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Corbyn’s declining poll ratings, economic trust and who would vote for a new party anyway?
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Lo and behold a report out of Russia that their military men are talking to US military men. Unconfirmed but first sign of back channel talking if true.
http://news.met.police.uk/news/statement-regarding-floral-tributes-in-hither-green-302509
https://www.flightradar24.com/data/airports/dam
I really hate the Met.
There is no case from a Western Christian perspective in taking action against the legitimate Syrian government. Russia is doing an effective job in helping the regime to deal with the extremist Sunni fanatics trying to topple it, while the West at times seems to be assisting the Islamists.
There is no conclusive evidence about who is responsible for any of the chemical attacks alleged to have occurred in Syria over the last few years.
This Gadarene rush by the West to intervene there could lead to WW3.
Disappointing to see such bullshit from the police. But not surprised.
F1: unfortunately, the Shanghai weather forecast has improved. Alas. Still, had it gone the other way things would be nice (but that's why I indicated very small stakes for the Williams/Saubers to top P1 bets).
That depends if you want to encourage the spread of the use of chemical (and probably biological) weapons in war and against civilian populations. These are currently banned by various conventions and treaties.
If you want to protect the treaties we have, how would you deal with the Syrian government's use of such weapons?
I became aware of them when they deconstructed the parade of Russian lies over MH17
They are now bargaining on EEA-EFTA.
His work on the Russian lies over MH17 was excellent, and adds extra depth to the official Dutch reports.
The alternative is to believe the Russians, as you evidently do - despite there myriad of lies over recent events. See MH17.
Logic!
I don't even think there's any point to us getting further involved, and the only britosh Syrian of my acquaintance, who has done a lot of work helping refugees from his homeland, is generally of the view that Assad is the best of a lot of terrible options, but the stock dismissiveness presented as objectivity is so laughably blatant. Sorry daodao.
How about the company might have had a reasonable expectation you would know not to drag 69 year old guys off planes? Because anybody that would do that would have to be dumb as a brick.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-43734466
Like Catch-22, you need the finest, sharpest minds, but only insane people actually want to do it.
Or they'd be out of a job....
The epochal cock-up here was not the guard's, if we're honest, it's the airline's. (1) they should not have overbooked (2) they should have made that determination at check in not after boarding (3) when nobody accepted their initial offer they should have increased it (4) they should have investigated other routes for passengers or indeed crew and (5) they should never, ever in a million years have removed a lawfully paid, booked and boarded passenger who was not behaving aggressively or inappropriately by force.
It was an epochal, monumental and entirely avoidable clusterfuck, and they were very, very lucky it was settled out of court.
But the important point is that chemical and biological weapons are banned by long-standing treaties that have mostly been successful over decades. If you want to progress to ban other weapons - such as the fuel-air bombs that the Russians and (I think) Chinese also have, or nuclear weapons, or drones, then treaties are important.
Basically: if you want nuclear disarmament, then it will have to be done on the back of treaties that all sides trust. You won't get that if existing and mostly-working treaties are seen to have no teeth.
You don’t have to like it. That’s not the point.
Although the character my username translates to is always looking to get away from it all...
https://www.conservativehome.com/thetorydiary/2018/04/syria-mays-calculation-and-the-dangers-of-a-may-miscalculation-to-others-and-to-her.html
Agreed the company systems that allowed the overbooking were very largely to blame. But all the guy needed to do was get on the phone to his boss and say "I have a situation here....that I'm not trained to handle."
“The situation was unfortunately compounded when one of the passengers we politely asked to deplane refused and it became necessary to contact Chicago aviation security officers to help,” Munoz wrote in the letter obtained by CNBC and other news outlets.
“Our employees followed established procedures for dealing with situations like this. While I deeply regret this situation arose, I also emphatically stand behind all of you, and I want to commend you for continuing to go above and beyond to ensure we fly right.”
Munoz added that when crew members first approached the passenger to tell him to leave, he “raised his voice and refused to comply”, and each time they asked “he refused and became more and more disruptive and belligerent”.
He said crew members “were left with no choice but to call Chicago aviation security officers to assist in removing the customer from the flight”, and that at one point the passenger “continued to resist – running back on to the aircraft in defiance of both our crew and security officials”.
But the employee was sacked anyway. Sounds like he has a case.
I doubt the pensioner and his wife will feel safe anyway. That is a separate problem. Interflora is not the most effective means of intimidation. If something less floral is going on, obviously that needs to be dealt with.
https://twitter.com/RhonddaBryant/status/984334589375270912
Nobody is stopping this man’s family and friends from grieving. Precisely what human right allows them to do so by leaving flowers on a property which does not belong to them, and in such a way as to intimidate his victim?
He was murdered almost at random in broad daylight in a street as a political statement. Whatever his background, Vincent was a hardened career criminal with a string of convictions behind him, who was killed while committing yet another violent and illegal act and whose family are now making threats against the person who killed him. The flowers seem to be deliberately provocative and indeed are causing considerable offence.
I think there are ample reasons to remove those flowers under the public order act and ban anyone from the family from entering that neighbourhood. But the police are not doing it. They really have not covered themselves in glory over this case.
Do I regard this as appropriate? No. But that shouldn’t be my judgement call. Taste or offence should not be the determining consideration.
Trump is an idiot but that does not exempt us from acting in unity with our allies.
Report from Russia on Sky this am that the Russians and the US are making space for each other to prevent a wider conflict
I doubt many of the people who laid carpets of flowers outside Kensington Palace after Princess Di's death were genuinely grieving either. And it's not as though she died there.
On your substantive point taste or offence may not be, but don't you (as a lawyer) think public order may have a role to play?
But that depends on everyone being adult ...
Also, not a great comparison as the chap you refer to was arrested, prosecuted and has been convicted (awaiting sentence) of a crime for telling a joke some found offensive.
There's also, as others have mentioned, the Lee Rigby tribute comparison. A serial criminal is being afforded protection that was not forthcoming for a victim of terrorism who served in the armed forces.
Are you playing Devil's advocate?
https://twitter.com/DerbyChrisW/status/984178633735593984
I feel most sorry for the junior ranks.
I hope the police keep a careful watch on the people laying flowers, and identify them from fingerprints. They may well be able to close down a number of other crimes.
https://yougov.co.uk/news/2018/04/12/two-one-public-oppose-missile-strikes-syria/
That’s a separate (and in my view much more important) problem than one of floral arrangements.
If they continue to put such prominent displays up in a few weeks' or months' time, then I'd argue they should be removed. But even thieving scum are people, and people who knew them should be allowed to grieve for them just as much as they would for angels.