Miss Plato, the IMF sounds like the IPCC. They got their 2007 predictions wrong (temperatures plateaued) and then increased the odds on them being right about climate change from 90% to 95%.
It's insane. It's like me going out to a bar, asking out 20 women, getting slapped 20 times, going home and writing in my diary "Today I confirmed my hypothesis that I am irresistible to women".
Mr Dancer, I do hope you're not speaking from personal experience!
Jon Trickett as deputy party chair tells us that Ed Miliband wants to do a deal with the union bosses.
At the extreme this would involve folding on the centre-piece of the reforms, and abandoning the requirement for trade union levy payers to opt-in to paying some of their political levy towards Labour.
This would be a catastrophic personal defeat for Ed Miliband, but already scenarios are being discussed that map out how he could retreat without sustaining politically fatal injuries.
"First and foremost, this will involve firmly ruling out any changes to Labour’s institutional structures. The union block vote at conference will remain, the unions will retain a separate electoral college in the leadership election and the union reservation of 12 places out of 33 on the NEC (compared to 6 places reserved for CLP members) will stay."
LMFAOWMLITA - huge victory for ED!!
First time I've seen that acronym. I assume the next iteration will take it to: LMFAOWMLITAWBACTOTI ?
How does your addition translate?
Yeah I'm struggling with 'while baking a cake....'The first word is right.
Jon Trickett as deputy party chair tells us that Ed Miliband wants to do a deal with the union bosses.
At the extreme this would involve folding on the centre-piece of the reforms, and abandoning the requirement for trade union levy payers to opt-in to paying some of their political levy towards Labour.
This would be a catastrophic personal defeat for Ed Miliband, but already scenarios are being discussed that map out how he could retreat without sustaining politically fatal injuries.
"First and foremost, this will involve firmly ruling out any changes to Labour’s institutional structures. The union block vote at conference will remain, the unions will retain a separate electoral college in the leadership election and the union reservation of 12 places out of 33 on the NEC (compared to 6 places reserved for CLP members) will stay."
LMFAOWMLITA - huge victory for ED!!
First time I've seen that acronym. I assume the next iteration will take it to: LMFAOWMLITAWBACTOTI ?
How does your addition translate?
Yeah I'm struggling with 'while baking a cake....'
She told the BBC: "I think Ed wanted more message discipline."
She recently questioned the party's stance on immigration and suggested that, although the Labour leader was "doing his best", he was being swayed by polls.
"But I plan to enjoy being a free agent on the backbenches even more."
Oh lordy, you should read what you wrote. You said 20 projects of £100 million, not one lump sum. As I said above, the currently financed scheme is up to 2019, so your extra money would occur after that, and presumably in phases. It is essentially loose change. (It's sad that such large amounts can ever be called that, but that's the state of UK infrastructure nowadays). Also, all the 'easy' and cheap upgrades have either occurred, or are planned for the next batch to 2019 (e.g. Norton Bridge). After that, it starts getting much more expensive. Witness the WCML upgrade.
And the blog post was from mid-August. That's seven weeks ago, not ages. It also appears to be the last time you've mentioned this important project on your blog. Your main rival has a special section for it under 'campaigns' ...
There's a big problem with your last paragraph. HS2 isn't supposed to excite or enthuse. It's supposed to fix a problem. The problem is not the journey time, but the capacity on the lines to the south. Even the MML from Sheffield / Nottingham / Derby is starting to have problems near London, afaicr. You should wonder if your constituents would want to pay extra for train tickets to London in 2030 because of lack of seats (and therefore increased prices), or have another half-hour added on the car journey due to extra congestion on the M1, with all those people who would have travelled on those extra trains driving.
It 'excites' rails fans such as myself, because we're genuinely interested in the problem. I'd love one of your £100 million sums to be spent rebuilding the Matlock to Buxton line, or rebuilding the rest of the Waverley Line, or the Woodhead route. They're the enthusiasts' wet dreams. But I can see they're not where the problem is.
My (slight) annoyance with your indecision on this matter is that it is the biggest thing to occur in the constituency in fifty years, since at least the building of the M1. It is a massive change, and that change is well-defined. The maps and data is out there. What more do you need to know before giving it an even tentative backing or rejection? And time is of the essence.
It’s been a bumpy frontbench career that nearly came to an end in early 2012 when she ranted that “white people love playing divide and rule”. And who can forget the time that as shadow public health minister, she called someone “demented”. The time she campaigned for a Nazi Labour councillor. The time she said Murdoch was worse than Gaddafi. The time she slept through a meeting of a cross-party group on abortion.The time she flew to Venezuela to oversee her pal Chavez’s election win. The time she was paid £300 to talk about obesity. The time her Question Time prep notes were leaked. And of course, the time she finally admitted she was a loon:
It’s been a bumpy frontbench career that nearly came to an end in early 2012 when she ranted that “white people love playing divide and rule”. And who can forget the time that as shadow public health minister, she called someone “demented”. The time she campaigned for a Nazi Labour councillor. The time she said Murdoch was worse than Gaddafi. The time she slept through a meeting of a cross-party group on abortion.The time she flew to Venezuela to oversee her pal Chavez’s election win. The time she was paid £300 to talk about obesity. The time her Question Time prep notes were leaked. And of course, the time she finally admitted she was a loon:
It’s been a bumpy frontbench career that nearly came to an end in early 2012 when she ranted that “white people love playing divide and rule”. And who can forget the time that as shadow public health minister, she called someone “demented”. The time she campaigned for a Nazi Labour councillor. The time she said Murdoch was worse than Gaddafi. The time she slept through a meeting of a cross-party group on abortion.The time she flew to Venezuela to oversee her pal Chavez’s election win. The time she was paid £300 to talk about obesity. The time her Question Time prep notes were leaked. And of course, the time she finally admitted she was a loon:
Seems like the regulator is working - unlike at Stafford et al..
A few million for a Madrassa, a few million for Toby to keep out the poor kids, a few million for the Birbalsingh fraud, a few million for a miniature Montessori failure. And all in secret
"The very fact that a Cabinet member has stood up in the House of Commons to make a statement on the future of newspapers suggests something going rather wrong in our democracy. For three centuries, newspapers have not been toys in the political train set. Britain has operated on an unspoken principle of liberty, so firmly embedded in the national DNA that it did not need spelt out in a constitution.
Today, a medieval group know as the Privy Council (in fact, an octet of politicians) has decided to reject the newspaper industry’s plans for self-regulation in favour of politicians’ plans for press regulation. You can read Maria Miller’s statement here, and listen to it below, but the crux of it is that the newspapers’ bid to save their freedom is not ‘consistent with Government policy’. She says the politicians will now finish off their own charter" http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/2013/10/sorry-maria-miller-we-still-wont-sign/
It's a good job the previous government were so proactive when it came to building new power stations, and keeping the coal fired ones going.
Oh.
I'm not sure the former Secretary of State for the newly created Department of Energy and Climate Change, appointed to office in 2008, should really be opening that can of worms.
So little Ed leaves the sacking of Abbot till today to garner the maximum possible publicity and try to make his reshuffle all about him coming down hard on his left wing rather than the somewhat noticeable cull of Blairites yesterday.
I trust none of the simpleton tory spinners will have been gullible enough to fall for this obvious ploy by playing right into it?
Treasury Shabana Mahmood moves here from BIS. Catherine Mckinnell joins from Education.
Home Affair: Jack Dromey replaces David Hanson as Shadow Police minister. Hanson gets Bryant's Immigration brief. Bryant moves to Work & Pensions. Creasy and de Piero also move out. Helen Jones moves here from Local Government
Foreign Affairs: Gareth Thomas replaces Emma Reynolds as Europe Minister
BIS Liam Byrne replaces Shabana Mahmood. Stella Creasy joins the team while Gordon Marsden moves to Transport and Chi Onwurah goes to the Cabinet Office.
Work and Pensions Kate Green replaces Anne McGuire. Bryant moves here from Home Affairs. Ian Austin leaves shadow team
Health Luciana Berger replaces Diane Abbott
Education: Rushanara Ali, Lucy Powell and Steve McCabe join the team. Sharon Hodges moves to Women & Equalities. Catherine Mckinnell went to the Treasury
Justice: Stephen Twigg moves here along with Dan Jarvis. Rob Flello resigned last week. Wayne David becomes Ed's PPS
Transport:
Gordon Marsden moves here from BIS. Richard Burden joins the team. Fitzpatrick and Woodcock are dropped.
Energy:
Julie Elliott and Jonathan Reynolds join the team. Reynolds was Ed's PPS. Elliot was Flint's PPS. Luciana Berger moves to Health.
Defence: Yvonne Fovargue moves here from the whip office. Russell Brown is moved to Scotland.
Communities and Local Government Emma Reynolds replaces Jack Dromey Andy Sawford and Lynne Brown (a whip) join the team. Chris Williamson leaves shadow team while Helen Jones goes to Home Affairs.
DEFRA Thomas Docherty joins the team. Gavin Shuker moves to International Development. Fiona O’Donnell is dropped.
Women and Equalities
Sharon Hodgson comes from Education (where she had the Children and Families brief) and takes families with her
International Development Gavin Shuker and Alison McGovern join the team. Rushana Ali moves to Education. Tony Cunningham is dropped.
Scotland
Russell Brown replaces Willie Bain
Cabinet Office Jonathan Ashworth replaces Michael Dugher who is now in charge. Lisa Nandy and Chi Onwurah also join the team. Gareth Thomas moves to Foreign Office.
Whilst Wee-Timmy may be a good puntah* (economic bets excluded) he is shyte on politics. Wee-Timmy lacks the ability to understand a political paradigm; phrase said paradigm in a meaningful way; and hold that position regardless of favour-or-fortune.
It is becoming sadder by the day: Posts that show as that they are as secure as Microsoft's operating-systems. A leap-of-faith may be required but - well, we all know - Wee-Timmy is religiously floppy!
Funny to see the PB Tories wetting themselves at the prospect of public transport investment. Wasn't it the blessed Maggie who told us you were a failure if you travelled by bus once you reach the age of 30?
I've always been in favour of careful transport investment by the government, whether roads or rail. So was Maggie in her road building scheme that was widely opposed. The M25 was a 'public' transport investment, after all - the money came from the public purse. :-)
The M25 is another example where penny-pinching led to an underinvestment - built mainly as three lanes, it was soon at capacity. With hindsight the whole thing should have been built as a minimum four-lane motorway, saving vast amounts of congestion and disruption of widening over the years.
We do it every time, from airports to roads to railways. We look at the cheapest, patch-it-up option, rather than at what is really needed, even if it is more expensive. And the cheapest option can end up costing more money in the long run in congestion and delays.
Far better spending some money on electrifying the lines between Glasgow and Edinburgh and building a motorway between Scotland's two biggest cities. But as ever it is all to save 5 minutes getting to London, blood suckers as ever.
Miss Plato, the IMF sounds like the IPCC. They got their 2007 predictions wrong (temperatures plateaued) and then increased the odds on them being right about climate change from 90% to 95%.
It's insane. It's like me going out to a bar, asking out 20 women, getting slapped 20 times, going home and writing in my diary "Today I confirmed my hypothesis that I am irresistible to women".
Is that a normal night out for you Morris, hardly time for a beer between skelps
A poor article with factual errors and misleading conclusions.
The BBA statistics reveal:
New Mortgage Lending and Capital Repayments were matched at £9.3 bn in August. The six month average is for net capital repayments of £0.2 bn per month. New mortgage lending was up on its six month average (£8.4 bn) but much of the new lending has been remortgaging with the net impact of paying down capital. Essentially mortgage lending has been a flat market since 2009.
August's net credit card spending grew by +£0.2 bn (on £38.7 bn outstanding) over July's £0.0 bn net figure, but with the August figure identical to the prior six month average. Net personal loan and overdraft lending fell by -£0.1 bn (on £41.4 outstanding) continuing a four year trend of falling balances albeit recently at slower rates.
There has simply been a matched shift of borrowing from unsecured bank lending to credit card lending with a net increase in total unsecured lending of +£0.1 bn (on £80.1 bn total o/s), with a six month prior average of zero growth.
Hardly a consumer credit bubble here, tim!
And to prove the point, net personal deposits and savings increased by +£2.0 bn in August (+£3.1 bn in July) with the six month prior average of +£2.7 bn (end August outstandings were £729.3 bn).
Anyone claiming that the current GDP growth figures are being fuelled on the back of household borrowing should check the BBA figures first. The household sector is deleveraging as the economy grows.
Oh lordy, you should read what you wrote. You said 20 projects of £100 million, not one lump sum. As I said above, the currently financed scheme is up to 2019, so your extra money would occur after that, and presumably in phases. It is essentially loose change. (It's sad that such large amounts can ever be called that, but that's the state of UK infrastructure nowadays). Also, all the 'easy' and cheap upgrades have either occurred, or are planned for the next batch to 2019 (e.g. Norton Bridge). After that, it starts getting much more expensive. Witness the WCML upgrade.
And the blog post was from mid-August. That's seven weeks ago, not ages. It also appears to be the last time you've mentioned this important project on your blog. Your main rival has a special section for it under 'campaigns' ...
There's a big problem with your last paragraph. HS2 isn't supposed to excite or enthuse. It's supposed to fix a problem. The problem is not the journey time, but the capacity on the lines to the south. Even the MML from Sheffield / Nottingham / Derby is starting to have problems near London, afaicr. You should wonder if your constituents would want to pay extra for train tickets to London in 2030 because of lack of seats (and therefore increased prices), or have another half-hour added on the car journey due to extra congestion on the M1, with all those people who would have travelled on those extra trains driving.
It 'excites' rails fans such as myself, because we're genuinely interested in the problem. I'd love one of your £100 million sums to be spent rebuilding the Matlock to Buxton line, or rebuilding the rest of the Waverley Line, or the Woodhead route. They're the enthusiasts' wet dreams. But I can see they're not where the problem is.
My (slight) annoyance with your indecision on this matter is that it is the biggest thing to occur in the constituency in fifty years, since at least the building of the M1. It is a massive change, and that change is well-defined. The maps and data is out there. What more do you need to know before giving it an even tentative backing or rejection? And time is of the essence.
It is a huge waste of money that benefits only a small portion of the country and as ever is centred on London as ever. It is bollocks, 50 years before they manage to get it to Scotland.
I must admit, I find your 'slapped 20 times' analogy dangerously absolutist. I would classify myself as a 'mild climate change sceptic', in that I broadly accept that the earth has warmed slightly more quickly than one would normally expect, but that I am by no means convinced that humans are the primary driver. I also question the extent to which it is possible for a country like the UK to make any significant difference to the global temperature balance.
That said, I find global oceans temperatures - which are not affected by many of the problems of land measuring stations located right next to cities - extremely persuasive of the idea that global temperatures continue to rise. See here: http://www.nodc.noaa.gov/OC5/3M_HEAT_CONTENT/
How do you reconcile the ocean's continuing to warm, and reaching their warmest level on record, with your view that global warming abruptly stopped in 1998?
Funny to see the PB Tories wetting themselves at the prospect of public transport investment. Wasn't it the blessed Maggie who told us you were a failure if you travelled by bus once you reach the age of 30?
I've always been in favour of careful transport investment by the government, whether roads or rail. So was Maggie in her road building scheme that was widely opposed. The M25 was a 'public' transport investment, after all - the money came from the public purse. :-)
The M25 is another example where penny-pinching led to an underinvestment - built mainly as three lanes, it was soon at capacity. With hindsight the whole thing should have been built as a minimum four-lane motorway, saving vast amounts of congestion and disruption of widening over the years.
We do it every time, from airports to roads to railways. We look at the cheapest, patch-it-up option, rather than at what is really needed, even if it is more expensive. And the cheapest option can end up costing more money in the long run in congestion and delays.
Far better spending some money on electrifying the lines between Glasgow and Edinburgh and building a motorway between Scotland's two biggest cities. But as ever it is all to save 5 minutes getting to London, blood suckers as ever.
Treasury Shabana Mahmood moves here from BIS. Catherine Mckinnell joins from Education.
Home Affair: Jack Dromey replaces David Hanson as Shadow Police minister. Hanson gets Bryant's Immigration brief. Bryant moves to Work & Pensions. Creasy and de Piero also move out. Helen Jones moves here from Local Government
Foreign Affairs: Gareth Thomas replaces Emma Reynolds as Europe Minister
BIS Liam Byrne replaces Shabana Mahmood. Stella Creasy joins the team while Gordon Marsden moves to Transport and Chi Onwurah goes to the Cabinet Office.
Work and Pensions Kate Green replaces Anne McGuire. Bryant moves here from Home Affairs. Ian Austin leaves shadow team
Health Luciana Berger replaces Diane Abbott
Education: Rushanara Ali, Lucy Powell and Steve McCabe join the team. Sharon Hodges moves to Women & Equalities. Catherine Mckinnell went to the Treasury
Justice: Stephen Twigg moves here along with Dan Jarvis. Rob Flello resigned last week. Wayne David becomes Ed's PPS
Transport:
Gordon Marsden moves here from BIS. Richard Burden joins the team. Fitzpatrick and Woodcock are dropped.
Energy:
Julie Elliott and Jonathan Reynolds join the team. Reynolds was Ed's PPS. Elliot was Flint's PPS. Luciana Berger moves to Health.
Defence: Yvonne Fovargue moves here from the whip office. Russell Brown is moved to Scotland.
Communities and Local Government Emma Reynolds replaces Jack Dromey Andy Sawford and Lynne Brown (a whip) join the team. Chris Williamson leaves shadow team while Helen Jones goes to Home Affairs.
DEFRA Thomas Docherty joins the team. Gavin Shuker moves to International Development. Fiona O’Donnell is dropped.
Women and Equalities
Sharon Hodgson comes from Education (where she had the Children and Families brief) and takes families with her
International Development Gavin Shuker and Alison McGovern join the team. Rushana Ali moves to Education. Tony Cunningham is dropped.
Scotland
Russell Brown replaces Willie Bain
Cabinet Office Jonathan Ashworth replaces Michael Dugher who is now in charge. Lisa Nandy and Chi Onwurah also join the team. Gareth Thomas moves to Foreign Office.
WoW , I think I may have heard of one of those names before , stellar team there.
Note to tim - calm down that isn't Mrs Salmond he's dancing with.
A great investment
There was once a Scottish Tory MP (I know, I know, it was a long time ago) who sadly died, always kitted out in gear like that, even in the Commons. Hard to imagine a colourful sartorial character like that now.
It's a good job the previous government were so proactive when it came to building new power stations, and keeping the coal fired ones going.
Oh.
So Ed MIliband Corpus Christi College, Oxford, your starter for 10, who was Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change in 2008?
Chortle, seriously though, irrespective of the question, this should be repeated every time a coalition MP goes on air
Every time someone brings up the topic of the additional costs that the consumer has to bear for 'Green Energy', they can be reminded of who shares the blame.
So little Ed leaves the sacking of Abbot till today to garner the maximum possible publicity and try to make his reshuffle all about him coming down hard on his left wing rather than the somewhat noticeable cull of Blairites yesterday.
I trust none of the simpleton tory spinners will have been gullible enough to fall for this obvious ploy by playing right into it?
Funny to see the PB Tories wetting themselves at the prospect of public transport investment. Wasn't it the blessed Maggie who told us you were a failure if you travelled by bus once you reach the age of 30?
I've always been in favour of careful transport investment by the government, whether roads or rail. So was Maggie in her road building scheme that was widely opposed. The M25 was a 'public' transport investment, after all - the money came from the public purse. :-)
The M25 is another example where penny-pinching led to an underinvestment - built mainly as three lanes, it was soon at capacity. With hindsight the whole thing should have been built as a minimum four-lane motorway, saving vast amounts of congestion and disruption of widening over the years.
We do it every time, from airports to roads to railways. We look at the cheapest, patch-it-up option, rather than at what is really needed, even if it is more expensive. And the cheapest option can end up costing more money in the long run in congestion and delays.
Far better spending some money on electrifying the lines between Glasgow and Edinburgh and building a motorway between Scotland's two biggest cities. But as ever it is all to save 5 minutes getting to London, blood suckers as ever.
Note to tim - calm down that isn't Mrs Salmond he's dancing with.
A great investment
There was once a Scottish Tory MP (I know, I know, it was a long time ago) who sadly died, always kitted out in gear like that, even in the Commons. Hard to imagine a colourful sartorial character like that now.
Sir Nick ? The last decent MP the fair city of Perth had...
Note to tim - calm down that isn't Mrs Salmond he's dancing with.
A great investment
There was once a Scottish Tory MP (I know, I know, it was a long time ago) who sadly died, always kitted out in gear like that, even in the Commons. Hard to imagine a colourful sartorial character like that now.
That would be Nicky Fairbairn, he was a colourful character and liked a few refreshments, one of the few good Tories.
Press regulation SHOULDN'T BE A BIG PROBLEM Power cut threats UNLIKELY IN THE EXTREME A&E crisis BURNHAM HS2 PRESS AHEAD Help to Buy bubble VOTE WINNER HELP TO BUY GREAT POLICY Universal Credit shelving WON'T BE SHELVED
On the "plus" side growth is at 1.4% while pay has sunk back to 2003 levels AS CLEAR AS NIGHT FOLLOWS DAY AS THE ECONOMY GROWS SO WILL WAGES, EXCEPT RIGHTLY IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR. THE DAMNING EDUCATION STATS HIGHLIGHT THE LACK OF VALUE.
TIM I WOULD SUGGEST YOUR LABOUR PARTY HAS THE BIGGER ISSUES TO SORT, NOT LEAST THE SONS OF BROWN WHO HELPED WRECK THE FINANCES NOT LONG AGO, ADD BURNHAM AND THE GRIP OF SCOUSE UNION LEADERS AND TELL ME HOW THEY COULD BE TRUSTED AGAIN.
Press regulation SHOULDN'T BE A BIG PROBLEM Power cut threats UNLIKELY IN THE EXTREME A&E crisis BURNHAM HS2 PRESS AHEAD Help to Buy bubble VOTE WINNER HELP TO BUY GREAT POLICY Universal Credit shelving WON'T BE SHELVED
On the "plus" side growth is at 1.4% while pay has sunk back to 2003 levels AS CLEAR AS NIGHT FOLLOWS DAY AS THE ECONOMY GROWS SO WILL WAGES, EXCEPT RIGHTLY IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR. THE DAMNING EDUCATION STATS HIGHLIGHT THE LACK OF VALUE.
TIM I WOULD SUGGEST YOUR LABOUR PARTY HAS THE BIGGER ISSUES TO SORT, NOT LEAST THE SONS OF BROWN WHO HELPED WRECK THE FINANCES NOT LONG AGO, ADD BURNHAM AND THE GRIP OF SCOUSE UNION LEADERS AND TELL ME HOW THEY COULD BE TRUSTED AGAIN.
Shouting makes you sound a bit desperate and unsure.
I've always been in favour of careful transport investment by the government, whether roads or rail. So was Maggie in her road building scheme that was widely opposed. The M25 was a 'public' transport investment, after all - the money came from the public purse. :-)
The M25 is another example where penny-pinching led to an underinvestment - built mainly as three lanes, it was soon at capacity. With hindsight the whole thing should have been built as a minimum four-lane motorway, saving vast amounts of congestion and disruption of widening over the years.
We do it every time, from airports to roads to railways. We look at the cheapest, patch-it-up option, rather than at what is really needed, even if it is more expensive. And the cheapest option can end up costing more money in the long run in congestion and delays.
Far better spending some money on electrifying the lines between Glasgow and Edinburgh and building a motorway between Scotland's two biggest cities. But as ever it is all to save 5 minutes getting to London, blood suckers as ever.
The reduction of the plan was a Scottish devolved issue, announced by SNP minister Keith Brown.
Yes after London cut the pocket money by billions.
Evidence for that please.
The Scottish government have got a fairly modern view of rail infrastructure, seeing it as a social good. Witness the reopening of lines that have been occurring, for instance Stirling to Alloa or the northern half of the Waverley.
Whenever a rail line has been reopened in the last ten years, ridership has surpassed expectations. For instance Stirling to Alloa was rebuilt with an estimate of 155,000 passengers; shortly after it opened this was updated to 416,00. Likewise, the Ebbw Vale line was forecast to have 22,000 passengers a month, but is struggling to cope with double that.
England should learn from the foresightedness of Wales and Scotland ...
Clicking the banner puts the site through www1.politicalbetting.com. Using I think any other number would work, although I think 7 or perhaps 8 is usual.
RCS can perhaps elaborate but I think it's a server pointer, www1 currently carrying a particular cache, and so you get served a different page.
I know we discussed before how the IMF could be forecasting just 0.9% growth when the UK achieved almost that in Q2 alone; now we've got the same issue with 1.4% and Q3. But I can't for the life of me recall if there was something in it.
Whenever a rail line has been reopened in the last ten years, ridership has surpassed expectations. For instance Stirling to Alloa was rebuilt with an estimate of 155,000 passengers; shortly after it opened this was updated to 416,00. Likewise, the Ebbw Vale line was forecast to have 22,000 passengers a month, but is struggling to cope with double that.
England should learn from the foresightedness of Wales and Scotland ...
"David Miliband was asked by NSS campaigner, Stephen Evans, whether a Labour Party, under his leadership, would be as enthusiastic about faith schools as it had been while in Government. Miliband offered the familiar sounding response that as we have Christian schools, it’s only right that Muslim schools and Hindu schools are also allowed, adding “and they are now, thanks to a Labour Government”. "
In Australia, a new Essential Research has it 52-48 to the Coalition and Morgan the ALP ahead 50.5-49.5 on respondent allocated preferences, although the Coalition leads 53-47 on preference flows from the last election. ER also has a question on Australia's most important foreign ties, which perhaps ranks the UK a little low with 56% for New Zealand, 51% for the United States, 46% for China, 42% for the United Kingdom and 35% for Indonesia. All this comes ahead of Sunday's announcement of whether Anthony Albanese or Bill Shorten has been elected as the new ALP leader to succeed Kevin Rudd. http://blogs.crikey.com.au/pollbludger/2013/10/08/essential-research-52-48-to-coalition-6/?wpmp_switcher=mobile
So your *view* (I don't really want to credit it with the seriousness of being a position), is that when there is any infrastructure development south of the border it is 'blood suckers'; when there is infrastructure development in Scotland (Stirling-Alloa, Waverley, EGIP, A9 etc) it is your due right, and not enough?
There was a recession and increased debt, a position not helped by the decisions made by Scottish-based banks. Are you seriously saying that the block grant should have remained the same when expenditure in the rest of the UK was decreasing?
(Actually, don't answer that. I can guess your answer)
As has been said many times before, correlation does not mean causation. Facts should be precious, speculation is just that.
IQ measures have a lot of faults, so the correlation may be real and shouldn't be ignored. If it is ignored, it's because of fears that it may be misused. A childish attitude when it's probably the IQ measurement technique that make the difference..
It's possible that Chinese people are, on average, more intelligent (more likely MOE) It's possible that black people are more athletic on average, but it's difficult to be sure because of confounding factors. And melanin content of skin is a poor marker anyway.
"David Miliband was asked by NSS campaigner, Stephen Evans, whether a Labour Party, under his leadership, would be as enthusiastic about faith schools as it had been while in Government. Miliband offered the familiar sounding response that as we have Christian schools, it’s only right that Muslim schools and Hindu schools are also allowed, adding “and they are now, thanks to a Labour Government”. "
Are you arguing that all faith schools are Madrassas?
The issue here is the secrecy and funding, what is going on?
Aren't we talking about the Al-Madinah Muslim free (faith) school? I took the language of 'madrassa' from further down the thread, wince there was no need to correct it; a 'madrassa' can refer to any school that incorporates the teaching of the Muslim faith (although admittedly it is normally used to mean particularly religious schools).
As has been said many times before, correlation does not mean causation. Facts should be precious, speculation is just that.
IQ measures have a lot of faults, so the correlation may be real and shouldn't be ignored. If it is ignored, it's because of fears that it may be misused. A childish attitude when it's probably the IQ measurement technique that make the difference..
It's possible that Chinese people are, on average, more intelligent (more likely MOE) It's possible that black people are more athletic on average, but it's difficult to be sure because of confounding factors. And melanin content of skin is a poor marker anyway.
Sure we have been here before but how is the ratio of black men to have run a sub 10sec 100m compared to white men explained?
Isnt there just one white bloke ever that's done it?
isam Actually Japanese and South Koreans tend to have higher IQs than most Chinese outside Hong Kong, and the Germans, Dutch and Swedes and Italians also have a higher IQ than the Chinese (Jews have the highest verbal IQ of all races) http://www.statisticbrain.com/countries-with-the-highest-lowest-average-iq/
Press regulation SHOULDN'T BE A BIG PROBLEM Power cut threats UNLIKELY IN THE EXTREME A&E crisis BURNHAM HS2 PRESS AHEAD Help to Buy bubble VOTE WINNER HELP TO BUY GREAT POLICY Universal Credit shelving WON'T BE SHELVED
On the "plus" side growth is at 1.4% while pay has sunk back to 2003 levels AS CLEAR AS NIGHT FOLLOWS DAY AS THE ECONOMY GROWS SO WILL WAGES, EXCEPT RIGHTLY IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR. THE DAMNING EDUCATION STATS HIGHLIGHT THE LACK OF VALUE.
TIM I WOULD SUGGEST YOUR LABOUR PARTY HAS THE BIGGER ISSUES TO SORT, NOT LEAST THE SONS OF BROWN WHO HELPED WRECK THE FINANCES NOT LONG AGO, ADD BURNHAM AND THE GRIP OF SCOUSE UNION LEADERS AND TELL ME HOW THEY COULD BE TRUSTED AGAIN.
Edited,Stay off the shift key a bit,but some good points
Sure we have been here before but how is the ratio of black men to have run a sub 10sec 100m compared to white men explained?
Isnt there just one white bloke ever that's done it?
:anecdote:
Once caught some OU programme on Al-Beeb Zwei that stated that the average "African" * and "European" ** were - ahm, on average - the same height. The physical differences were explained as thus:
Africans had longer lower-limbs, and
"Europeans" had longer torsos
Maybe it is evolution: Lions and cheetahs are sprinters but bears are purely enduringly physical...?
*In the Sahal the African - apparently - see themselves as part Ayrab. *** ** Europeans are Indo-Ayrans, as any fool knows! [Turks are mongols, by-the-bye....] *** Better link into Mohammedian African thoughts....
From the BBC the truth about 'education, educashun, eddicashhionn':
' Unlike other developed countries, the study also showed that young people in England are no better at these tests than older people, in the 55 to 65 age range.
When this is weighted with other factors, such as the socio-economic background of people taking the test, it shows that England is the only country in the survey where results are going backwards - with the older cohort better than the younger. '
The Honourable Tristram Fop, formerly of Twit School, exposes himself as a worthless liar on day one of his job:
"Labour drove up standards in maths and English across our schools, evident in the huge improvements we saw in GCSE results between 1997 and 2010."
THE ONLY COUNTRY IN THE WORLD WHERE RESULTS ARE GOING BACKWARDS
There are several possibilities but I doubt if melanin content of the skin helps you run faster. It reduces UV damage and decreases folic acid breakdown in the body.
There is a theory that the slave ships preferentially selected for some physical characteristics in a small segment of the West African population. That would be consistent with the facts but is not definitive proof. There's also similar theories about the oxygen capacities of some East African tribes, and we know that people in the Andes are better at surviving low oxygen tension, although some of this may be natural adaption rather than being genetic. And to complicate matters further, some epigenetic characteristics can have an effect.
The epigenetic feature are particularly interesting. The Dutch winter starvation of 1944/45 and it's effects on the pregnant women and subsequent generations are worth googling. For once, there is some good robust data.
On the literacy/numeracy stuff. When I was an employer of many hundreds,we would accept CVs by post,but on turning up for interview,I had the receptionist ask applicants to complete a simple form,designed to check the most basic literacy and numeracy abilities.
The failures were large and quite illuminating,all the usual diversionary stuff,not got my specs can you fill it in etc,it must be very hard for the illiterate/innumerate these days to get any employment. It is a damning indictment we appear to be losing ground. Mrs jayfdee did spend some voluntary time teaching people to read and write.
Tim: "Jeff Randall covering the insanity of help to buy"
Have you ever owned your own house? Do you understand how difficult it is to get on the ladder without a deposit? Did Labour do anything to help people when they were in power for 13 years? Did Labour build enough council houses with all the taxes they collected for 13 years? Have Labour put any policies on that blank sheet of paper yet, apart from 3 the words "Anything you say Len"(Mc Cluskey)?
I've also heard differing levels of testosterone, between races, might be a factor. Not sure if that is true.
The fascinating case is Ashkenazi Jews, and their average IQ of 115. This is so out of whack with average IQs, i.e. one entire standard deviation - it cannot be explained by them four by twos doin' so much book learnin' last year.
It must be "evolutionary"?
In which case we can speculate that persecution of the Jews, from Romans to Nazis, had the perverse effect of ensuring only the smartest, most scholastic Jews survived, significantly raising their average IQ, and ensuring that super clever Jews run the world through a fiendish conspiracy of evil geniuses/have a surprising influence in global geopolitics despite a small population (delete as you feel appropriate)
History shows that it is the elite, mostly the intellectuals, that are the first to be culled. Outwith the battlefields of France the plebs are most likely to survive....
Tim: "Jeff Randall covering the insanity of help to buy"
"
Not show the show went as tim intended
Randall Team @JeffRandallLive 1h Charles Haresnape, Aldermore Bank: 95% loans were relatively common pre the crash, and very responsibly managed #helptobuy
Randall Team @JeffRandallLive 1h Charles Haresnape, Aldermore Bank: I think a housing bubble is completely overplayed as a proposition #helptobuy
Randall Team @JeffRandallLive 1h Charles Haresnape, MD Aldermore Mortgages: More demand will create supply in the housing market #helptobuy
From the BBC the truth about 'education, educashun, eddicashhionn':
' Unlike other developed countries, the study also showed that young people in England are no better at these tests than older people, in the 55 to 65 age range.
When this is weighted with other factors, such as the socio-economic background of people taking the test, it shows that England is the only country in the survey where results are going backwards - with the older cohort better than the younger. '
The Honourable Tristram Fop, formerly of Twit School, exposes himself as a worthless liar on day one of his job:
"Labour drove up standards in maths and English across our schools, evident in the huge improvements we saw in GCSE results between 1997 and 2010."
THE ONLY COUNTRY IN THE WORLD WHERE RESULTS ARE GOING BACKWARDS
Labour's shameful legacy of failure and betrayal.
Poor Tristam Julian Twit, he fell at the first hurdle. For future reference file under "arse".
Father Dougal Maguire for SS of Education; raise the intellectual standard.
If you're interested, can I recommend a very readable book by Nessa Carey - "The epigenetics revolution." It was published in 2011 so is reasonably up-to-date in this fast-moving field.
I found it fascinating and it's not my specialism.
A good section on Dutch pregnancies and the effects that last more than one generation.
Tim: "Jeff Randall covering the insanity of help to buy"
Have you ever owned your own house? Do you understand how difficult it is to get on the ladder without a deposit? Did Labour do anything to help people when they were in power for 13 years? Did Labour build enough council houses with all the taxes they collected for 13 years? Have Labour put any policies on that blank sheet of paper yet, apart from 3 the words "Anything you say Len"(Mc Cluskey)?
I suspect the answer to all questions is "No"
"Anything you say Len " is 4 words . Looks like the average IQ of pb.com posters has just decreased .
SeanT Italy probably has a higher IQ because of the Tyrol. That explains how it has a significantly higher IQ than most of its neighbours in southern Europe, and matches high IQ northern and central European nations like Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Sweden and the Netherlands
'Why Michael Moore's sacking as Scottish Secretary will weaken the No campaign'
There’s nothing Alex Salmond loves more than a rammy with the Secretary of State for Scotland. Since he first became SNP leader in 1990, he’s seen a dozen of them come and go – and he has battled hard, over everything from devolution and Megrahi to additional powers and independence, against each one. So the news this morning that the understated Michael Moore has been replaced as Scottish Secretary, after three years in the job, by the combative Liberal Democrat chief whip Alistair Carmichael will have delighted the First Minister.
Comments
I initially spelled 'appearance' as 'experience', which would've given it a rather different meaning.
While Barking At...
She told the BBC: "I think Ed wanted more message discipline."
She recently questioned the party's stance on immigration and suggested that, although the Labour leader was "doing his best", he was being swayed by polls.
"But I plan to enjoy being a free agent on the backbenches even more."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-24443444
And the blog post was from mid-August. That's seven weeks ago, not ages. It also appears to be the last time you've mentioned this important project on your blog. Your main rival has a special section for it under 'campaigns' ...
There's a big problem with your last paragraph. HS2 isn't supposed to excite or enthuse. It's supposed to fix a problem. The problem is not the journey time, but the capacity on the lines to the south. Even the MML from Sheffield / Nottingham / Derby is starting to have problems near London, afaicr. You should wonder if your constituents would want to pay extra for train tickets to London in 2030 because of lack of seats (and therefore increased prices), or have another half-hour added on the car journey due to extra congestion on the M1, with all those people who would have travelled on those extra trains driving.
It 'excites' rails fans such as myself, because we're genuinely interested in the problem. I'd love one of your £100 million sums to be spent rebuilding the Matlock to Buxton line, or rebuilding the rest of the Waverley Line, or the Woodhead route. They're the enthusiasts' wet dreams. But I can see they're not where the problem is.
My (slight) annoyance with your indecision on this matter is that it is the biggest thing to occur in the constituency in fifty years, since at least the building of the M1. It is a massive change, and that change is well-defined. The maps and data is out there. What more do you need to know before giving it an even tentative backing or rejection? And time is of the essence.
Guido's tribute.
'So goodbye Diane, thank you for the laughs'.
It’s been a bumpy frontbench career that nearly came to an end in early 2012 when she ranted that “white people love playing divide and rule”. And who can forget the time that as shadow public health minister, she called someone “demented”. The time she campaigned for a Nazi Labour councillor. The time she said Murdoch was worse than Gaddafi. The time she slept through a meeting of a cross-party group on abortion.The time she flew to Venezuela to oversee her pal Chavez’s election win. The time she was paid £300 to talk about obesity. The time her Question Time prep notes were leaked. And of course, the time she finally admitted she was a loon:
"The very fact that a Cabinet member has stood up in the House of Commons to make a statement on the future of newspapers suggests something going rather wrong in our democracy. For three centuries, newspapers have not been toys in the political train set. Britain has operated on an unspoken principle of liberty, so firmly embedded in the national DNA that it did not need spelt out in a constitution.
Today, a medieval group know as the Privy Council (in fact, an octet of politicians) has decided to reject the newspaper industry’s plans for self-regulation in favour of politicians’ plans for press regulation. You can read Maria Miller’s statement here, and listen to it below, but the crux of it is that the newspapers’ bid to save their freedom is not ‘consistent with Government policy’. She says the politicians will now finish off their own charter" http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/2013/10/sorry-maria-miller-we-still-wont-sign/
Funny you should mention that.
It's a good job the previous government were so proactive when it came to building new power stations, and keeping the coal fired ones going.
Oh.
I'm not sure the former Secretary of State for the newly created Department of Energy and Climate Change, appointed to office in 2008, should really be opening that can of worms.
I trust none of the simpleton tory spinners will have been gullible enough to fall for this obvious ploy by playing right into it?
LMFAOetc. ;^ )
http://www.labour.org.uk/news
I think the changes are roughly...
Treasury
Shabana Mahmood moves here from BIS. Catherine Mckinnell joins from Education.
Home Affair:
Jack Dromey replaces David Hanson as Shadow Police minister. Hanson gets Bryant's Immigration brief. Bryant moves to Work & Pensions. Creasy and de Piero also move out. Helen Jones moves here from Local Government
Foreign Affairs:
Gareth Thomas replaces Emma Reynolds as Europe Minister
BIS
Liam Byrne replaces Shabana Mahmood. Stella Creasy joins the team while Gordon Marsden moves to Transport and Chi Onwurah goes to the Cabinet Office.
Work and Pensions
Kate Green replaces Anne McGuire. Bryant moves here from Home Affairs. Ian Austin leaves shadow team
Health
Luciana Berger replaces Diane Abbott
Education:
Rushanara Ali, Lucy Powell and Steve McCabe join the team. Sharon Hodges moves to Women & Equalities. Catherine Mckinnell went to the Treasury
Justice:
Stephen Twigg moves here along with Dan Jarvis. Rob Flello resigned last week. Wayne David becomes Ed's PPS
Transport:
Gordon Marsden moves here from BIS. Richard Burden joins the team. Fitzpatrick and Woodcock are dropped.
Energy:
Julie Elliott and Jonathan Reynolds join the team. Reynolds was Ed's PPS. Elliot was Flint's PPS.
Luciana Berger moves to Health.
Defence:
Yvonne Fovargue moves here from the whip office. Russell Brown is moved to Scotland.
Communities and Local Government
Emma Reynolds replaces Jack Dromey
Andy Sawford and Lynne Brown (a whip) join the team. Chris Williamson leaves shadow team while Helen Jones goes to Home Affairs.
DEFRA
Thomas Docherty joins the team. Gavin Shuker moves to International Development. Fiona O’Donnell is dropped.
Women and Equalities
Sharon Hodgson comes from Education (where she had the Children and Families brief) and takes families with her
International Development
Gavin Shuker and Alison McGovern join the team. Rushana Ali moves to Education. Tony Cunningham is dropped.
Scotland
Russell Brown replaces Willie Bain
Cabinet Office
Jonathan Ashworth replaces Michael Dugher who is now in charge. Lisa Nandy and Chi Onwurah also join the team. Gareth Thomas moves to Foreign Office.
It is becoming sadder by the day: Posts that show as that they are as secure as Microsoft's operating-systems. A leap-of-faith may be required but - well, we all know - Wee-Timmy is religiously floppy!
:and-God-sees-mankind-waste-another-day:
* © PtP.
@Avery.
There does seem to have been a rise in debt over the summer
...
- See more at: http://www.moneyexpert.com/news/consumer-borrowing-increases-which-forms-credit-are-consumers-turning/800582302#sthash.lCDAn3AZ.dpuf"
The good news just keeps on coming.
A poor article with factual errors and misleading conclusions.
The BBA statistics reveal:
New Mortgage Lending and Capital Repayments were matched at £9.3 bn in August. The six month average is for net capital repayments of £0.2 bn per month. New mortgage lending was up on its six month average (£8.4 bn) but much of the new lending has been remortgaging with the net impact of paying down capital. Essentially mortgage lending has been a flat market since 2009.
August's net credit card spending grew by +£0.2 bn (on £38.7 bn outstanding) over July's £0.0 bn net figure, but with the August figure identical to the prior six month average. Net personal loan and overdraft lending fell by -£0.1 bn (on £41.4 outstanding) continuing a four year trend of falling balances albeit recently at slower rates.
There has simply been a matched shift of borrowing from unsecured bank lending to credit card lending with a net increase in total unsecured lending of +£0.1 bn (on £80.1 bn total o/s), with a six month prior average of zero growth.
Hardly a consumer credit bubble here, tim!
And to prove the point, net personal deposits and savings increased by +£2.0 bn in August (+£3.1 bn in July) with the six month prior average of +£2.7 bn (end August outstandings were £729.3 bn).
Anyone claiming that the current GDP growth figures are being fuelled on the back of household borrowing should check the BBA figures first. The household sector is deleveraging as the economy grows.
I must admit, I find your 'slapped 20 times' analogy dangerously absolutist. I would classify myself as a 'mild climate change sceptic', in that I broadly accept that the earth has warmed slightly more quickly than one would normally expect, but that I am by no means convinced that humans are the primary driver. I also question the extent to which it is possible for a country like the UK to make any significant difference to the global temperature balance.
That said, I find global oceans temperatures - which are not affected by many of the problems of land measuring stations located right next to cities - extremely persuasive of the idea that global temperatures continue to rise. See here: http://www.nodc.noaa.gov/OC5/3M_HEAT_CONTENT/
How do you reconcile the ocean's continuing to warm, and reaching their warmest level on record, with your view that global warming abruptly stopped in 1998?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edinburgh_to_Glasgow_Improvement_Programme
http://www.therailengineer.com/2013/06/04/egip-cutback-or-transformation/
The reduction of the plan was a Scottish devolved issue, announced by SNP minister Keith Brown.
At least the creep Bain has been dumped
Perhaps Donald Trump can buy you some transport infrastructure?
One would hardly classify a firm supporter of private education as left wing...
Press regulation SHOULDN'T BE A BIG PROBLEM
Power cut threats UNLIKELY IN THE EXTREME
A&E crisis BURNHAM
HS2 PRESS AHEAD
Help to Buy bubble VOTE WINNER HELP TO BUY GREAT POLICY
Universal Credit shelving WON'T BE SHELVED
On the "plus" side growth is at 1.4% while pay has sunk back to 2003 levels
AS CLEAR AS NIGHT FOLLOWS DAY AS THE ECONOMY GROWS SO WILL WAGES, EXCEPT RIGHTLY IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR. THE DAMNING EDUCATION STATS HIGHLIGHT THE LACK OF VALUE.
TIM I WOULD SUGGEST YOUR LABOUR PARTY HAS THE BIGGER ISSUES TO SORT, NOT LEAST THE SONS OF BROWN WHO HELPED WRECK THE FINANCES NOT LONG AGO, ADD BURNHAM AND THE GRIP OF SCOUSE UNION LEADERS AND TELL ME HOW THEY COULD BE TRUSTED AGAIN.
MODS: suggest that tim calling a public figure a "fraud" is something you may want to think about
The Scottish government have got a fairly modern view of rail infrastructure, seeing it as a social good. Witness the reopening of lines that have been occurring, for instance Stirling to Alloa or the northern half of the Waverley.
Whenever a rail line has been reopened in the last ten years, ridership has surpassed expectations. For instance Stirling to Alloa was rebuilt with an estimate of 155,000 passengers; shortly after it opened this was updated to 416,00. Likewise, the Ebbw Vale line was forecast to have 22,000 passengers a month, but is struggling to cope with double that.
England should learn from the foresightedness of Wales and Scotland ...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Grunwick-Workers-Story-Jack-Dromey/dp/0853154139/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1381255335&sr=8-1&keywords=grunwick
Is it under history or fiction?
Oddly enough it shares the same Amazon page as "When the Lights Went Out: Britain in the Seventies by Andy Beckett".
Labour's retro politics...
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/248766/131008_Letter_to_Al-Madinah_Education_Trust.pdf
RCS can perhaps elaborate but I think it's a server pointer, www1 currently carrying a particular cache, and so you get served a different page.
The previous government would have brushed things under the carpet.
"David Miliband was asked by NSS campaigner, Stephen Evans, whether a Labour Party, under his leadership, would be as enthusiastic about faith schools as it had been while in Government. Miliband offered the familiar sounding response that as we have Christian schools, it’s only right that Muslim schools and Hindu schools are also allowed, adding “and they are now, thanks to a Labour Government”. "
http://blogs.crikey.com.au/pollbludger/2013/10/08/essential-research-52-48-to-coalition-6/?wpmp_switcher=mobile
Meanwhile, Putin has snubbed Abbott at an APEC meeting
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/10/08/putin-abbott_n_4062679.html?icid=maing-grid7|ukt4|dl1|sec3_lnk3&pLid=214555&just_reloaded=1
Stop bing a 'Neep. It don'nae match with Fr'Eck's trews...!
There was a recession and increased debt, a position not helped by the decisions made by Scottish-based banks. Are you seriously saying that the block grant should have remained the same when expenditure in the rest of the UK was decreasing?
(Actually, don't answer that. I can guess your answer)
Sean T
"considers career ending blog"
As has been said many times before, correlation does not mean causation. Facts should be precious, speculation is just that.
IQ measures have a lot of faults, so the correlation may be real and shouldn't be ignored. If it is ignored, it's because of fears that it may be misused. A childish attitude when it's probably the IQ measurement technique that make the difference..
It's possible that Chinese people are, on average, more intelligent (more likely MOE)
It's possible that black people are more athletic on average, but it's difficult to be sure because of confounding factors. And melanin content of skin is a poor marker anyway.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-24446070
Something for farmers and armies. The Chelsea Barracks Tractor.
Isnt there just one white bloke ever that's done it?
http://www.statisticbrain.com/countries-with-the-highest-lowest-average-iq/
Once caught some OU programme on Al-Beeb Zwei that stated that the average "African" * and "European" ** were - ahm, on average - the same height. The physical differences were explained as thus:
- Africans had longer lower-limbs, and
- "Europeans" had longer torsos
Maybe it is evolution: Lions and cheetahs are sprinters but bears are purely enduringly physical...?*In the Sahal the African - apparently - see themselves as part Ayrab. ***
** Europeans are Indo-Ayrans, as any fool knows! [Turks are mongols, by-the-bye....]
*** Better link into Mohammedian African thoughts....
' Unlike other developed countries, the study also showed that young people in England are no better at these tests than older people, in the 55 to 65 age range.
When this is weighted with other factors, such as the socio-economic background of people taking the test, it shows that England is the only country in the survey where results are going backwards - with the older cohort better than the younger. '
The Honourable Tristram Fop, formerly of Twit School, exposes himself as a worthless liar on day one of his job:
"Labour drove up standards in maths and English across our schools, evident in the huge improvements we saw in GCSE results between 1997 and 2010."
THE ONLY COUNTRY IN THE WORLD WHERE RESULTS ARE GOING BACKWARDS
Labour's shameful legacy of failure and betrayal.
There are several possibilities but I doubt if melanin content of the skin helps you run faster. It reduces UV damage and decreases folic acid breakdown in the body.
There is a theory that the slave ships preferentially selected for some physical characteristics in a small segment of the West African population. That would be consistent with the facts but is not definitive proof. There's also similar theories about the oxygen capacities of some East African tribes, and we know that people in the Andes are better at surviving low oxygen tension, although some of this may be natural adaption rather than being genetic. And to complicate matters further, some epigenetic characteristics can have an effect.
The epigenetic feature are particularly interesting. The Dutch winter starvation of 1944/45 and it's effects on the pregnant women and subsequent generations are worth googling. For once, there is some good robust data.
Best prices - Dunfermline by-election
Lab 4/9 BetVictor
SNP 5/2 Hills
LD 37/1 Betfair
Ind 100/1 Ladbrokes
Grn 125/1
UKIP 125/1
Con 200/1
The failures were large and quite illuminating,all the usual diversionary stuff,not got my specs can you fill it in etc,it must be very hard for the illiterate/innumerate these days to get any employment. It is a damning indictment we appear to be losing ground.
Mrs jayfdee did spend some voluntary time teaching people to read and write.
Have you ever owned your own house?
Do you understand how difficult it is to get on the ladder without a deposit?
Did Labour do anything to help people when they were in power for 13 years?
Did Labour build enough council houses with all the taxes they collected for 13 years?
Have Labour put any policies on that blank sheet of paper yet, apart from 3 the words "Anything you say Len"(Mc Cluskey)?
I suspect the answer to all questions is "No"
History shows that it is the elite, mostly the intellectuals, that are the first to be culled. Outwith the battlefields of France the plebs are most likely to survive....
Randall Team @JeffRandallLive 1h
Charles Haresnape, Aldermore Bank: 95% loans were relatively common pre the crash, and very responsibly managed #helptobuy
Randall Team @JeffRandallLive 1h
Charles Haresnape, Aldermore Bank: I think a housing bubble is completely overplayed as a proposition #helptobuy
Randall Team @JeffRandallLive 1h
Charles Haresnape, MD Aldermore Mortgages: More demand will create supply in the housing market #helptobuy
Father Dougal Maguire for SS of Education; raise the intellectual standard.
It is all bolleaux: The average Dutch person looks a lot like the average resident of Europe. You really should leave [y]our bunker some time....
More to do with diet than how much benefits they get.
@dlknowles: They've spent three years fighting the 2010 election again, imagining that economic recovery would *never* arrive, however delayed by cuts
Lauded and applauded by the PB Kinnocks every step of the way...
tim,
If you're interested, can I recommend a very readable book by Nessa Carey - "The epigenetics revolution." It was published in 2011 so is reasonably up-to-date in this fast-moving field.
I found it fascinating and it's not my specialism.
A good section on Dutch pregnancies and the effects that last more than one generation.
I don't think she mentions inequality, though
To the 30" inside leg rail comrades !!!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-24446591
The crap location is a massive factor and Edinburgh has had a lot of recent investment (not flow to Glasgow for years so can't comment).