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politicalbetting.com » Blog Archive » Nighthawks is now open
Why not relax, and converse into the night on the day’s events in PB NightHawks. Nighthawks gives me the opportunity to say Let Me Entertain you with my round up of links.
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I've no doubt whatsoever that Ed will be a better Prime Minister, and give us fewer comedy moments, than David Cameron.
If this is confirmed, this can only end badly for someone.
Blanchflower is a faintly tragic figure. Once an esteemed academic economist he now pens fawning eulogies in obscure publications like The Independent and the New Statesman to Ed Balls of all people. Where is his pride?
Mr. Y0kel, it does sound like the situation there is rather kicking off.
It is the moment of truth in a revolution when an army either fires on its people- or joins them.
I hope it is the latter.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-25190119
I ate a pasty once, jolly good it was too.
So far, however, the actions of the state are relatively mild.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-25189834
I'd say that'd make a peaceful resolution and reconcilation less likely, but given what's gone on it's hard to see how much more unlikely a good outcome for Syria could be.
Mr. Y0kel, hopefully we won't find out whether a strong response by the army will intimidate the protestors or harden their resolve.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gMJBQoHJ4E
If any of the Cameron cheerleaders want to put their money where their keyboards are then:
Paddy Power
Weaver Vale - Con 5/1
By comparison PP have Con Maj at 3/1
Tory MPs really are some of the most useless individuals, even Labour in 2009 when the economy was falling to pieces managed to behave with a bit more fight.
Is it possible there will be something extra in the Autumn Statement? Two options:
1) Extra Winter Fuel payment - to be paid in Jan or Feb (and then have two payments again next winter)
2) Reduce VAT on energy bills. Currently 5% - reduce to 3% (or even 0%)
Remind me when the time comes, if I'm still posting, I don't jib but I do forget (antifrank, think I've got a similar Clegg / Salmond bet with you, same goes!)
And now having to stave off price rises inorder to support a Conservative government,the companies will be waiting for May 2015 for prices to blast into orbit.
I'm not sure how to read it. Brogan doesn't usually seem to write anything without a green light, of course.
Tell me, what will he do if wholesale energy costs increase in those twenty months? Or does he really think he is Canute?
(1): http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/2013/10/the-seven-green-taxes-that-put-112-on-your-energy-bill-and-which-of-them-ed-miliband-brought-in/
'I'm bloody telling you, it was definitely a police siren. The humanity, oh, the humanity.'
Actually, it must be guesswork as you have no idea how large any increase might be. Canute must be praying the tide will be ebbing in 2015, rather than flowing ...
pure spin.
Miliband was at DECC as the economic crisis broke Oct 2008 to 2010. So the world market in commodities crashes. oil chief among them and he's claiming the credit for lower energy prices. Stupid even by Labour's standards.
There have been various other minor sweeteners mentioned. If you buy a new house you will get £1000 to do green stuff to it (but if it's new, do you really want to start by replacing the boiler?). Petrol prices will be frozen for a year, or perhaps for 20 months, in pleasing symmetry to Ed's fuel freeze. Vaguely recall some other bits and bobs too - it was all in the Sunday Telegraph, I think.
This week will thoroughly test the stability of that 6-point lead. With Cameron all over the news getting half-promises of Chinese money (they may pay for HS2, or even build the thing for us, says the Standard) and Osborne showering gifts, it'll be interesting to see what happens. My guess is that the gap will indeed narrow for a week or so, then widen back to 6.
Great, so the reduction in bills was all down to the drop in gas costs (a result of the recession) and at the same time energy company profits went from -£30 per customer to +£55 per customer. I'd imagine the energy companies will be quite keen to get Ed back in so they can return to making bumper profits.
If it's just the usual case of the energy companies continuing to want to screw us blind because they can't do their job properly, then they can take a hit on their profits and suck it up.
Some of these taxes make sense (waits for howls from some). I have some concerns about companies pushing for insulation of homes that should not have it it - see my post from the other morning - but generally moving some of the non-energy related items to general taxation seems a sensible move.
"Petrol prices will be frozen for a year, or perhaps for 20 months, in pleasing symmetry to Ed's fuel freeze."
You do understand that its the fuel duty on petrol that has been frozen not the actual prices themselves?
Don't worry about the lead, just the Labour share. 37 and you have a majority any way up.
My main issue with e-fags is they are too bloody strong. There just seems to be a LOT of nicotine in them, so much you can spin out if you are sitting around a restaurant table with free flowing wine. Some bright spark needs to invent a non intrusive way of the e-fags pausing when you have had a normal fag's worth, so it's easier to self regulate.
Secondly, in the old days it was simpler; now we have green energy and more complex pricing to complicate matters.
Thirdly, managing the network is much more complex nowadays, with the variable loading that intermittent energy sources put onto the grid. The network is always fairly precarious, and you only have to look at recent problems in the US and Canada to see what happens when things go wrong.
Fourthly, the profits may be 'vast' (but so are Tescos - is Ed going to have a 'food freeze'?), but so are the amounts needed for investment.
Ed made it impossible for new coal-fired stations to be built in the UK when he demanded that any new such power stations have the untried-at-large-scale CCS technology. Strangely, this occurred a short period after he got harangued by a c-list celebrity about Kingsnorth.
And Germany are building new coal-fired stations. The economy of such might or might not be right at the moment here in the UK, but it would be blooming nice to have the option.
http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2009/mar/16/kingsnorth-pete-postlethwaite
Glasgow has to man up fast or indeed it is Liverpooling down the mawk toilet.
The poor lambs.
If I was in charge, I'd look at reducing the rate of interest on Green Deal loans as my top priority. The scheme works by the Government analysing what improvements your home needs and then lending you money to make them, with your savings then paying off the loan. However interest is charged at 8% making it less economic and arguable that you'd do better going to the bank instead. anecdotally this is causing schemes not to proceed after quotes have been generated so this would be my priority policy ask at the mo
Was it you who was found wondering along the Trans Siberian Railway without knowing how you'd got there.
I definately know someone that has happened to but can't remember who.
And you're the obvious choice.
http://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/taxation/vat/how_vat_works/
"Given that EU law only requires that the standard VAT rate must be at least 15% and the reduced rate at least 5% (only for supplies of goods and services referred to in an exhaustive list), actual rates applied vary between Member States and between certain types of products. In addition, certain Member States have retained separate rules in specific areas."
The bankers are desperate to get their Labour mates back into government so they can have another round of handouts.
Does anyone actually use phrases like that in real life and if so do they realise they sound like an imbecile ?
I feel deeply embarrassed every time I do so.
Sod your Hezbollah story.
I win.
Who was it who said Conservatives have but two states of mind, complacency, and panic?
That means Ed's flunked it as I predicted, right?
All of PB's Labour supporters assured us that Ed was brilliant and courageous when dealing with the Trade Unions.
The Guardian is wrong.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/3/newsid_2519000/2519451.stm
Good on him. It was very smart to do it through YouTube, too - he wrote the headline & story himself. Who needs hacks?
'Item 2 is in the Guardian, so it must be accurate.
That means Ed's flunked it as I predicted, right?'
Didn't take McCluskey long to get little Ed back into line.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-25189297
He's still a member of Vale of White Horse council, and Vice-Chairman of the Planning Committee:
http://whitehorsedc.moderngov.co.uk/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=492
i) The Scouser whose husband works away (said he works in London for the Immigration Service- suppose he might be 'inside' in reality) and who gets 'lonely'...
ii) The Wirral bookworm whose 'friend' slipped me her phone number when we bumped into her on our date. Tempted.
iii) The 5'11 sexy Russian who 'doesn't want a relationship', but is happy to share my bed once a week. Heavily into kink. Brought whips and toys with her on our second date... Even offered unprompted to find a girlfriend for a threesome. Perhaps SeanT could advise on this one...
;-)
Thence a new age of mawk began.
Also, a whole new means of citizen surveillance paid for by the citizens. Just like everyone is now carrying tracking device iphones, paid for by themselves so the govt (or the American govt) can follow them at any time.
for a bonus 1 click payment, russian oligarchs can deliver a wee shot of bonus polonium
consumer joy
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2013/12/01/chuck_todd_praising_private_sector_velocity_of_obamacare_website_is_an_indictment_of_government.html