how the Mail's #MrsEdwards story died within minutes of her executor's statement.
Not a peep since, I hope Mr Shipman and those at the FT and BBC are thoroughly ashamed of themselves. Ditto those in LD & CCHQ who blinked before the facts were actually sorted.
The only person who lost here is Mrs Edwards. I'm truly irked.
What is truly remarkable is that the Conservative and LibDem parties, before and instead of checking what was intended, divvied up the dosh between them.
They knew it smelled, because they approached the AG for advice, and also knew it would be made public and would be picked up by the papers, but did not have the nous, the political common sense, if not to decline the money then at least to check what was intended and then get their story straight in advance.
Yet the story has died. Passed off in seconds in C4 news, whereas Egg Miliband got 10 minutes. The Force favours the Coalition. At the moment.
Not sure what you are talking about as Michael Crick has just started the piece on the political donation on Channel 4 news.
Nobody watches C4 News past 7.30. And oh look, it's just ended anyway.
What appeared to be a very nasty story for the Coalition this morning (I agreed with OGH) has... evanesced... into nothing. Odd. But telling.
It ended quickly because they paid the money back.
Besides lots more people watch BBC and ITV news and they were reasonably positive for Ed Miliband. He even got to spout about the `cost of living crisis` for a bit on ITV.
The Tories for all the froth don`t believe in their own economic policies and that`s why they are creating the next housing bubble and spending crisis with Mark Carney`s announcements.Talk about trashing the previous government`s legacies and then using the same policies with renewed vigour.Osborne has lost confidence in his own policies and it is showing!
Just been looking back at archive footage and this re the Tacoma Bridge is just brilliant. No panicking. The chap finally leaves his car holding his pipe as the road buckles and leaps about behind him.
Tacoma Narrows was taught to me at uni as a case study. It's a shame they did not learn the basic lesson about resonance before they built the Millennium Bridge in London. Dynamic loads are complex, and wind is just one of the possible loads.
Yet the story has died. Passed off in seconds in C4 news, whereas Egg Miliband got 10 minutes. The Force favours the Coalition. At the moment.
Yes, the media have got it in for Ed at present. I suspect this will continue until his conference speech, at which point the anti-Cameron Right might do the old 'Ed plays a blinder with his audacious raid on Tory territory' routine. Then again it might get universally derided. If that happens Ed's in trouble.
Not so sure. As the GE gets closer the awkward squad tend to behave more and focus on being able to shit stir for another 5 years.
Irrelevant anecdote alert... Got a hair cut in North Laine today. Two shops have closed and opened as coffee bars within spitting distance of the hairdresser. So... I walked the four blocks of North Laine shopping streets, ex-shop coffee bar spotting, and found three more new ones since I was last there (and noticing anything) a few weeks ago. There were already a zillion coffee bars/cafes etc in North Laine. Who the feck's drinking all this coffee?
Coffee bars can be profitable because margins are high and while prices are eye-watering, it really is better than the stuff you make at home or get out of the machine at work.
Oh I like coffee bars and decent coffee (don't bother at home). It's the only time I ever 'properly' read a paper. But they were fairly empty despite the fact that the streets were teeming.
Probably too many opening at the same time in the same place and cutting each others' throats: this can happen when franchises are sold to the recently redundant and general public, and a lot of people can blow their life's savings. It has happened round here with mobile phone shops, pizza bars and dry cleaners in the past decade or so: none to six to none inside a year.
Forgot one -- of course, it may also be you were just there at the wrong time as peak hours for coffee shops are likely before and after work and at lunchtimes.
@seant (or anyone who's shown an interest in/knows anything about paywall v the dead tree...). Question...
If, like me, you only read papers 'properly' in coffee bars when you have the time and otherwise surf sections that you're interested in online - politics, say...
If all go paywall - what's the chance in the future of papers getting together/whatever via a host site/whatever and you pay a fee to access the sections that you're interested in across the lot?
I'd say the chances of this are high ONCE there has been a shakedown and the deadly rivals have seen each other off (and believe me, they are deadly rivals, the Telegraph hates the Mail which hates the Times which hates the Guardian which hates the Sun which hates the Mirror etc etc - it's nowt to do with politics, it's aggressive commercial tribalism)
So yeah in 5-10 years when the Digital War is Done, and the dead are counted, there may well be an armed truce as you suggest.
A few years ago I was wondering if railway stations would have print-as-you-wait services; you enter your preferences - say Heffer from the Mail, the Times' business pages, the Sun's showbusiness news, the Guardian's editorial - and have it printed for you live. This would save printing and distribution costs. You could also have random and 'we-think-you'll- like-this' options.
Irrelevant anecdote alert... Got a hair cut in North Laine today. Two shops have closed and opened as coffee bars within spitting distance of the hairdresser. So... I walked the four blocks of North Laine shopping streets, ex-shop coffee bar spotting, and found three more new ones since I was last there (and noticing anything) a few weeks ago. There were already a zillion coffee bars/cafes etc in North Laine. Who the feck's drinking all this coffee?
Coffee bars can be profitable because margins are high and while prices are eye-watering, it really is better than the stuff you make at home or get out of the machine at work.
Oh I like coffee bars and decent coffee (don't bother at home). It's the only time I ever 'properly' read a paper. But they were fairly empty despite the fact that the streets were teeming.
Probably too many opening at the same time in the same place and cutting each others' throats: this can happen when franchises are sold to the recently redundant and general public, and a lot of people can blow their life's savings. It has happened round here with mobile phone shops, pizza bars and dry cleaners in the past decade or so: none to six to none inside a year.
Forgot one -- of course, it may also be you were just there at the wrong time as peak hours for coffee shops are likely before and after work and at lunchtimes.
Most people in North Laine work in coffee shops
The ones near American Express and - nope, can't think of another big employer round here - close after lunch.
Lord, grant that Rooney's Boot, May by thy mighty aid, Victory bring. May he sedition hush, and like a torrent rush, Rebellious Scots to crush, God save the Queen.
@seant (or anyone who's shown an interest in/knows anything about paywall v the dead tree...). Question...
If, like me, you only read papers 'properly' in coffee bars when you have the time and otherwise surf sections that you're interested in online - politics, say...
If all go paywall - what's the chance in the future of papers getting together/whatever via a host site/whatever and you pay a fee to access the sections that you're interested in across the lot?
I'd say the chances of this are high ONCE there has been a shakedown and the deadly rivals have seen each other off (and believe me, they are deadly rivals, the Telegraph hates the Mail which hates the Times which hates the Guardian which hates the Sun which hates the Mirror etc etc - it's nowt to do with politics, it's aggressive commercial tribalism)
So yeah in 5-10 years when the Digital War is Done, and the dead are counted, there may well be an armed truce as you suggest.
Lord, grant that Rooney's Boot, May by thy mighty aid, Victory bring. May he sedition hush, and like a torrent rush, Rebellious Scots to crush, God save the Queen.
Comments
‘But I think when you look at the wording of the will it seems to us the intention was more to benefit the nation, so what we’ve done, the Conservative Party has done, with our part of the donation is give it to the Treasury so it can help to pay down the national debt, which I think meets the spirit of what this very generous lady meant.'
Latest 10 year yields:
UK: 2.63%
US: 2.70%
One month ago:
UK 2.32%
US: 2.59%
So how come we're now being told that the rise in UK yields is a sign of Osborne's incompetence?
http://markets.ft.com/RESEARCH/Markets/Bonds
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2392733/Tories-Lib-Dems-handing-500k-robbed-dead-spinster-Joan-Edwards.html
ROBBED DEAD SPINSTER !!!!
Do the Mail want to be sued?
[This is not financial advice. Do your own research. Politicians might nick your life savings etc etc]
It should be noted that an investor in UK 10 year bonds would have realised a loss of -5.08% over the past year.
An investor in French 10 year bonds would have realised a profit of +0.77% over the same period.
Mark Senior is focussing only on bond yields and not overall investor value.
He would have been better to first consult the relative index values of French and British bonds. Here are the Bloomberg index values today:
France :
UK: 123.64
FR: 119.98
The difference is almost certainly due to the negative impact of Hollande's incompetent socialist government on the French economy.
But then Mark Senior wouldn't know the difference between Tintin and a Tontine.
Unemployment up here.
Fracking coming to Warwickshire!!
1) You do not need the in-house knowledge on how to design and run the system (although as PB showed, they were hardly well-staffed or responsive).
2) It is independent, therefore (slightly) more trusted by the user wrt what the data is used for.
3) People are more likely to comment if they already have an account that is shared between different websites.
4) You can choose to develop the system in a certain direction.
Downsides:
1) A system with more users is more attractive to hackers;
2) User using an alias on one website might not want it to be used on another.
3) Downtime is out of your hands.
4) Support and general development direction is out of your hands.
Different usage methods may change some of the advantages to disadvantages, and vice versa.
Not a peep since, I hope Mr Shipman and those at the FT and BBC are thoroughly ashamed of themselves. Ditto those in LD & CCHQ who blinked before the facts were actually sorted.
The only person who lost here is Mrs Edwards. I'm truly irked.
Yemeni Nobel Peace Prize winner Tawakkol Karman told Reuters Monday that the overthrow of President Mohamed Morsy by the Egyptian army marks a fatal blow to democracy in the Arab world, after Morsy became the first Egyptian president to come to power through free and fair elections.
Karman warned that the destruction of Egypt's revolution threatened the very survival of the gains of the Arab Spring.
"The first emerging democracy in Egypt's history, and in the region, since the Arab Spring is getting dismantled quickly," Karman said.
cassyL @misscassyL
Ed meets the egg-hurling Lee Harvey Oswald of Walworth via @Telegraph fw.to/QQuYHxS - "Others had superficial yolk wounds." LOL!
You sound so desperate !
Only children and the gullible believe in "God", Sean! Whch are you?
The fact is that if the furore had not taken place , the money would have been nicked !
@jdportes: "All the new jobs went to immigrants!". In the last quarter foreign-born workers up 135K, British born workers down 15K (1/3)
With your excellent skill for understanding and putting forward an argument you should be able to dissect it in minutes...
Oh wait.....
"Foreign-born" doesn't necessarily mean "non-British", which is why I detest the term! Take yours truly as an example: I was born in India, but lived in Blighty since I was a few months old!
Avery , I am not focusing on anything . I am simply pointing out how ludicrous and partisan it is for pbtories to go from a few months ago that UK 10 year bond rates were lower than France because Osborne was great and Hollande a socialist to now saying that UK 10 year bond rates are higher than France because Osborne is great and Hollande is socialist . Even the most inept spinner such as yourself should realise the folly of that stance .
Awww, bless, Mark.
I haven't been called an "inept spinner" since Pork last posted.
Not folly at all.
For the last two years investors have been prepared to suffer negative returns by investing in UK bonds rather than obtaining positive returns by investing in French bonds. This is because Osborne's handling of the UK economy was more continent and less risky than la socialiste Terreur de Citoyen Hollande.
'tis also why UK bonds are still rated higher than their French equivalents.
Would atheists or certain types of "believers" be more likely to demand your daughter wear a headscarf should they ever take over in this country?
There!
Better still, they should have come out saying "we do not want the money for ourselves". Sadly, greed took over for both parties of the coalition.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BRpeTm9CYAALh03.png:large
Shameful, I know, but we have to remember that Lloyds of London started as a Coffee Bar in 1688. There is hope for the Brighton economy yet.
Try to find the pearl amongst the swine and invest.
If "God" exists, why didn't Dave get his majority in 2010?
Ha!
Try offering him a drink and he'll say anything you want.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRpzxKsSEZg
They knew it smelled, because they approached the AG for advice, and also knew it would be made public and would be picked up by the papers, but did not have the nous, the political common sense, if not to decline the money then at least to check what was intended and then get their story straight in advance.
It baffles me why Labour supporters aren't more terrified of the risk of winning, or even worse half-winning, in these circumstances. Maybe the sensible ones are.
http://news.sky.com/story/1128678/egg-miliband-visit-a-recipe-for-disaster
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xox9BVSu7Ok
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-23699681
The Internet is big business. It will not be long before companies are sued for multiple-millions after such a mess.
If, like me, you only read papers 'properly' in coffee bars when you have the time and otherwise surf sections that you're interested in online - politics, say...
If all go paywall - what's the chance in the future of papers getting together/whatever via a host site/whatever and you pay a fee to access the sections that you're interested in across the lot?
A lot of people in America are talking about a golden age of US television, possibly their best ever, with a common reason suggested that a lot of Hollywood talent have shifted from films to television and it is this influx of talent that explains the uptick in quality in US television specifically.
Besides lots more people watch BBC and ITV news and they were reasonably positive for Ed Miliband. He even got to spout about the `cost of living crisis` for a bit on ITV.
The Tories for all the froth don`t believe in their own economic policies and that`s why they are creating the next housing bubble and spending crisis with Mark Carney`s announcements.Talk about trashing the previous government`s legacies and then using the same policies with renewed vigour.Osborne has lost confidence in his own policies and it is showing!
Tacoma Narrows was taught to me at uni as a case study. It's a shame they did not learn the basic lesson about resonance before they built the Millennium Bridge in London. Dynamic loads are complex, and wind is just one of the possible loads.
The Millennium Bridge problem had been known for years, witness the Angers Bridge collapse: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angers_Bridge
"God save Your Queen"
like-this' options.
The rise of the tablet has stopped that.
The ones near American Express and - nope, can't think of another big employer round here - close after lunch.
May by thy mighty aid,
Victory bring.
May he sedition hush,
and like a torrent rush,
Rebellious Scots to crush,
God save the Queen.
The English need one.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvouc8Qs_MI
Plus they put washing up liquid in the Trafalgar Square fountain:
http://www.lbc.co.uk/look-trafalgar-square-dominated-by-kits-and-kilts-76587/view/30251#30252
Flipping links. Images 6 and 9.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjWD1B2Gp04
He thinks the Scottish football team is playing for the hubris of Ally McLeod
Incredible traffic for Tim Stanley on the Clintons – 5K shares blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/timstanle