It's not just about steadying the ship. Good, competent government is certainly one strand that the Tories need to be able to lay claim to at the next election - and frankly, it's one that needs work on. But it may not of itself be enough. There needs to be a new chapter to move on to after Brexit - one about opening opportunities and enabling social mobility, which needs to be an answer to and a challenge to Labour's own critique and proposals because the Tories cannot afford Labour to be the only party making the running on those issues. For that reason, Gove should be very much ruled in as a possible.
currently Labour is making most the running on these, the tories have lost touch with big parts of the community
Focusing solely on a second order problem driven by mad obsessives and seeking to destroy large parts of the civic framework in pursuit of that goal might have that effect.
well thats gay marriage for you
Did that take two years of the government's energies and 6,400 civil servants?
No idea, gays have as much right to be henpecked as the rest of us.
There are advantages to a relationship with two men. We had our anniversary a couple of weeks back and neither of us remembered until late in the afternoon.
I some times think you gay guys have it right. Managing the whims of a woman is a full time job, somehow by a process of osmosis you are meant to be able to read her mind.
Me: what do you want for tea ? Her: oh anything I dont really care later Her again : why did you cook lamb ? I wanted fish
It would be easier to live with the panel of professional masterchef sometimes
One of the joys of being married to a Glaswegian is that I am never in any doubt as to what is on her mind and how close to danger I am. Our 25th anniversary approaches and I can genuinely say that I am the luckiest man alive.
Hunt has no chance whatsoever. Javid only if he resigns over Chequers before Boris kicks May out. This poll is simply screaming that the Tory members won't elect a Remainer (or Gove who has sold out). And if Boris does not stand or pulls out, JRM is the most likely winner. Leaver Tory MPs will back whichever Leaver is left standing.
Jeremy Hunt ought to be favourite imo, or joint favourite with Javid. What Hunt should do is sharpen up his image as he can look a bit shabby on television, and the long air flights as Foreign Secretary will not help. He must follow Jeremy Corbyn's lead and have a word with David Cameron's mum to get the name of a decent tailor and shirtmaker.
You are falling for the usual trick of supporting whoever looks best of the telly. Not at the moment. Tory members want a Leaver in No 10 and that is what they are going to get.
Quite the opposite. My last paragraph says Hunt looks worst. If Theresa May retires as PM, her successor will probably hold one of the great offices of state: Hunt, Javid or Hammond. I have bet on each of them. Brexit will likely have happened by then so the Remain/Leave divide is a red herring: it will be about steadying the ship.
It's not just about steadying the ship. Good, competent government is certainly one strand that the Tories need to be able to lay claim to at the next election - and frankly, it's one that needs work on. But it may not of itself be enough. There needs to be a new chapter to move on to after Brexit - one about opening opportunities and enabling social mobility, which needs to be an answer to and a challenge to Labour's own critique and proposals because the Tories cannot afford Labour to be the only party making the running on those issues. For that reason, Gove should be very much ruled in as a possible.
currently Labour is making most the running on these, the tories have lost touch with big parts of the community
It's not just about steadying the ship. Good, competent government is certainly one strand that the Tories need to be able to lay claim to at the next election - and frankly, it's one that needs work on. But it may not of itself be enough. There needs to be a new chapter to move on to after Brexit - one about opening opportunities and enabling social mobility, which needs to be an answer to and a challenge to Labour's own critique and proposals because the Tories cannot afford Labour to be the only party making the running on those issues. For that reason, Gove should be very much ruled in as a possible.
currently Labour is making most the running on these, the tories have lost touch with big parts of the community
Focusing solely on a second order problem driven by mad obsessives and seeking to destroy large parts of the civic framework in pursuit of that goal might have that effect.
well thats gay marriage for you
Did that take two years of the government's energies and 6,400 civil servants?
No idea, gays have as much right to be henpecked as the rest of us.
There are advantages to a relationship with two men. We had our anniversary a couple of weeks back and neither of us remembered until late in the afternoon.
It's not just same-sex couple - we both forgot our anniversary a couple of weeks ago. We only remembered when my mother-in-law sent us a card, which arrived the next day. It's happened once before as well.
Our anniversary just doesn't mean that much to us, and there are other dates we choose to celebrate.
Although I think we might do something special next year - it'll be our tenth anniversary
It's not just about steadying the ship. Good, competent government is certainly one strand that the Tories need to be able to lay claim to at the next election - and frankly, it's one that needs work on. But it may not of itself be enough. There needs to be a new chapter to move on to after Brexit - one about opening opportunities and enabling social mobility, which needs to be an answer to and a challenge to Labour's own critique and proposals because the Tories cannot afford Labour to be the only party making the running on those issues. For that reason, Gove should be very much ruled in as a possible.
currently Labour is making most the running on these, the tories have lost touch with big parts of the community
Focusing solely on a second order problem driven by mad obsessives and seeking to destroy large parts of the civic framework in pursuit of that goal might have that effect.
well thats gay marriage for you
Did that take two years of the government's energies and 6,400 civil servants?
No idea, gays have as much right to be henpecked as the rest of us.
There are advantages to a relationship with two men. We had our anniversary a couple of weeks back and neither of us remembered until late in the afternoon.
I some times think you gay guys have it right. Managing the whims of a woman is a full time job, somehow by a process of osmosis you are meant to be able to read her mind.
Me: what do you want for tea ? Her: oh anything I dont really care later Her again : why did you cook lamb ? I wanted fish
It would be easier to live with the panel of professional masterchef sometimes
I think Alastair’s comment made every heterosexual married man here laugh out loud!
I bet gay men don’t constantly remind each other of that time they got blind drunk five years ago either.
That's another losing bet. I'm up to 20 years and counting since a vase broke which I'm blamed for. I wasn't even in the room at the time it happened.
BTW Alastair, and Ii hope you don't mind me bringing this up, but I hope your partner's recovery has continued and that he's fit, well and enjoying life.
Ha. It’s the sort of decision that’s going to get their marketing director either a massive bonus or a P45 - but it will probably take a few weeks to work out which. If the controversy is blown over by next week then it will be a positive, if Trump spends every day between now and the mid-terms pointing out their Asian shoemaking sweatshops then maybe not.
I think, on balance, it's probably quite an astute (marketing) decision. The Nike demographic, I would guess, skews young and skews ethnic. Nike has maybe a 25-30% share of the sneaker market, and losses among 20 year old Trump supporters may well be offset elsewhere. What I will bet is that this was focus grouped to death. There's no way you make such a ballsy decision without doing your homework*.
* Unless you're Donald Trump
All of that Im sure is true. The bit I never get is why do it this way. You could quite happily use a sub brand to pick up the cool dudes and still leave the fusty oldies on board - win win. Dumping customers is only worth while if they are costing you money.
On Bloomberg today there was an article saying both Britain and Germany (sic) are ready to agree a waffly political declaration to try to reach an agreement.
Why will the House of Commons sign off on paying £40bn for a 21-month transition with the sword of Damocles over Northern Ireland and no guarantees on trade?
I don’t think they will.
If they’re going to insist on some waffly can-kicking on trade, then they’re going to need some equally waffly can-kicking on money - because there’s no way we’re paying £39bn without a good-faith negotiation of a comprehensive trade deal, it’s just not going to pass Parliament.
Will anything Brexit related pass parliament? Is there a majority for any plan? If not then it will have to be thrown back to the public to decide via a People's Vote or a GE. Any real answer welcome.
IMO it will come to a crunch point, at which the only two options will be the deal on the table or a crash out, that will focus minds to accept what’s available even if it’s not exactly what they want.
There’s zero chance of another referendum or an election, no time and no appetite from the government benches.
I'll place a sporting fiver at infinity to 1.
Can you see a path to either outcome, given the timescales involved?
Sure, both. In both cases it could be summed up as "where there's a will there's a way". A will in each case might easily emerge as the route to settle an otherwise insurmountable blockage.
An election doesn't even need anyone to actually want one if the government loses a vote of confidence, which is conceivable in the building febrile atmosphere.
A referendum doesn't have to be statutory (cf the Australian referendum on gay marriage). It could be held at short notice in that way. In practice, the stick of a non-statutory referendum would probably be enough to get Parliament to chase the carrot of a statutory referendum.
Do I think either is particularly likely? No. But I'd say the combined chances are something like one in six.
A non-statutory referendum, outside the PPRA rules, without the usual counting and voting processes and quite possibly with associated boycotts and/or a close outcome? Yes, that's going to resolve the mandate and legitimacy questions.
I've been thinking whether I would if I were Prime Minister. Under what possible circumstances would the use of nuclear weapons be justified - the very use of them makes any of Trump's current antics seem like reason incarnate?
The illogic of their possession and use is of course entirely logical and has kept Europe mostly at peace for nearly 75 years.
To accept and understand the well-researched horror of a nuclear exchange is to appreciate how nuclear weapons can be possessed but must never be used.
If Hitler had acquired the Bomb - and because of his use of V2 bombs on London, it was clear he would shortly be sending them with a nuke on top - would you have used it first against wherever that Bomb-factory was sited?
Hunt has no chance whatsoever. Javid only if he resigns over Chequers before Boris kicks May out. This poll is simply screaming that the Tory members won't elect a Remainer (or Gove who has sold out). And if Boris does not stand or pulls out, JRM is the most likely winner. Leaver Tory MPs will back whichever Leaver is left standing.
Jeremy Hunt ought to be favourite imo, or joint favourite with Javid. What Hunt should do is sharpen up his image as he can look a bit shabby on television, and the long air flights as Foreign Secretary will not help. He must follow Jeremy Corbyn's lead and have a word with David Cameron's mum to get the name of a decent tailor and shirtmaker.
You are falling for the usual trick of supporting whoever looks best of the telly. Not at the moment. Tory members want a Leaver in No 10 and that is what they are going to get.
Quite the opposite. My last paragraph says Hunt looks worst. If Theresa May retires as PM, her successor will probably hold one of the great offices of state: Hunt, Javid or Hammond. I have bet on each of them. Brexit will likely have happened by then so the Remain/Leave divide is a red herring: it will be about steadying the ship.
It's not just about steadying the ship. Good, competent government is certainly one strand that the Tories need to be able to lay claim to at the next election - and frankly, it's one that needs work on. But it may not of itself be enough. There needs to be a new chapter to move on to after Brexit - one about opening opportunities and enabling social mobility, which needs to be an answer to and a challenge to Labour's own critique and proposals because the Tories cannot afford Labour to be the only party making the running on those issues. For that reason, Gove should be very much ruled in as a possible.
currently Labour is making most the running on these, the tories have lost touch with big parts of the community
That's interesting thanks. Although I was bemused by the line: "Highlander taught us that our ancestors were superstitious peasants"
I'm far from sure that a film about immortals set in Scotland and modern-day New York (well, 1980s NY) is particularly meant to be taking Scotland's history seriously ...
Although it did a world of good for tourism at Eileen Donan ...
My wife and I watched it the other day (for the first time in about a quarter century). It remains an enjoyable movie.
Did that take two years of the government's energies and 6,400 civil servants?
No idea, gays have as much right to be henpecked as the rest of us.
There are advantages to a relationship with two men. We had our anniversary a couple of weeks back and neither of us remembered until late in the afternoon.
I some times think you gay guys have it right. Managing the whims of a woman is a full time job, somehow by a process of osmosis you are meant to be able to read her mind.
Me: what do you want for tea ? Her: oh anything I dont really care later Her again : why did you cook lamb ? I wanted fish
It would be easier to live with the panel of professional masterchef sometimes
I think Alastair’s comment made every heterosexual married man here laugh out loud!
I bet gay men don’t constantly remind each other of that time they got blind drunk five years ago either.
That's another losing bet. I'm up to 20 years and counting since a vase broke which I'm blamed for. I wasn't even in the room at the time it happened.
BTW Alastair, and Ii hope you don't mind me bringing this up, but I hope your partner's recovery has continued and that he's fit, well and enjoying life.
He has, amazingly, made a full recovery. It took the best part of two years for it to be complete, but he got there. In the process I learned a lot of medical stuff that I had no idea about previously and some new words, including herniation and perseveration. We now consciously don't talk about it much - the aim is to look forward, not back.
We have been very lucky. Few recover from injuries such as he had to the extent that he has.
That's interesting thanks. Although I was bemused by the line: "Highlander taught us that our ancestors were superstitious peasants"
I'm far from sure that a film about immortals set in Scotland and modern-day New York (well, 1980s NY) is particularly meant to be taking Scotland's history seriously ...
Although it did a world of good for tourism at Eileen Donan ...
My wife and I watched it the other day (for the first time in about a quarter century). It remains an enjoyable movie.
One of my guilty secrets is that it's my favourite film. I just love it. Mind you, I saw it with my first girlfriend, so there is a context to it as well.
"… I just feel like somebody is trying to pull the fire alarm and I’m not sure we know as a country how we are supposed to respond when an alarm is sounded like this.”
I used to feel like that on a daily basis when it became obvious that Maggie was stark staring bonkers........
You need to look at more recent history, Maggie wasn't bonkers. Brown definitely WAS.
She was rather bonkers after the 1987 election. She completely lost her political antenna.
I dont think losing your political antenna is the same as bonkers though. The instincts and characteristics that make you successful at the beginning are what can do you in at end.
She got drunk on her own mythology. Seeing her defenestrated by her own party was sweet pleasure. Followed by a sulk rivaling her predecessor.
She was kicked out because she became anti-EU at a time when the elite of the Tory party was becoming more pro-EU. They knew she would never agree to the Maastricht treaty which was upcoming which would have caused a crisis. She was kicked out because of Europe, not the poll tax or her temporary unpopularity.
Of course, as history has proven, she was right and they were wrong.
She was kicked out because she had become an electoral liability and her backbenchers were scared of losing their seats at the next election.
There's an old Persian/Iranian saying: "if you stub your toe on a rock, you can be sure an Englishman left it there". Did you simply substitute the word "EU" for "Englishman"?
I've been thinking whether I would if I were Prime Minister. Under what possible circumstances would the use of nuclear weapons be justified - the very use of them makes any of Trump's current antics seem like reason incarnate?
The illogic of their possession and use is of course entirely logical and has kept Europe mostly at peace for nearly 75 years.
To accept and understand the well-researched horror of a nuclear exchange is to appreciate how nuclear weapons can be possessed but must never be used.
And why it's a good idea not to say whether or not you'd use then, even if you wouldn't.
On Bloomberg today there was an article saying both Britain and Germany (sic) are ready to agree a waffly political declaration to try to reach an agreement.
Why will the House of Commons sign off on paying £40bn for a 21-month transition with the sword of Damocles over Northern Ireland and no guarantees on trade?
I don’t think they will.
If they’re going to insist on some waffly can-kicking on trade, then they’re going to need some equally waffly can-kicking on money - because there’s no way we’re paying £39bn without a good-faith negotiation of a comprehensive trade deal, it’s just not going to pass Parliament.
Will anything Brexit related pass parliament? Is there a majority for any plan? If not then it will have to be thrown back to the public to decide via a People's Vote or a GE. Any real answer welcome.
IMO it will come to a crunch point, at which the only two options will be the deal on the table or a crash out, that will focus minds to accept what’s available even if it’s not exactly what they want.
There’s zero chance of another referendum or an election, no time and no appetite from the government benches.
I'll place a sporting fiver at infinity to 1.
Can you see a path to either outcome, given the timescales involved?
Sure, both. In both cases it could be summed up as "where there's a will there's a way". A will in each case might easily emerge as the route to settle an otherwise insurmountable blockage.
An election doesn't even need anyone to actually want one if the government loses a vote of confidence, which is conceivable in the building febrile atmosphere.
A referendum doesn't have to be statutory (cf the Australian referendum on gay marriage). It could be held at short notice in that way. In practice, the stick of a non-statutory referendum would probably be enough to get Parliament to chase the carrot of a statutory referendum.
Do I think either is particularly likely? No. But I'd say the combined chances are something like one in six.
A non-statutory referendum, outside the PPRA rules, without the usual counting and voting processes and quite possibly with associated boycotts and/or a close outcome? Yes, that's going to resolve the mandate and legitimacy questions.
Sometimes needs must. It's a bad option but there may be no better one. As I note, in practice the threat of it in the right circumstances would probably be sufficient to secure a statutory referendum.
Remainers have mocked Leavers for 'not having a plan'. But there is a plan - CETA, which is being detailed apparently in a large dossier shortly and was worked out in detail at DexEU.
Does it not worry you that Rees-Mogg and Barnier are on the same page on CETA? It strongly suggests Rees-Mogg is happy to jettison Northern Ireland.
I am off to see Nigel Farage tonight in Sydney. Hoping to persuade him to emigrate and set up a party here. If he called it the Beer Drinkers Piss-up Party he would probably win an overall majority.
He's like a real-life version of Sir Les Patterson in reverse. What an embarrassment.
Mogg is requiring the EU to back down on NI - they can either do so or no deal. Once we are past No Deal the border will resolve itself and we can discuss CETA then.
That's interesting thanks. Although I was bemused by the line: "Highlander taught us that our ancestors were superstitious peasants"
I'm far from sure that a film about immortals set in Scotland and modern-day New York (well, 1980s NY) is particularly meant to be taking Scotland's history seriously ...
Although it did a world of good for tourism at Eileen Donan ...
My wife and I watched it the other day (for the first time in about a quarter century). It remains an enjoyable movie.
One of my guilty secrets is that it's my favourite film. I just love it. Mind you, I saw it with my first girlfriend, so there is a context to it as well.
Not even near my favourite, but it is entertaining.
Will anything Brexit related pass parliament? Is there a majority for any plan? If not then it will have to be thrown back to the public to decide via a People's Vote or a GE. Any real answer welcome.
IMO it will come to a crunch point, at which the only two options will be the deal on the table or a crash out, that will focus minds to accept what’s available even if it’s not exactly what they want.
There’s zero chance of another referendum or an election, no time and no appetite from the government benches.
I'll place a sporting fiver at infinity to 1.
Can you see a path to either outcome, given the timescales involved?
Sure, both. In both cases it could be summed up as "where there's a will there's a way". A will in each case might easily emerge as the route to settle an otherwise insurmountable blockage.
An election doesn't even need anyone to actually want one if the government loses a vote of confidence, which is conceivable in the building febrile atmosphere.
A referendum doesn't have to be statutory (cf the Australian referendum on gay marriage). It could be held at short notice in that way. In practice, the stick of a non-statutory referendum would probably be enough to get Parliament to chase the carrot of a statutory referendum.
Do I think either is particularly likely? No. But I'd say the combined chances are something like one in six.
Hmm okay, you’ve got me thinking now, as I know you have a long and profitable record of making odds.
I had the odds of either as the sum of a number of improbable events that need to happen consecutively, for example the PM resigns and the Conservatives elect a Remainer, or there’s a large scale crossing of the floor by Con or DUP MPs leading to a VoNC in the government.
There’s certainly going to be crunch points, whatever is presented opponents are going to try and amend it to death, then there’s the Lords who seem to be fans of ping pong, but it’s difficult to see how what’s negotiated between the government and the EU doesn’t get past Parliament eventually.
Did that take two years of the government's energies and 6,400 civil servants?
No idea, gays have as much right to be henpecked as the rest of us.
There are advantages to a relationship with two men. We had our anniversary a couple of weeks back and neither of us remembered until late in the afternoon.
I some times think you gay guys have it right. Managing the whims of a woman is a full time job, somehow by a process of osmosis you are meant to be able to read her mind.
Me: what do you want for tea ? Her: oh anything I dont really care later Her again : why did you cook lamb ? I wanted fish
It would be easier to live with the panel of professional masterchef sometimes
I think Alastair’s comment made every heterosexual married man here laugh out loud!
I bet gay men don’t constantly remind each other of that time they got blind drunk five years ago either.
That's another losing bet. I'm up to 20 years and counting since a vase broke which I'm blamed for. I wasn't even in the room at the time it happened.
BTW Alastair, and Ii hope you don't mind me bringing this up, but I hope your partner's recovery has continued and that he's fit, well and enjoying life.
He has, amazingly, made a full recovery. It took the best part of two years for it to be complete, but he got there. In the process I learned a lot of medical stuff that I had no idea about previously and some new words, including herniation and perseveration. We now consciously don't talk about it much - the aim is to look forward, not back.
We have been very lucky. Few recover from injuries such as he had to the extent that he has.
What is interesting at the moment is that the Remainers seem all at sea. For a year and a half they preached soft Brexit, going on about pragmatism and compromise, finally falling at May's feet in adoration when she sold out on all her red lines and proposed what they wanted. And what happened - the EU completely rejected their idea.
Remainers have mocked Leavers for 'not having a plan'. But there is a plan - CETA, which is being detailed apparently in a large dossier shortly and was worked out in detail at DexEU.
It is the Remainers who don't have a plan. Other than having another referendum of course. No wonder all they want to talk about now is Labour and Corbyn.
I am off to see Nigel Farage tonight in Sydney. Hoping to persuade him to emigrate and set up a party here. If he called it the Beer Drinkers Piss-up Party he would probably win an overall majority.
The CETA is of no help when it comes to dealing with Northern Ireland. Any bespoke agreement would need a special chapter that may allow Northern Ireland to stay in the Customs Union and/or in the Single Market. Such a chapter may actually be welcomed by the EU – and even more so by the Republic of Ireland – but would mean the beginning of the end of the UK, as it would split the UK into a small part that is integrated into the economic rules of the EU and a larger part that operates within its own rules and practices. The second ‘plus’ would require a special treatment clause for Northern Ireland that does minimise negative economic and political costs for both sides. The magic formula is still missing here.
There’s still no chance that the MPs will vote for Boris though, but it’s fair to say that his name (and that of JRM, who definitely won’t run) in the survey is a good proxy that the members are unhappy with the direction taken by the government on Brexit.
I’m still laying Boris and JRM, backing Javid and Hunt, and neutral on Gove.
Hunt has no chance whatsoever. Javid only if he resigns over Chequers before Boris kicks May out. This poll is simply screaming that the Tory members won't elect a Remainer (or Gove who has sold out). And if Boris does not stand or pulls out, JRM is the most likely winner. Leaver Tory MPs will back whichever Leaver is left standing.
Disagree.
First of all, Boris can’t “Kick May out”, it requires a majority (160) of Con MPs to vote for no confidence in her.
If the election is for a Prime Minister, rather than a LotO, then JRM isn’t standing, he has zero ministerial experience and is intelligent enough to understand that. The only person advocating for Boris is Boris, and he’s shown himself up to be a poor performer unable to grasp the detail of a senior role in government. Plenty of MPs now see him as a divisive figure who is to be avoided at all costs.
The last Leaver standing is more likely to be Davis or Gove, the former having resigned on a point of principle over Brexit, and the latter quietly getting on with his day job at DEFRA - possibly the department most directly affected by leaving the EU.
I think, if Gove stands, then he wins. The question is whether he goes for the crown of decides it's not for him.
Did that take two years of the government's energies and 6,400 civil servants?
No idea, gays have as much right to be henpecked as the rest of us.
There are advantages to a relationship with two men. We had our anniversary a couple of weeks back and neither of us remembered until late in the afternoon.
I some times think you gay guys have it right. Managing the whims of a woman is a full time job, somehow by a process of osmosis you are meant to be able to read her mind.
Me: what do you want for tea ? Her: oh anything I dont really care later Her again : why did you cook lamb ? I wanted fish
It would be easier to live with the panel of professional masterchef sometimes
I think Alastair’s comment made every heterosexual married man here laugh out loud!
I bet gay men don’t constantly remind each other of that time they got blind drunk five years ago either.
That's another losing bet. I'm up to 20 years and counting since a vase broke which I'm blamed for. I wasn't even in the room at the time it happened.
BTW Alastair, and Ii hope you don't mind me bringing this up, but I hope your partner's recovery has continued and that he's fit, well and enjoying life.
He has, amazingly, made a full recovery. It took the best part of two years for it to be complete, but he got there. In the process I learned a lot of medical stuff that I had no idea about previously and some new words, including herniation and perseveration. We now consciously don't talk about it much - the aim is to look forward, not back.
We have been very lucky. Few recover from injuries such as he had to the extent that he has.
Do they serve popcorn in US courthouses ? https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-45429509 Former US Senate candidate Roy Moore is suing the British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen for defamation after falling victim to a TV show prank. In a sketch for his series Who Is America?, Baron Cohen pretends to be an Israeli anti-terrorism expert demonstrating a "paedophile detector". When the "device" is waved near Mr Moore, it beeps...
I have to say staying in a £48 a night shit hole hotel and travelling by train, not exactly James Bond stuff his it. Where was the Aston Martin, stay at the Ritz and night having it away with a member of hotel staff?
LOL. From all the information we saw published yesterday they were pretty crap spies. They took the same routes multiple times, stayed in the same hotel for two nights, flew in and out straight from Moscow, took direct trains from Waterloo to Salisbury and didn’t change their clothes or appearances during their trip.
Maybe the whole thing was set up so the Russian GRU could see how much of a dossier we could assemble about their trip?
As @Dura_Ace suggested, it’s likely they were a couple of disposable and deniable low-level operatives, rather than Russian James Bonds.
The Russians were doing it for two reasons: (1) to make Putin look the strong man in advance of his election at home and (2) to probe and test Britain’s ability and resolve in the “new world” as their most consistent European adversary.
If Hitler had acquired the Bomb - and because of his use of V2 bombs on London, it was clear he would shortly be sending them with a nuke on top - would you have used it first against wherever that Bomb-factory was sited?
The technology to package a nuclear weapon small enough to be a V2 payload (1,000kg class) didn't really exist until the late 50s with the B43 bomb. AH would have had to have used one of the "Amerika" bomber projects like the Me 264. Ken Livingstone would know more.
I have to say staying in a £48 a night shit hole hotel and travelling by train, not exactly James Bond stuff his it. Where was the Aston Martin, stay at the Ritz and night having it away with a member of hotel staff?
LOL. From all the information we saw published yesterday they were pretty crap spies. They took the same routes multiple times, stayed in the same hotel for two nights, flew in and out straight from Moscow, took direct trains from Waterloo to Salisbury and didn’t change their clothes or appearances during their trip.
Maybe the whole thing was set up so the Russian GRU could see how much of a dossier we could assemble about their trip?
As @Dura_Ace suggested, it’s likely they were a couple of disposable and deniable low-level operatives, rather than Russian James Bonds.
The Russians were doing it for two reasons: (1) to make Putin look the strong man in advance of his election at home and (2) to probe and test Britain’s ability and resolve in the “new world” as their most consistent European adversary.
I’m inclined to believe Putin got the message.
I'm sure he can bide his time profitably until Milne is in charge of the security services.
Following yesterdays UK voter concerns our cousins in Germany have just publised their list of what worries germans most atm
Trump makes the world a dangerous place - 69% Immigation overwhelming authorities - 63% Tensions resulting from immigration - 63% Politicians not up to job - 61% Terrorism - 59% Cost to german taxpayers of EU debt crisis - 58% Political extemism - 57% Natural disasters - 56% Impurities in food - 55%
Did that take two years of the government's energies and 6,400 civil servants?
No idea, gays have as much right to be henpecked as the rest of us.
There are advantages to a relationship with two men. We had our anniversary a couple of weeks back and neither of us remembered until late in the afternoon.
I some times think you gay guys have it right. Managing the whims of a woman is a full time job, somehow by a process of osmosis you are meant to be able to read her mind.
Me: what do you want for tea ? Her: oh anything I dont really care later Her again : why did you cook lamb ? I wanted fish
It would be easier to live with the panel of professional masterchef sometimes
I think Alastair’s comment made every heterosexual married man here laugh out loud!
I bet gay men don’t constantly remind each other of that time they got blind drunk five years ago either.
That's another losing bet. I'm up to 20 years and counting since a vase broke which I'm blamed for. I wasn't even in the room at the time it happened.
BTW Alastair, and Ii hope you don't mind me bringing this up, but I hope your partner's recovery has continued and that he's fit, well and enjoying life.
He has, amazingly, made a full recovery. It took the best part of two years for it to be complete, but he got there. In the process I learned a lot of medical stuff that I had no idea about previously and some new words, including herniation and perseveration. We now consciously don't talk about it much - the aim is to look forward, not back.
We have been very lucky. Few recover from injuries such as he had to the extent that he has.
Ha. It’s the sort of decision that’s going to get their marketing director either a massive bonus or a P45 - but it will probably take a few weeks to work out which. If the controversy is blown over by next week then it will be a positive, if Trump spends every day between now and the mid-terms pointing out their Asian shoemaking sweatshops then maybe not.
I think, on balance, it's probably quite an astute (marketing) decision. The Nike demographic, I would guess, skews young and skews ethnic. Nike has maybe a 25-30% share of the sneaker market, and losses among 20 year old Trump supporters may well be offset elsewhere. What I will bet is that this was focus grouped to death. There's no way you make such a ballsy decision without doing your homework*.
* Unless you're Donald Trump
All of that Im sure is true. The bit I never get is why do it this way. You could quite happily use a sub brand to pick up the cool dudes and still leave the fusty oldies on board - win win. Dumping customers is only worth while if they are costing you money.
Some brands thrive on controversy. Some don't. Nike have a history of being "edgy" and are respected for it.
While some may be put off now realistically any boycott will probably be short lived if it even happens. People will move on.
This weekend UKIP’s NEC will decide whether to allow members to hear a conference motion proposing that former EDL leader Tommy Robinson is offered membership of the party.
Following yesterdays UK voter concerns our cousins in Germany have just publised their list of what worries germans most atm
Trump makes the world a dangerous place - 69% Immigation overwhelming authorities - 63% Tensions resulting from immigration - 63% Politicians not up to job - 61% Terrorism - 59% Cost to german taxpayers of EU debt crisis - 58% Political extemism - 57% Natural disasters - 56% Impurities in food - 55%
Interestingly no mention of energy security, which should be just behind immigration concerns for most of Europe right now. Unless they don’t care that they rely very heavily on Russia to keep their houses heated and factories going in the winter.
Did that take two years of the government's energies and 6,400 civil servants?
No idea, gays have as much right to be henpecked as the rest of us.
There are advantages to a relationship with two men. We had our anniversary a couple of weeks back and neither of us remembered until late in the afternoon.
I some times think you gay guys have it right. Managing the whims of a woman is a full time job, somehow by a process of osmosis you are meant to be able to read her mind.
Me: what do you want for tea ? Her: oh anything I dont really care later Her again : why did you cook lamb ? I wanted fish
It would be easier to live with the panel of professional masterchef sometimes
I think Alastair’s comment made every heterosexual married man here laugh out loud!
I bet gay men don’t constantly remind each other of that time they got blind drunk five years ago either.
That's another losing bet. I'm up to 20 years and counting since a vase broke which I'm blamed for. I wasn't even in the room at the time it happened.
BTW Alastair, and Ii hope you don't mind me bringing this up, but I hope your partner's recovery has continued and that he's fit, well and enjoying life.
He has, amazingly, made a full recovery. It took the best part of two years for it to be complete, but he got there. In the process I learned a lot of medical stuff that I had no idea about previously and some new words, including herniation and perseveration. We now consciously don't talk about it much - the aim is to look forward, not back.
We have been very lucky. Few recover from injuries such as he had to the extent that he has.
Following yesterdays UK voter concerns our cousins in Germany have just publised their list of what worries germans most atm
Trump makes the world a dangerous place - 69% Immigation overwhelming authorities - 63% Tensions resulting from immigration - 63% Politicians not up to job - 61% Terrorism - 59% Cost to german taxpayers of EU debt crisis - 58% Political extemism - 57% Natural disasters - 56% Impurities in food - 55%
Following yesterdays UK voter concerns our cousins in Germany have just publised their list of what worries germans most atm
Trump makes the world a dangerous place - 69% Immigation overwhelming authorities - 63% Tensions resulting from immigration - 63% Politicians not up to job - 61% Terrorism - 59% Cost to german taxpayers of EU debt crisis - 58% Political extemism - 57% Natural disasters - 56% Impurities in food - 55%
Following yesterdays UK voter concerns our cousins in Germany have just publised their list of what worries germans most atm
Trump makes the world a dangerous place - 69% Immigation overwhelming authorities - 63% Tensions resulting from immigration - 63% Politicians not up to job - 61% Terrorism - 59% Cost to german taxpayers of EU debt crisis - 58% Political extemism - 57% Natural disasters - 56% Impurities in food - 55%
Following yesterdays UK voter concerns our cousins in Germany have just publised their list of what worries germans most atm
Trump makes the world a dangerous place - 69% Immigation overwhelming authorities - 63% Tensions resulting from immigration - 63% Politicians not up to job - 61% Terrorism - 59% Cost to german taxpayers of EU debt crisis - 58% Political extemism - 57% Natural disasters - 56% Impurities in food - 55%
Following yesterdays UK voter concerns our cousins in Germany have just publised their list of what worries germans most atm
Trump makes the world a dangerous place - 69% Immigation overwhelming authorities - 63% Tensions resulting from immigration - 63% Politicians not up to job - 61% Terrorism - 59% Cost to german taxpayers of EU debt crisis - 58% Political extemism - 57% Natural disasters - 56% Impurities in food - 55%
Interestingly no mention of energy security, which should be just behind immigration concerns for most of Europe right now. Unless they don’t care that they rely very heavily on Russia to keep their houses heated and factories going in the winter.
Don't forget that Europe (including Germany) is busy building LNG import terminals right now. That will fundamentally change energy security in the region.
This weekend UKIP’s NEC will decide whether to allow members to hear a conference motion proposing that former EDL leader Tommy Robinson is offered membership of the party.
Following yesterdays UK voter concerns our cousins in Germany have just publised their list of what worries germans most atm
Trump makes the world a dangerous place - 69% Immigation overwhelming authorities - 63% Tensions resulting from immigration - 63% Politicians not up to job - 61% Terrorism - 59% Cost to german taxpayers of EU debt crisis - 58% Political extemism - 57% Natural disasters - 56% Impurities in food - 55%
Interestingly no mention of energy security, which should be just behind immigration concerns for most of Europe right now. Unless they don’t care that they rely very heavily on Russia to keep their houses heated and factories going in the winter.
Don't forget that Europe (including Germany) is busy building LNG import terminals right now. That will fundamentally change energy security in the region.
How much do you think they can import (from USA, Qatar?) and can it put sufficient a dent in Russia’s export volumes to act as an economic sanction? Or should Europe get fracking and quickly?
Following yesterdays UK voter concerns our cousins in Germany have just publised their list of what worries germans most atm
Trump makes the world a dangerous place - 69% Immigation overwhelming authorities - 63% Tensions resulting from immigration - 63% Politicians not up to job - 61% Terrorism - 59% Cost to german taxpayers of EU debt crisis - 58% Political extemism - 57% Natural disasters - 56% Impurities in food - 55%
Interestingly no mention of energy security, which should be just behind immigration concerns for most of Europe right now. Unless they don’t care that they rely very heavily on Russia to keep their houses heated and factories going in the winter.
Don't forget that Europe (including Germany) is busy building LNG import terminals right now. That will fundamentally change energy security in the region.
Yes - Europe will have to rely on Trump's USA to supply the LNG.
Following yesterdays UK voter concerns our cousins in Germany have just publised their list of what worries germans most atm
Trump makes the world a dangerous place - 69% Immigation overwhelming authorities - 63% Tensions resulting from immigration - 63% Politicians not up to job - 61% Terrorism - 59% Cost to german taxpayers of EU debt crisis - 58% Political extemism - 57% Natural disasters - 56% Impurities in food - 55%
Interestingly no mention of energy security, which should be just behind immigration concerns for most of Europe right now. Unless they don’t care that they rely very heavily on Russia to keep their houses heated and factories going in the winter.
Don't forget that Europe (including Germany) is busy building LNG import terminals right now. That will fundamentally change energy security in the region.
It's hard to see how Putin could survive if Europe stopped purchasing Russia's energy. Russia without energy isn't far off being a third world nation.
Can you see a path to either outcome, given the timescales involved?
Sure, both. In both cases it could be summed up as "where there's a will there's a way". A will in each case might easily emerge as the route to settle an otherwise insurmountable blockage.
An election doesn't even need anyone to actually want one if the government loses a vote of confidence, which is conceivable in the building febrile atmosphere.
A referendum doesn't have to be statutory (cf the Australian referendum on gay marriage). It could be held at short notice in that way. In practice, the stick of a non-statutory referendum would probably be enough to get Parliament to chase the carrot of a statutory referendum.
Do I think either is particularly likely? No. But I'd say the combined chances are something like one in six.
A non-statutory referendum, outside the PPRA rules, without the usual counting and voting processes and quite possibly with associated boycotts and/or a close outcome? Yes, that's going to resolve the mandate and legitimacy questions.
Sometimes needs must. It's a bad option but there may be no better one. As I note, in practice the threat of it in the right circumstances would probably be sufficient to secure a statutory referendum.
I don't believe a referendum of any type will make the problem better, never mind resolve it, and I've never seen any realistic appraisal of why it should. For all the magic unicorns that Brexiteers are accused of chasing (not without justification), the notion that a second referendum will (1) resolve domestic political disputes over the EU, and (2) lead to an acceptable deal with the EU, seems pie in the sky to me. What exactly is the mechanism to achieve either?
The reasoning - such as it is - seems to be that because there's no support for any specific outcome (true), then there must be a referendum, as if it's some kind of default reserve option (it isn't). That fails to answer: - How such a referendum comes about; - What question/s are asked; - What system is used, if more than one binary question; - How the government is meant to respond to whatever result results, within the existing constraints of the current parliamentary maths and the parameters within which the EU and its members will work.
Following yesterdays UK voter concerns our cousins in Germany have just publised their list of what worries germans most atm
Trump makes the world a dangerous place - 69% Immigation overwhelming authorities - 63% Tensions resulting from immigration - 63% Politicians not up to job - 61% Terrorism - 59% Cost to german taxpayers of EU debt crisis - 58% Political extemism - 57% Natural disasters - 56% Impurities in food - 55%
Interestingly no mention of energy security, which should be just behind immigration concerns for most of Europe right now. Unless they don’t care that they rely very heavily on Russia to keep their houses heated and factories going in the winter.
Don't forget that Europe (including Germany) is busy building LNG import terminals right now. That will fundamentally change energy security in the region.
It's hard to see how Putin could survive if Europe stopped purchasing Russia's energy. Russia without energy isn't far off being a third world nation.
Russia is currently arranging to sell more of its gas and oil to China.
Following yesterdays UK voter concerns our cousins in Germany have just publised their list of what worries germans most atm
Trump makes the world a dangerous place - 69% Immigation overwhelming authorities - 63% Tensions resulting from immigration - 63% Politicians not up to job - 61% Terrorism - 59% Cost to german taxpayers of EU debt crisis - 58% Political extemism - 57% Natural disasters - 56% Impurities in food - 55%
Interestingly no mention of energy security, which should be just behind immigration concerns for most of Europe right now. Unless they don’t care that they rely very heavily on Russia to keep their houses heated and factories going in the winter.
Don't forget that Europe (including Germany) is busy building LNG import terminals right now. That will fundamentally change energy security in the region.
How much do you think they can import (from USA, Qatar?) and can it put sufficient a dent in Russia’s export volumes to act as an economic sanction? Or should Europe get fracking and quickly?
The European oil and gas industry used to get cracking now it needs to get fracking.
Following yesterdays UK voter concerns our cousins in Germany have just publised their list of what worries germans most atm
Trump makes the world a dangerous place - 69% Immigation overwhelming authorities - 63% Tensions resulting from immigration - 63% Politicians not up to job - 61% Terrorism - 59% Cost to german taxpayers of EU debt crisis - 58% Political extemism - 57% Natural disasters - 56% Impurities in food - 55%
Interestingly no mention of energy security, which should be just behind immigration concerns for most of Europe right now. Unless they don’t care that they rely very heavily on Russia to keep their houses heated and factories going in the winter.
Don't forget that Europe (including Germany) is busy building LNG import terminals right now. That will fundamentally change energy security in the region.
It's hard to see how Putin could survive if Europe stopped purchasing Russia's energy. Russia without energy isn't far off being a third world nation.
Russia is currently arranging to sell more of its gas and oil to China.
Oil is a fungible market, and Russian oil production is basically flat.
The Altai gas pipeline will enable Russia to sell more gas into China. But right now, it'll be difficult for Russia to fill it anywhere near capacity because the internal Russian gas pipelines all point in the wrong direction. It'll be years - perhaps a decade - before it takes a really significant amount of gas into China.
This weekend UKIP’s NEC will decide whether to allow members to hear a conference motion proposing that former EDL leader Tommy Robinson is offered membership of the party.
This is after all that Paul Joseph Watson etc mob were welcomed in.
Is Paul Jospeh Watson named after Paul Joseph Goebbels?
If it is true that many of the new Tory members are UKIP members, and assuming they don't try and belong to two parties at once, then UKIP will end up being more extreme as a dwindling band become more desperate to survive and make a splash.
What happens when Theresa May brings a deal back from Brussels and the Commons rejects it? My guess is nothing at all.
Will there be a new Prime Minister? My guess is that Theresa May will say that the Commons has decided that no deal is better than the deal she negotiated, no better deal is on offer from the EU, she has always said that no deal is better than a bad deal and she regrets that Brussels was not willing to negotiate in good faith for a better deal. She will not resign. I think a majority of Conservative MPs will decide that it is the right time to rally around their PM.
Will there be a general election? Although the ERG and probably the DUP will have voted against the deal, I would expect both to support May in a Confidence vote. May certainly will not want an election. There will not be an election.
Will there be a referendum? The most plausible scenario would see May push for a deal/no-deal referendum in the hope that the public would follow her and overrule opposition from the ERG. There are several problems with this scenario, not the least of which being that it would be to split asunder the Conservative Party, something May has done everything to avoid. My guess is that May would rather preserve Party unity than to cause irreparable harm for a referendum she might well lose anyway (always assuming she could make such a referendum happen). There will not be a referendum. Probably.
So my guess is that Theresa May will walk us off the cliff without a deal. When we aren't gnawing on each other's bones by Easter many people will wonder what the fuss was about, while jobs are lost and irreparable harm is done to other people.
This weekend UKIP’s NEC will decide whether to allow members to hear a conference motion proposing that former EDL leader Tommy Robinson is offered membership of the party.
This is after all that Paul Joseph Watson etc mob were welcomed in.
Is Paul Jospeh Watson named after Paul Joseph Goebbels?
If it is true that many of the new Tory members are UKIP members, and assuming they don't try and belong to two parties at once, then UKIP will end up being more extreme as a dwindling band become more desperate to survive and make a splash.
At it's peak, UKIP's membership was 42,000, so while a few thousand of the new Conservatives will be ex-UKIP, most won't be. In Wandsworth for example, UKIP never amounted to more than a handful of people.
Did that take two years of the government's energies and 6,400 civil servants?
No idea, gays have as much right to be henpecked as the rest of us.
There are advantages to a relationship with two men. We had our anniversary a couple of weeks back and neither of us remembered until late in the afternoon.
I some times think you gay guys have it right. Managing the whims of a woman is a full time job, somehow by a process of osmosis you are meant to be able to read her mind.
Me: what do you want for tea ? Her: oh anything I dont really care later Her again : why did you cook lamb ? I wanted fish
It would be easier to live with the panel of professional masterchef sometimes
I think Alastair’s comment made every heterosexual married man here laugh out loud!
I bet gay men don’t constantly remind each other of that time they got blind drunk five years ago either.
That's another losing bet. I'm up to 20 years and counting since a vase broke which I'm blamed for. I wasn't even in the room at the time it happened.
BTW Alastair, and Ii hope you don't mind me bringing this up, but I hope your partner's recovery has continued and that he's fit, well and enjoying life.
He has, amazingly, made a full recovery. It took the best part of two years for it to be complete, but he got there. In the process I learned a lot of medical stuff that I had no idea about previously and some new words, including herniation and perseveration. We now consciously don't talk about it much - the aim is to look forward, not back.
We have been very lucky. Few recover from injuries such as he had to the extent that he has.
That's really good news to hear.
It is indeed (btw, I accidentally clicked the off topic button - apologies).
If Hitler had acquired the Bomb - and because of his use of V2 bombs on London, it was clear he would shortly be sending them with a nuke on top - would you have used it first against wherever that Bomb-factory was sited?
The technology to package a nuclear weapon small enough to be a V2 payload (1,000kg class) didn't really exist until the late 50s with the B43 bomb. AH would have had to have used one of the "Amerika" bomber projects like the Me 264. Ken Livingstone would know more.
For those looking to take fantasy revenge on the pesky { Remainers | Brexiteers } while learning more about nuclear weapons through history, may I recommend:
Following yesterdays UK voter concerns our cousins in Germany have just publised their list of what worries germans most atm
Trump makes the world a dangerous place - 69% Immigation overwhelming authorities - 63% Tensions resulting from immigration - 63% Politicians not up to job - 61% Terrorism - 59% Cost to german taxpayers of EU debt crisis - 58% Political extemism - 57% Natural disasters - 56% Impurities in food - 55%
Interestingly no mention of energy security, which should be just behind immigration concerns for most of Europe right now. Unless they don’t care that they rely very heavily on Russia to keep their houses heated and factories going in the winter.
Don't forget that Europe (including Germany) is busy building LNG import terminals right now. That will fundamentally change energy security in the region.
It's hard to see how Putin could survive if Europe stopped purchasing Russia's energy. Russia without energy isn't far off being a third world nation.
Russia is currently arranging to sell more of its gas and oil to China.
China is a very different kind of customer to rely upon than Europe. If Russia's economy is at the mercy of China then they will be well and truly diminished geopolitically.
Whoops. Hope @archer101au and others haven’t paid too much to get there. I wonder who’s on the hook for Mr Farage’s (presumably biz class) plane ticket?
I am off to see Nigel Farage tonight in Sydney. Hoping to persuade him to emigrate and set up a party here. If he called it the Beer Drinkers Piss-up Party he would probably win an overall majority.
China is a very different kind of customer to rely upon than Europe. If Russia's economy is at the mercy of China then they will be well and truly diminished geopolitically.
I think we're approaching the fin de regime of Putin. His strategy is failing all over the place.
The reasoning - such as it is - seems to be that because there's no support for any specific outcome (true), then there must be a referendum, as if it's some kind of default reserve option (it isn't). That fails to answer: - How such a referendum comes about; - What question/s are asked; - What system is used, if more than one binary question; - How the government is meant to respond to whatever result results, within the existing constraints of the current parliamentary maths and the parameters within which the EU and its members will work.
Surely the next referendum (if there is one) will be a very simple "Remain" or "Leave with this deal" (whatever it is - "This deal" might be "No Deal")
O/T I've just been informed that Conservative membership in Wandsworth is up to 1,900, an increase of 400 on the start of the year.
The Lib Dems had a big increase in members when lots of remainers joined after the referendum result. So perhaps lots of leavers are now joining the Conservatives after the negotiations seem to have failed.
Kerguelen is fairly empty if the French will let it go.... Even Corbyn could not object to a nation state in Kerguelen. Of course, it is a bit chilly......
The reasoning - such as it is - seems to be that because there's no support for any specific outcome (true), then there must be a referendum, as if it's some kind of default reserve option (it isn't). That fails to answer: - How such a referendum comes about; - What question/s are asked; - What system is used, if more than one binary question; - How the government is meant to respond to whatever result results, within the existing constraints of the current parliamentary maths and the parameters within which the EU and its members will work.
Surely the next referendum (if there is one) will be a very simple "Remain" or "Leave with this deal" (whatever it is - "This deal" might be "No Deal")
Two options - a binary choice.
It's pretty clear there will be a withdrawal agreement and it will contain the backstop, even if the declaration on the future relationship will be completely meaningless.
I think the most likely route to a second referendum is becoming a rebellion on the part of the DUP.
The good news is, that Northern Ireland's MLA's are getting a pay cut. The bad news is, they'll still get £35,000 a year.
thats about £35k too much
Indeed if they're not doing their jobs they shouldn't get a penny. Striking workers don't get paid why should they?
There are two arguments I can think of. One, there is still constituency casework to deal with. Two, negotiating the terms of a new executive is part of their job, so they are representing their constituents by standing up for their constituents interests in those negotiations. Even if that means not coming to an agreement.
The good news is, that Northern Ireland's MLA's are getting a pay cut. The bad news is, they'll still get £35,000 a year.
thats about £35k too much
Indeed if they're not doing their jobs they shouldn't get a penny. Striking workers don't get paid why should they?
Let us go further and require them to pay back the money they have taken since they stopped working. In fact let us bar the lot of them from office and hold fresh elections for people who want a job running things and are prepared to turn up.
For those looking to take fantasy revenge on the pesky { Remainers | Brexiteers } while learning more about nuclear weapons through history, may I recommend:
Are you indulging in Backus-Naur formats? Context-free grammars should be perfect for PB / Brexit
Kerguelen is fairly empty if the French will let it go.... Even Corbyn could not object to a nation state in Kerguelen. Of course, it is a bit chilly......
Kerguelen is fairly empty if the French will let it go.... Even Corbyn could not object to a nation state in Kerguelen. Of course, it is a bit chilly......
Can't be many on here who have correctly identified Kerguelen Petrel.....
The good news is, that Northern Ireland's MLA's are getting a pay cut. The bad news is, they'll still get £35,000 a year.
thats about £35k too much
Indeed if they're not doing their jobs they shouldn't get a penny. Striking workers don't get paid why should they?
Let us go further and require them to pay back the money they have taken since they stopped working. In fact let us bar the lot of them from office and hold fresh elections for people who want a job running things and are prepared to turn up.
That is far too sensible for it to be adopted !!!!
Did that take two years of the government's energies and 6,400 civil servants?
No idea, gays have as much right to be henpecked as the rest of us.
There are advantages to a relationship with two men. We had our anniversary a couple of weeks back and neither of us remembered until late in the afternoon.
I some times think you gay guys have it right. Managing the whims of a woman is a full time job, somehow by a process of osmosis you are meant to be able to read her mind.
Me: what do you want for tea ? Her: oh anything I dont really care later Her again : why did you cook lamb ? I wanted fish
It would be easier to live with the panel of professional masterchef sometimes
I think Alastair’s comment made every heterosexual married man here laugh out loud!
I bet gay men don’t constantly remind each other of that time they got blind drunk five years ago either.
That's another losing bet. I'm up to 20 years and counting since a vase broke which I'm blamed for. I wasn't even in the room at the time it happened.
BTW Alastair, and Ii hope you don't mind me bringing this up, but I hope your partner's recovery has continued and that he's fit, well and enjoying life.
He has, amazingly, made a full recovery. It took the best part of two years for it to be complete, but he got there. In the process I learned a lot of medical stuff that I had no idea about previously and some new words, including herniation and perseveration. We now consciously don't talk about it much - the aim is to look forward, not back.
We have been very lucky. Few recover from injuries such as he had to the extent that he has.
Kerguelen is fairly empty if the French will let it go.... Even Corbyn could not object to a nation state in Kerguelen. Of course, it is a bit chilly......
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRxYQFhYYs8
I love it, but it means the French will never let it go...
The good news is, that Northern Ireland's MLA's are getting a pay cut. The bad news is, they'll still get £35,000 a year.
thats about £35k too much
Indeed if they're not doing their jobs they shouldn't get a penny. Striking workers don't get paid why should they?
Let us go further and require them to pay back the money they have taken since they stopped working. In fact let us bar the lot of them from office and hold fresh elections for people who want a job running things and are prepared to turn up.
Given they were given a billion-pound incentive to turn up more than a year ago, I agree that it’s probably time for the Assembly to be dissolved and for members who will turn up to be elected. But it’s Northern Ireland we are talking about.
What happens when Theresa May brings a deal back from Brussels and the Commons rejects it? My guess is nothing at all.
Will there be a new Prime Minister? My guess is that Theresa May will say that the Commons has decided that no deal is better than the deal she negotiated, no better deal is on offer from the EU, she has always said that no deal is better than a bad deal and she regrets that Brussels was not willing to negotiate in good faith for a better deal. She will not resign. I think a majority of Conservative MPs will decide that it is the right time to rally around their PM.
Will there be a general election? Although the ERG and probably the DUP will have voted against the deal, I would expect both to support May in a Confidence vote. May certainly will not want an election. There will not be an election.
Will there be a referendum? The most plausible scenario would see May push for a deal/no-deal referendum in the hope that the public would follow her and overrule opposition from the ERG. There are several problems with this scenario, not the least of which being that it would be to split asunder the Conservative Party, something May has done everything to avoid. My guess is that May would rather preserve Party unity than to cause irreparable harm for a referendum she might well lose anyway (always assuming she could make such a referendum happen). There will not be a referendum. Probably.
So my guess is that Theresa May will walk us off the cliff without a deal. When we aren't gnawing on each other's bones by Easter many people will wonder what the fuss was about, while jobs are lost and irreparable harm is done to other people.
The risk of a second referendum on they type of Brexit is that once it gets to Parliament it will almost certainly be amended to include the option of no brexit.
Comments
Not that I'm counting or anything.
Our anniversary just doesn't mean that much to us, and there are other dates we choose to celebrate.
Although I think we might do something special next year - it'll be our tenth anniversary
probably didnt make that clear apols
We have been very lucky. Few recover from injuries such as he had to the extent that he has.
There's an old Persian/Iranian saying: "if you stub your toe on a rock, you can be sure an Englishman left it there". Did you simply substitute the word "EU" for "Englishman"?
I had the odds of either as the sum of a number of improbable events that need to happen consecutively, for example the PM resigns and the Conservatives elect a Remainer, or there’s a large scale crossing of the floor by Con or DUP MPs leading to a VoNC in the government.
There’s certainly going to be crunch points, whatever is presented opponents are going to try and amend it to death, then there’s the Lords who seem to be fans of ping pong, but it’s difficult to see how what’s negotiated between the government and the EU doesn’t get past Parliament eventually.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-45429509
Former US Senate candidate Roy Moore is suing the British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen for defamation after falling victim to a TV show prank.
In a sketch for his series Who Is America?, Baron Cohen pretends to be an Israeli anti-terrorism expert demonstrating a "paedophile detector".
When the "device" is waved near Mr Moore, it beeps...
I’m inclined to believe Putin got the message.
Trump makes the world a dangerous place - 69%
Immigation overwhelming authorities - 63%
Tensions resulting from immigration - 63%
Politicians not up to job - 61%
Terrorism - 59%
Cost to german taxpayers of EU debt crisis - 58%
Political extemism - 57%
Natural disasters - 56%
Impurities in food - 55%
https://www.welt.de/wirtschaft/article181436088/Chemnitz-Die-Angst-der-Deutschen-wird-Wirklichkeit.html
While some may be put off now realistically any boycott will probably be short lived if it even happens. People will move on.
https://order-order.com/2018/09/06/ukip-considering-giving-tommy-robinson-membership/
This is after all that Paul Joseph Watson etc mob were welcomed in.
(And Mrs Merkel should have quit about five years ago.)
Hope Mr Eagles isnt eating too much Currywurst !
France, YouGov poll:
President Macron Approval Rating
Approve: 23% (-4)
Disapprove: 69% (+7)
The Welsh Conservatives are due to name their new assembly group leader in the next few 30 minutes or so.
Paul Davies and Suzy Davies... are competing to succeed Andrew RT Davies
Couldn't they find a Jones or a Morgan for once?
The Altai gas pipeline will enable Russia to sell more gas into China. But right now, it'll be difficult for Russia to fill it anywhere near capacity because the internal Russian gas pipelines all point in the wrong direction. It'll be years - perhaps a decade - before it takes a really significant amount of gas into China.
Will there be a new Prime Minister? My guess is that Theresa May will say that the Commons has decided that no deal is better than the deal she negotiated, no better deal is on offer from the EU, she has always said that no deal is better than a bad deal and she regrets that Brussels was not willing to negotiate in good faith for a better deal. She will not resign. I think a majority of Conservative MPs will decide that it is the right time to rally around their PM.
Will there be a general election? Although the ERG and probably the DUP will have voted against the deal, I would expect both to support May in a Confidence vote. May certainly will not want an election. There will not be an election.
Will there be a referendum? The most plausible scenario would see May push for a deal/no-deal referendum in the hope that the public would follow her and overrule opposition from the ERG. There are several problems with this scenario, not the least of which being that it would be to split asunder the Conservative Party, something May has done everything to avoid. My guess is that May would rather preserve Party unity than to cause irreparable harm for a referendum she might well lose anyway (always assuming she could make such a referendum happen). There will not be a referendum. Probably.
So my guess is that Theresa May will walk us off the cliff without a deal. When we aren't gnawing on each other's bones by Easter many people will wonder what the fuss was about, while jobs are lost and irreparable harm is done to other people.
http://nuclearsecrecy.com/nukemap/
The good news is, that Northern Ireland's MLA's are getting a pay cut. The bad news is, they'll still get £35,000 a year.
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/sep/05/racing-punter-bet-365-1m-payout-megan-mccann
POAWAS.
Two options - a binary choice.
https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/northern-ireland-mlas-salaries-to-be-slashed-by-14k-37289339.html
diversity in action
https://www.thelocal.de/20170405/currywurst-a-product-of-the-british
its certainly in the top 10 dishes germans like
I think the most likely route to a second referendum is becoming a rebellion on the part of the DUP.
What to do?
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https://www.trishdeseineireland.com/
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/work/meet-trish-deseine-the-northern-irish-nigella-of-france-youve-ne/