FPT: Mr. Blue, could you explain your reasoning for that referendum prediction? Not disputing it, just curious as I might bet that way.
If the Repeal side are complaining about how their opponents are campaigning, they know they’re in trouble.
In the USA, opinion on whether Roe v Wade was right has been incredibly stable, unlike the polling on interracial marriage, gay marriage, cannabis legalisation etc. It is a categorically different issue, because to many people, more than one life is involved, and that life has no say in the matter.
Where Great Britain leads, Ireland lags behind:
Legalisation of same-sex relations: E & W. 1967, Scot. 1980, NI 1982, Ireland 1993
Legalisation of divorce: UK 1937, Ireland 1997
Legalisation of abortion: E & W, Sct. 1967, NI illegal, Ireland illegal
Blame the colonials that occupied Ireland for so long.
The Irish still do - just a mere 100 years later. If only the chips on their shoulders would catch the potato blight.
400+ years of being treated, at best, as second class citizens and at worst as slightly better than cattle tends to leave wounds!
Not sure whether the English still resent the Normans, but one could argue that the Referendum seems to point that way.
Yet Israel is one of the brightest and most innovative countries in the world - despite being a sandbox and being surrounded by mad mullahs.
Ireland needs to ditch the church - like the Uk - if it wants to get on in the world.
King Cole, how long should historical grudges be held? William the Conqueror committed genocide against Yorkshire 930 years[ish] ago. Ok for me to be a grumpy Gary about that?
It's daft. Particularly when, as a nation, we've moved on from World War Two, yet some insist on clinging to ancient grudges that affected their distant ancestors. It's very silly.
We should remember history and learn from it, but being chained to it is just a matter of sentimental self-harm.
I do wonder if going hard on the Downs syndrome issue is wise for the anti-abortion side. Where abortion is available, something like 95% of couples choose to terminate in that case.
I think it is one of the most difficult moral questions. I am personally very opposed to abortion. When my wife and I were told there was a risk of downs with one of our children we didn’t even have the test done. But I am very loathe to make the choice for others, particularly other women. I think ultimately women should have the right to choose, at least to the point the fetus is viable.
I too am quite anti abortion, in similar circumstances I too would not have had Downs screening. On the other hand, I would not inflict my choice on others, so would not want tighter abortion rules.
It is entirely possible to be anti-abortion in ones own life but pro choice on a societal level.
Sally Phillips made this remarkeable documentary on the BBC a little while back:
That is pretty much where I am. And yet...the number of abortions in the U.K. each year appals me. I respect the rights of others to make different choices but I wish they didn’t.
There are many life choices that I see people make, that I wish they did not. I am sure that the legal profession is the same.
Ideally, I would like to see abortion disappear by obsalescence. I mean that all children being conceived in loving and continuing relationships.
I think that we are in exact agreement on this.
Agreement on the desirability of utopias is not the best basis for policy making. If every child were conceived in a loving and continuing relationship, a great deal of legislation would be entirely unnecessary...
We both accept the social utility of abortion and the right of the woman to choose. In Eire I would be voting yes despite my personal distaste.
For me, the most compelling argument was whatever the outcome Irish women will continue to have abortions. It is simply a matter of whether they have them in Eire or not.
FPT: Mr. Blue, could you explain your reasoning for that referendum prediction? Not disputing it, just curious as I might bet that way.
If the Repeal side are complaining about how their opponents are campaigning, they know they’re in trouble.
In the USA, opinion on whether Roe v Wade was right has been incredibly stable, unlike the polling on interracial marriage, gay marriage, cannabis legalisation etc. It is a categorically different issue, because to many people, more than one life is involved, and that life has no say in the matter.
I do wonder if going hard on the Downs syndrome issue is wise for the anti-abortion side. Where abortion is available, something like 95% of couples choose to terminate in that case.
I think it is one of the most difficult moral questions. I am personally very opposed to abortion. When my wife and I were told there was a risk of downs with one of our children we didn’t even have the test done. But I am very loathe to make the choice for others, particularly other women. I think ultimately women should have the right to choose, at least to the point the fetus is viable.
I too am quite anti abortion, in similar circumstances I too would not have had Downs screening. On the other hand, I would not inflict my choice on others, so would not want tighter abortion rules.
It is entirely possible to be anti-abortion in ones own life but pro choice on a societal level.
Sally Phillips made this remarkeable documentary on the BBC a little while back:
That is pretty much where I am. And yet...the number of abortions in the U.K. each year appals me. I respect the rights of others to make different choices but I wish they didn’t.
There are many life choices that I see people make, that I wish they did not. I am sure that the legal profession is the same.
Ideally, I would like to see abortion disappear by obsalescence. I mean that all children being conceived in loving and continuing relationships.
I think that we are in exact agreement on this.
Agreement on the desirability of utopias is not the best basis for policy making. If every child were conceived in a loving and continuing relationship, a great deal of legislation would be entirely unnecessary...
Although if there was no crime society would break down.
FPT: Mr. Blue, could you explain your reasoning for that referendum prediction? Not disputing it, just curious as I might bet that way.
If the Repeal side are complaining about how their opponents are campaigning, they know they’re in trouble.
In the USA, opinion on whether Roe v Wade was right has been incredibly stable, unlike the polling on interracial marriage, gay marriage, cannabis legalisation etc. It is a categorically different issue, because to many people, more than one life is involved, and that life has no say in the matter.
Where Great Britain leads, Ireland lags behind:
Legalisation of same-sex relations: E & W. 1967, Scot. 1980, NI 1982, Ireland 1993
Legalisation of divorce: UK 1937, Ireland 1997
Legalisation of abortion: E & W, Sct. 1967, NI illegal, Ireland illegal
Blame the colonials that occupied Ireland for so long.
The Irish still do - just a mere 100 years later. If only the chips on their shoulders would catch the potato blight.
400+ years of being treated, at best, as second class citizens and at worst as slightly better than cattle tends to leave wounds!
Not sure whether the English still resent the Normans, but one could argue that the Referendum seems to point that way.
The English have a strange view of their past oppression. The Norman Conquest is pretty much celebrated and I don't anticipate an Indian Raj version of Monty Python's "What did the Romans ever do for us?" sketch any time soon.
I like that headline read aloud. His research is groundbreaking
He's just making it worse. The idea that they can understand a problem they denied existed, fix it, test it, and roll it out over the air in a few days is insanity. They risk introducing more problems.
I really admire SpaceX Musk (although even that entity can be a little odd at times). Tesla Musk is a sh*t.
King Cole, how long should historical grudges be held? William the Conqueror committed genocide against Yorkshire 930 years[ish] ago. Ok for me to be a grumpy Gary about that?
It's daft. Particularly when, as a nation, we've moved on from World War Two, yet some insist on clinging to ancient grudges that affected their distant ancestors. It's very silly.
We should remember history and learn from it, but being chained to it is just a matter of sentimental self-harm.
The LibDems and their Whig forebears have much to answer for .... So called "Glorious Revolution" and then even worse - sandals and bar charts !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Agreement on the desirability of utopias is not the best basis for policy making. If every child were conceived in a loving and continuing relationship, a great deal of legislation would be entirely unnecessary...
Not every child conceived in a loving and continuing relationship avoids being aborted, even without negative tests. Sometimes the parents feel they just can't cope with another one at the moment, then a few years later the timing is better.
Agreement on the desirability of utopias is not the best basis for policy making. If every child were conceived in a loving and continuing relationship, a great deal of legislation would be entirely unnecessary...
Not every child conceived in a loving and continuing relationship avoids being aborted, even without negative tests. Sometimes the parents feel they just can't cope with another one at the moment, then a few years later the timing is better.
Agreement on the desirability of utopias is not the best basis for policy making. If every child were conceived in a loving and continuing relationship, a great deal of legislation would be entirely unnecessary...
Not every child conceived in a loving and continuing relationship avoids being aborted, even without negative tests. Sometimes the parents feel they just can't cope with another one at the moment, then a few years later the timing is better.
Good afternoon, everybody.
Agree, and it’s a heart-breaking situation. Sometimes contraception fails, and when the mother is an invalid. Seen that, as I say, heart-breaking.
I agree that the Conservatives should probably be slight favourites in the match bet - but the Lib Dems should be shorter for the seat (it's basically inconceivable for Labour to lose it, but if they do, it will be to the LDs).
King Cole, how long should historical grudges be held? William the Conqueror committed genocide against Yorkshire 930 years[ish] ago. Ok for me to be a grumpy Gary about that?
It's daft. Particularly when, as a nation, we've moved on from World War Two, yet some insist on clinging to ancient grudges that affected their distant ancestors. It's very silly.
We should remember history and learn from it, but being chained to it is just a matter of sentimental self-harm.
The idea that England has moved on from WWII is ludicrous nonsense. It forms the core of the country's positive self-image.
King Cole, how long should historical grudges be held? William the Conqueror committed genocide against Yorkshire 930 years[ish] ago. Ok for me to be a grumpy Gary about that?
It's daft. Particularly when, as a nation, we've moved on from World War Two, yet some insist on clinging to ancient grudges that affected their distant ancestors. It's very silly.
We should remember history and learn from it, but being chained to it is just a matter of sentimental self-harm.
The idea that England has moved on from WWII is ludicrous nonsense. It forms the core of the country's positive self-image.
MD is too affluent to have noticed the picture on a mere five pound note.
Of course, there was much resentment when we abandoned them for the Common Market in the 1970s, so perhaps this is a dish best served cold.
Opening discussions have also begun on an Australia and New Zealand UK trade deal too albeit not yet full negotiations so I don't think this really impacts much on Brexit though it will strengthen May's case for a Customs Partnership with the EU
I agree that the Conservatives should probably be slight favourites in the match bet - but the Lib Dems should be shorter for the seat (it's basically inconceivable for Labour to lose it, but if they do, it will be to the LDs).
The LDs got just 4% in Lewisham East at GE17, the Tories got 23%
King Cole, how long should historical grudges be held? William the Conqueror committed genocide against Yorkshire 930 years[ish] ago. Ok for me to be a grumpy Gary about that?
It's daft. Particularly when, as a nation, we've moved on from World War Two, yet some insist on clinging to ancient grudges that affected their distant ancestors. It's very silly.
We should remember history and learn from it, but being chained to it is just a matter of sentimental self-harm.
The idea that England has moved on from WWII is ludicrous nonsense. It forms the core of the country's positive self-image.
Sorry Mr D, been doing all sorts of things this afternoon, including trip to the off-licence, which advertised an offer on my wife’s favouite. Agree that historical grudges can be, and often are, held too long. However, they are. However I do agree that England as a whole hasn’t totally moved on from the World Wars. ‘Two World Wars and one World Cup” is a popular Ingerland supporters chant when their tem is playing Germany. A relation of mine kept muttering abot her son marrying a German to her dying day, and she was over 90 when she did die. She still also, on occasion, talked about her days in the WRNS in WWII.
I agree that the Conservatives should probably be slight favourites in the match bet - but the Lib Dems should be shorter for the seat (it's basically inconceivable for Labour to lose it, but if they do, it will be to the LDs).
It's a salient reminder to factional types that the media don't really bother to distinguish between pro and anti Corbyn people - it's just a "new Labour outrage" story.
"Sakina Sheikh announced her intention to stand within an hour of Heidi Alexander’s resignation. Her leaflets had already been printed by the time she was shortlisted on the Monday and dropped on the doorstep of every Labour Member in Lewisham East on Tuesday morning. Reportedly, Momentum were able to call through the entire list of eligible voting members of Lewisham East Labour Party on the same day they received it. Momentum had paid staff working full-time on Sakina’s campaign and volunteers working remotely in phonebanks in locations across London.
By contrast, when I arrived to volunteer on Janet’s phonebank at 6pm on the Tuesday, a leaflet had not been designed let alone printed....
Part of the reason we checked and rechecked our calculations and fought so hard to turn out every single vote was that on some level we believed Momentum’s own propaganda – that it is an unstoppable force. At one stage we even had a theory that, following conversations with members claiming to be contacted by Momentum up to 25 times in a single week, that they had swamped the phone lines to a degree that meant no one else could canvass effectively. The real explanation was far simpler: the swathes of Momentum-supporting members getting ready to pack the selection meeting simply didn’t exist. We were chasing an illusion, a powerful illusion backed up by their incredible presence on social media, but an illusion just the same...
All the money they spent, phone calls they made, frontbench endorsements they secured, door-to-door canvassing and celebrity visits from Owen Jones translated into just 135 votes out of a potential 1,600."
It's a salient reminder to factional types that the media don't really bother to distinguish between pro and anti Corbyn people - it's just a "new Labour outrage" story.
"Sakina Sheikh announced her intention to stand within an hour of Heidi Alexander’s resignation. Her leaflets had already been printed by the time she was shortlisted on the Monday and dropped on the doorstep of every Labour Member in Lewisham East on Tuesday morning. Reportedly, Momentum were able to call through the entire list of eligible voting members of Lewisham East Labour Party on the same day they received it. Momentum had paid staff working full-time on Sakina’s campaign and volunteers working remotely in phonebanks in locations across London.
By contrast, when I arrived to volunteer on Janet’s phonebank at 6pm on the Tuesday, a leaflet had not been designed let alone printed....
Part of the reason we checked and rechecked our calculations and fought so hard to turn out every single vote was that on some level we believed Momentum’s own propaganda – that it is an unstoppable force. At one stage we even had a theory that, following conversations with members claiming to be contacted by Momentum up to 25 times in a single week, that they had swamped the phone lines to a degree that meant no one else could canvass effectively. The real explanation was far simpler: the swathes of Momentum-supporting members getting ready to pack the selection meeting simply didn’t exist. We were chasing an illusion, a powerful illusion backed up by their incredible presence on social media, but an illusion just the same...
All the money they spent, phone calls they made, frontbench endorsements they secured, door-to-door canvassing and celebrity visits from Owen Jones translated into just 135 votes out of a potential 1,600."
I’ve seen some odd phrases on here but 'celebrity visits from Owen Jones’ must be one of the odder ones.
FPT: Mr. Blue, could you explain your reasoning for that referendum prediction? Not disputing it, just curious as I might bet that way.
If the Repeal side are complaining about how their opponents are campaigning, they know they’re in trouble.
In the USA, opinion on whether Roe v Wade was right has been incredibly stable, unlike the polling on interracial marriage, gay marriage, cannabis legalisation etc. It is a categorically different issue, because to many people, more than one life is involved, and that life has no say in the matter.
Where Great Britain leads, Ireland lags behind:
Legalisation of same-sex relations: E & W. 1967, Scot. 1980, NI 1982, Ireland 1993
Legalisation of divorce: UK 1937, Ireland 1997
Legalisation of abortion: E & W, Sct. 1967, NI illegal, Ireland illegal
Blame the colonials that occupied Ireland for so long.
The Irish still do - just a mere 100 years later. If only the chips on their shoulders would catch the potato blight.
400+ years of being treated, at best, as second class citizens and at worst as slightly better than cattle tends to leave wounds!
Not sure whether the English still resent the Normans, but one could argue that the Referendum seems to point that way.
The English have a strange view of their past oppression. The Norman Conquest is pretty much celebrated and I don't anticipate an Indian Raj version of Monty Python's "What did the Romans ever do for us?" sketch any time soon.
Well I still resent the Norman conquest. England would have been a much happier and more successful place without it, that's for sure. I also resent that as an Englishman, my forebears are blamed by the Welsh and Irish for what was effectively a Norman conquest of their countries.
But as I am a descendent of pretty much everyone who was around in Greate Britain 1000 years ago - or at least everyone who had descendents - Norman, English, Scottish, Welsh and presumably somewhere some Irish and continental too- it's daft to let that resentment fester too much. I am a product of an imperfect history.
The Norman conquest is fascinating. An invading army with a huge amount of luck on their side, and an Anglo-Saxon ruling class who had basically given up. To what extent are the relative idyll of pre-Norman England and the softness in the face of an invader linked? See also pre-Mongol Viking-led Russia in the face of the Mongol invader. A question for Morris Dancer, perhaps?
So I see that the OBR's March 2018 borrowing forecast was £5bn too high for the year ending in March 2018.
Or if we look back further its November 2017 borrowing forecast was £10bn too high and the forecast from March 2017 was £18bn too high.
Likewise its March 2017 borrowing forecast for the year ending March 2017 was again £5bn too high and its November 2016 borrowing forecast for that year was £22bn too high.
Curiously these too high forecasts only seem to have started after the Referendum and George Osborne's departure. Before then the OBR had rather a habit of underforecasting government borrowing much to the benefit of George Osborne, the man who had created the OBR.
One of the independent candidates in Lewisham East, Charles Carey, previously contested the seat in February 1974, getting 269 votes. He hasn't stood in the constituency since then until now.
Of course, there was much resentment when we abandoned them for the Common Market in the 1970s, so perhaps this is a dish best served cold.
Perhaps that is because the UK is not able to negotiate until it has left?
Yes, but these should have been the first two gleaming jewels of Britain's new global era. If we're going to be looking with envious eyes at the EU's deal with Aus-Zealand then one starts to question the whole point. How did Liam let that one slip through his fingers? That only leaves us with Ghana and perhaps Trump and his chlorinated chicken.
Of course, there was much resentment when we abandoned them for the Common Market in the 1970s, so perhaps this is a dish best served cold.
Perhaps that is because the UK is not able to negotiate until it has left?
Yes, but these should have been the first two gleaming jewels of Britain's new global era. If we're going to be looking with envious eyes at the EU's deal with Aus-Zealand then one starts to question the whole point. How did Liam let that one slip through his fingers? That only leaves us with Ghana and perhaps Trump and his chlorinated chicken.
Because we haven't left yet? I believe Australia and New Zealand have both expressed a desire to secure a trade deal.
Surely one of the most irritating things about by-elections is how even if very safe seats if they are won by the opposition we still have to see the winners go on about what this says about the country, and how the government is being rejected etc etc. All of which can be true, but a win in a safe seat rarely shows that, and whoever does it it comes across as so phony.
One of the independent candidates in Lewisham East, Charles Carey, previously contested the seat in February 1974, getting 269 votes. He hasn't stood in the constituency since then until now.
I do hope he gets 269 votes again. That would be poetic.
The English have a strange view of their past oppression. The Norman Conquest is pretty much celebrated and I don't anticipate an Indian Raj version of Monty Python's "What did the Romans ever do for us?" sketch any time soon.
Well I still resent the Norman conquest. England would have been a much happier and more successful place without it, that's for sure. I also resent that as an Englishman, my forebears are blamed by the Welsh and Irish for what was effectively a Norman conquest of their countries.
But as I am a descendent of pretty much everyone who was around in Greate Britain 1000 years ago - or at least everyone who had descendents - Norman, English, Scottish, Welsh and presumably somewhere some Irish and continental too- it's daft to let that resentment fester too much. I am a product of an imperfect history.
The Norman conquest is fascinating. An invading army with a huge amount of luck on their side, and an Anglo-Saxon ruling class who had basically given up. To what extent are the relative idyll of pre-Norman England and the softness in the face of an invader linked? See also pre-Mongol Viking-led Russia in the face of the Mongol invader. A question for Morris Dancer, perhaps?
It is historically unusual how easy it was for the Normans - one battle, at which they suffered heavy losses themselves, was all they needed.
Compare with how hard the Welsh, Scots and Irish fought for independence during the middle ages. Or indeed Anglo-Saxon England against Viking invasion.
"Sakina Sheikh announced her intention to stand within an hour of Heidi Alexander’s resignation. Her leaflets had already been printed by the time she was shortlisted on the Monday and dropped on the doorstep of every Labour Member in Lewisham East on Tuesday morning. Reportedly, Momentum were able to call through the entire list of eligible voting members of Lewisham East Labour Party on the same day they received it. Momentum had paid staff working full-time on Sakina’s campaign and volunteers working remotely in phonebanks in locations across London.
By contrast, when I arrived to volunteer on Janet’s phonebank at 6pm on the Tuesday, a leaflet had not been designed let alone printed....
Part of the reason we checked and rechecked our calculations and fought so hard to turn out every single vote was that on some level we believed Momentum’s own propaganda – that it is an unstoppable force. At one stage we even had a theory that, following conversations with members claiming to be contacted by Momentum up to 25 times in a single week, that they had swamped the phone lines to a degree that meant no one else could canvass effectively. The real explanation was far simpler: the swathes of Momentum-supporting members getting ready to pack the selection meeting simply didn’t exist. We were chasing an illusion, a powerful illusion backed up by their incredible presence on social media, but an illusion just the same...
All the money they spent, phone calls they made, frontbench endorsements they secured, door-to-door canvassing and celebrity visits from Owen Jones translated into just 135 votes out of a potential 1,600."
I’ve seen some odd phrases on here but 'celebrity visits from Owen Jones’ must be one of the odder ones.
King Cole, how long should historical grudges be held? William the Conqueror committed genocide against Yorkshire 930 years[ish] ago. Ok for me to be a grumpy Gary about that?
It's daft. Particularly when, as a nation, we've moved on from World War Two, yet some insist on clinging to ancient grudges that affected their distant ancestors. It's very silly.
We should remember history and learn from it, but being chained to it is just a matter of sentimental self-harm.
The idea that England has moved on from WWII is ludicrous nonsense. It forms the core of the country's positive self-image.
True , Pike, telling Putin to go away and shut up, enhanced the image.
Surely one of the most irritating things about by-elections is how even if very safe seats if they are won by the opposition we still have to see the winners go on about what this says about the country, and how the government is being rejected etc etc. All of which can be true, but a win in a safe seat rarely shows that, and whoever does it it comes across as so phony.
My favourite ones were after the 5 Labour MPs got sent to jail for expenses.
You had somewhere like Barnsley, and the winner going "this is a great vote for change".
FPT: Mr. Blue, could you explain your reasoning for that referendum prediction? Not disputing it, just curious as I might bet that way.
If the Repeal side are complaining about how their opponents are campaigning, they know they’re in trouble.
In the USA, opinion on whether Roe v Wade was right has been incredibly stable, unlike the polling on interracial marriage, gay marriage, cannabis legalisation etc. It is a categorically different issue, because to many people, more than one life is involved, and that life has no say in the matter.
Where Great Britain leads, Ireland lags behind:
Legalisation of same-sex relations: E & W. 1967, Scot. 1980, NI 1982, Ireland 1993
Legalisation of divorce: UK 1937, Ireland 1997
Legalisation of abortion: E & W, Sct. 1967, NI illegal, Ireland illegal
The Irish still do - just a mere 100 years later. If only the chips on their shoulders would catch the potato blight.
Not sure whether the English still resent the Normans, but one could argue that the Referendum seems to point that way.
The English have a strange view of their past oppression. The Norman Conquest is pretty much celebrated and I don't anticipate an Indian Raj version of Monty Python's "What did the Romans ever do for us?" sketch any time soon.
Well I still resent the Norman conquest. England would have been a much happier and more successful place without it, that's for sure. I also resent that as an Englishman, my forebears are blamed by the Welsh and Irish for what was effectively a Norman conquest of their countries.
But as I am a descendent of pretty much everyone who was around in Greate Britain 1000 years ago - or at least everyone who had descendents - Norman, English, Scottish, Welsh and presumably somewhere some Irish and continental too- it's daft to let that resentment fester too much. I am a product of an imperfect history.
The Norman conquest is fascinating. An invading army with a huge amount of luck on their side, and an Anglo-Saxon ruling class who had basically given up. To what extent are the relative idyll of pre-Norman England and the softness in the face of an invader linked? See also pre-Mongol Viking-led Russia in the face of the Mongol invader. A question for Morris Dancer, perhaps?
To be fair, William the Bastard did have a claim to the throne, and some nobles probably recognised that.
But not surprising it was loss making at the prices they were selling at.
I'm surprised they're totally getting out of that market, considering their rival Sainsbury's bought Argos. Or are Tesco Direct and Argos fulfilling broadly different markets?
But not surprising it was loss making at the prices they were selling at.
I'm surprised they're totally getting out of that market, considering their rival Sainsbury's bought Argos. Or are Tesco Direct and Argos fulfilling broadly different markets?
Same market but Argos is much better equipped to fight Amazon. Same day delivery, good pricing, strong brand. It looks like Sainsbury's have played a blinder by buying Argos and "merging" with Asda. Of all the major supermarkets it does seem like Sainsbury's is the most forward thinking.
King Cole, the claim is very debatable. The nobles did not recognise it much, given they fought against him at Hastings, and multiple rebellions over years reduced the Anglo-Saxon numbers at the top of nobility and clergy from maybe a third shortly after 1066 to almost zero by the end of the century.
The invading army did have a lot of luck on their side, but Harold also made a critical error by choosing not to wait.
As for the country being an idyll, there had been another successful invasion (Canute) not too long ago, and Edward the Confessor had decades of cold war with Godwin and his sons.
That said, the Norman Conquest did utterly rejig the political landscape, lead to huge numbers of deaths (especially amongst the nobility and in certain areas, such as Yorkshire). I can highly recommend Marc Morris' The Norman Conquest, which I mentioned repeatedly here when it was just £3. Since risen to £9 but it's very good indeed for both the preceding years, 1066 and the rest of William's reign.
But not surprising it was loss making at the prices they were selling at.
I'm surprised they're totally getting out of that market, considering their rival Sainsbury's bought Argos. Or are Tesco Direct and Argos fulfilling broadly different markets?
Same market but Argos is much better equipped to fight Amazon. Same day delivery, good pricing, strong brand. It looks like Sainsbury's have played a blinder by buying Argos and "merging" with Asda. Of all the major supermarkets it does seem like Sainsbury's is the most forward thinking.
So I see that the OBR's March 2018 borrowing forecast was £5bn too high for the year ending in March 2018.
Or if we look back further its November 2017 borrowing forecast was £10bn too high and the forecast from March 2017 was £18bn too high.
Likewise its March 2017 borrowing forecast for the year ending March 2017 was again £5bn too high and its November 2016 borrowing forecast for that year was £22bn too high.
Curiously these too high forecasts only seem to have started after the Referendum and George Osborne's departure. Before then the OBR had rather a habit of underforecasting government borrowing much to the benefit of George Osborne, the man who had created the OBR.
It is also significant that these differences are largely coming from additional tax revenue rather than underspending. This again, along with the employment figures, suggests that growth is being underestimated.
The Poles have concluded that their Presidents plane was brought down in Russia by explosions, not pilot error, as the Russians & Polish Prime Minister Tusk's investigations had:
The Poles have concluded that their Presidents plane was brought down in Russia by explosions, not pilot error, as the Russians & Polish Prime Minister Tusk's investigations had:
The Poles have concluded that their Presidents plane was brought down in Russia by explosions, not pilot error, as the Russians & Polish Prime Minister Tusk's investigations had:
The Poles have concluded that their Presidents plane was brought down in Russia by explosions, not pilot error, as the Russians & Polish Prime Minister Tusk's investigations had:
The Poles have concluded that their Presidents plane was brought down in Russia by explosions, not pilot error, as the Russians & Polish Prime Minister Tusk's investigations had:
It's a salient reminder to factional types that the media don't really bother to distinguish between pro and anti Corbyn people - it's just a "new Labour outrage" story.
The optimist in me hopes it will teach them (as a faction) a lesson and they will stop doing it themselves.
The realist in me realises it will probably just be revenge that's gained from it.
If the point of the on going civil war is to paint one side or the other as this or that because of various comments out of context for some future leadership contest then I suppose that it does have some worth.
I can feel sorry for the individual involved if he hasn't gleefully jumped on others the same way but in terms of the factions this is a well deserved taste of their own medicine (if he is somewhat innocent)
It is nice to see some PB Tories willing to find out the context behind some silly comments from a Labour person and an eagerness to find out what they actually meant rather than jumping on the worst possible angle. The cynic in me feels they may have some alterior motive though.
The Poles have concluded that their Presidents plane was brought down in Russia by explosions, not pilot error, as the Russians & Polish Prime Minister Tusk's investigations had:
The Poles have concluded that their Presidents plane was brought down in Russia by explosions, not pilot error, as the Russians & Polish Prime Minister Tusk's investigations had:
The Poles have concluded that their Presidents plane was brought down in Russia by explosions, not pilot error, as the Russians & Polish Prime Minister Tusk's investigations had:
The Poles have concluded that their Presidents plane was brought down in Russia by explosions, not pilot error, as the Russians & Polish Prime Minister Tusk's investigations had:
The Russians would really assassinate a sitting President? Has there been a third party investigation into the crash?
Edit: misread your comment. You said it was brought down in Russia, not by Russia. My bad!
The report doesn't conclude 'who did it' - but since it rubbishes the previous Russian & Polish reports....
Tusk doesn’t seem to have come out of this very well either.
Isn't this just Poland's version of the 9/11 truther movement, but endorsed by the PiS establishment?
Hard to judge. Could be. But as a non expert it raises a lot of very specific questions and seems to have some good photographic evidence.
Putin and his thugs really could be this stupid.
Russia had the motive and capability to bring it down. Normally, it would be impossible to believe a country would commit such a heinous act despite having the motive and capability.
But this is Putin's Riussia, who time and time again have used evil acts to further their geopolitical aims. You can hardly blame someone for thinking it is likely they did do it. But now, sadly, we'll almost certainly never know for sure.
The Poles have concluded that their Presidents plane was brought down in Russia by explosions, not pilot error, as the Russians & Polish Prime Minister Tusk's investigations had:
The Poles have concluded that their Presidents plane was brought down in Russia by explosions, not pilot error, as the Russians & Polish Prime Minister Tusk's investigations had:
I was always very sceptical about the original explanation for the crash.
Plane crashes are fortunately very rare. Crashes of planes carrying heads of state are very rare - and so they should, given they *should* have the best planes and pilots.
In fact, the only other occurrence that springs to mind is the shootdown of the plane carrying the Rwandan and Burundi presidents in 1994, which set off the Rwandan genocide.
Have any other heads of state been killed in plane crashes in modern times?
'Noun anglo (plural anglos) An English person or person of English ancestry.'
I had a slightly mad woman from Glasgow giving evidence last week in the Court of Session. I asked, “why did she do that?” She replied, “because she was skint”. She peered at me with that ridiculous horse hair on my head, “Do you know what “skint” means?” The judge admitted that was a fair question.
'Noun anglo (plural anglos) An English person or person of English ancestry.'
I had a slightly mad woman from Glasgow giving evidence last week in the Court of Session. I asked, “why did she do that?” She replied, “because she was skint”. She peered at me with that ridiculous horse hair on my head, “Do you know what “skint” means?” The judge admitted that was a fair question.
Fair indeed. She could of course have been making a socio-economic point.
The Poles have concluded that their Presidents plane was brought down in Russia by explosions, not pilot error, as the Russians & Polish Prime Minister Tusk's investigations had:
I was always very sceptical about the original explanation for the crash.
Plane crashes are fortunately very rare. Crashes of planes carrying heads of state are very rare - and so they should, given they *should* have the best planes and pilots.
In fact, the only other occurrence that springs to mind is the shootdown of the plane carrying the Rwandan and Burundi presidents in 1994, which set off the Rwandan genocide.
Have any other heads of state been killed in plane crashes in modern times?
Comments
Ireland needs to ditch the church - like the Uk - if it wants to get on in the world.
I guess English isn't your first lingo?
It's daft. Particularly when, as a nation, we've moved on from World War Two, yet some insist on clinging to ancient grudges that affected their distant ancestors. It's very silly.
We should remember history and learn from it, but being chained to it is just a matter of sentimental self-harm.
For me, the most compelling argument was whatever the outcome Irish women will continue to have abortions. It is simply a matter of whether they have them in Eire or not.
I really admire SpaceX Musk (although even that entity can be a little odd at times). Tesla Musk is a sh*t.
I wonder if there'll eventually be a legal battle with Viagogo. Hopefully Mr Sheeran will emerge victorious if so.
Good afternoon, everybody.
http://freakonomics.com/podcast/live-event-ticket-market-screwed/
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/44216041
Lolol.
Plus on current polls while Labour should win easily the Tories should hold second place without much difficulty
https://twitter.com/LadPolitics/status/998913472124637184
The man’s a full-time, complete berk for even writing them down.
https://mobile.twitter.com/JunckerEU/status/998843474953859072
https://mobile.twitter.com/TurnbullMalcolm/status/998905164114288640
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/may/22/eu-trade-talks-australia-new-zealand-brexit-commonwealth
Of course, there was much resentment when we abandoned them for the Common Market in the 1970s, so perhaps this is a dish best served cold.
However I do agree that England as a whole hasn’t totally moved on from the World Wars. ‘Two World Wars and one World Cup” is a popular Ingerland supporters chant when their tem is playing Germany.
A relation of mine kept muttering abot her son marrying a German to her dying day, and she was over 90 when she did die. She still also, on occasion, talked about her days in the WRNS in WWII.
"CON
Votes" 13,840
"LIB
Votes" 9,222
https://labourlist.org/2018/05/matt-pound-how-janet-daby-won-the-lewisham-east-selection-race/
"Sakina Sheikh announced her intention to stand within an hour of Heidi Alexander’s resignation. Her leaflets had already been printed by the time she was shortlisted on the Monday and dropped on the doorstep of every Labour Member in Lewisham East on Tuesday morning. Reportedly, Momentum were able to call through the entire list of eligible voting members of Lewisham East Labour Party on the same day they received it. Momentum had paid staff working full-time on Sakina’s campaign and volunteers working remotely in phonebanks in locations across London.
By contrast, when I arrived to volunteer on Janet’s phonebank at 6pm on the Tuesday, a leaflet had not been designed let alone printed....
Part of the reason we checked and rechecked our calculations and fought so hard to turn out every single vote was that on some level we believed Momentum’s own propaganda – that it is an unstoppable force. At one stage we even had a theory that, following conversations with members claiming to be contacted by Momentum up to 25 times in a single week, that they had swamped the phone lines to a degree that meant no one else could canvass effectively. The real explanation was far simpler: the swathes of Momentum-supporting members getting ready to pack the selection meeting simply didn’t exist. We were chasing an illusion, a powerful illusion backed up by their incredible presence on social media, but an illusion just the same...
All the money they spent, phone calls they made, frontbench endorsements they secured, door-to-door canvassing and celebrity visits from Owen Jones translated into just 135 votes out of a potential 1,600."
But as I am a descendent of pretty much everyone who was around in Greate Britain 1000 years ago - or at least everyone who had descendents - Norman, English, Scottish, Welsh and presumably somewhere some Irish and continental too- it's daft to let that resentment fester too much. I am a product of an imperfect history.
The Norman conquest is fascinating. An invading army with a huge amount of luck on their side, and an Anglo-Saxon ruling class who had basically given up. To what extent are the relative idyll of pre-Norman England and the softness in the face of an invader linked? See also pre-Mongol Viking-led Russia in the face of the Mongol invader. A question for Morris Dancer, perhaps?
Or if we look back further its November 2017 borrowing forecast was £10bn too high and the forecast from March 2017 was £18bn too high.
Likewise its March 2017 borrowing forecast for the year ending March 2017 was again £5bn too high and its November 2016 borrowing forecast for that year was £22bn too high.
Curiously these too high forecasts only seem to have started after the Referendum and George Osborne's departure. Before then the OBR had rather a habit of underforecasting government borrowing much to the benefit of George Osborne, the man who had created the OBR.
One of the independent candidates in Lewisham East, Charles Carey, previously contested the seat in February 1974, getting 269 votes. He hasn't stood in the constituency since then until now.
Compare with how hard the Welsh, Scots and Irish fought for independence during the middle ages. Or indeed Anglo-Saxon England against Viking invasion.
You had somewhere like Barnsley, and the winner going "this is a great vote for change".
Yeah, run that one past me again, will you?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-44211616
But not surprising it was loss making at the prices they were selling at.
Edit. And W-t-B was ruthless with ‘rebels'
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-sweden-forcedmarriage-airport/swedish-girls-fearing-forced-marriage-told-to-hide-spoon-in-underwear-idUSKCN1IM1KU
https://twitter.com/RobDotHutton/status/998881362034733056
The invading army did have a lot of luck on their side, but Harold also made a critical error by choosing not to wait.
As for the country being an idyll, there had been another successful invasion (Canute) not too long ago, and Edward the Confessor had decades of cold war with Godwin and his sons.
That said, the Norman Conquest did utterly rejig the political landscape, lead to huge numbers of deaths (especially amongst the nobility and in certain areas, such as Yorkshire). I can highly recommend Marc Morris' The Norman Conquest, which I mentioned repeatedly here when it was just £3. Since risen to £9 but it's very good indeed for both the preceding years, 1066 and the rest of William's reign.
http://niezalezna.pl/data/TECHNICAL_REPORT.pdf
Edit: misread your comment. You said it was brought down in Russia, not by Russia. My bad!
https://www.pscp.tv/w/1OyKANVbwmMGb
It's hard to think of a technical failure on the plane that would cause that.
And the Russians were not exactly helpful to the investigation. hmmm...
The realist in me realises it will probably just be revenge that's gained from it.
If the point of the on going civil war is to paint one side or the other as this or that because of various comments out of context for some future leadership contest then I suppose that it does have some worth.
I can feel sorry for the individual involved if he hasn't gleefully jumped on others the same way but in terms of the factions this is a well deserved taste of their own medicine (if he is somewhat innocent)
It is nice to see some PB Tories willing to find out the context behind some silly comments from a Labour person and an eagerness to find out what they actually meant rather than jumping on the worst possible angle. The cynic in me feels they may have some alterior motive though.
@DavidL - GDP is difficult to measure, but then I guess that's always the case. I really hope the ONS are playing nicely.
Putin and his thugs really could be this stupid.
'Noun
anglo (plural anglos)
An English person or person of English ancestry.'
But this is Putin's Riussia, who time and time again have used evil acts to further their geopolitical aims. You can hardly blame someone for thinking it is likely they did do it. But now, sadly, we'll almost certainly never know for sure.
In fact, the only other occurrence that springs to mind is the shootdown of the plane carrying the Rwandan and Burundi presidents in 1994, which set off the Rwandan genocide.
Have any other heads of state been killed in plane crashes in modern times?
She could of course have been making a socio-economic point.