Mr. Animal, must disagree. The PM isn't fit for the job and his rival at the election was a far left fool. Just because the US candidates look ropey doesn't mean ours were other than very poor indeed.
What evidence do you have the PM isn't fit for the job?
So far he's faced 3 massive challenges and he's outshone expectations in all 3.
1: New deal by October - told this was impossible, he got it. 2: The election - won a landslide. 3: The virus [so far] - the UK is leading the world in containment and tracking and tracing.
When you compare our response to the virus, to Trumps, our PM is up to the job.
Johnson didn’t win a landslide. He won though.
He got a new deal by abandoning all his redlines.
What does he have to do with our response when he’s been hiding? PHE deserve the credit.
I’m not a fan of Johnson, but I get a bit annoyed by the constant “hiding” accusation. When politicians are all over the television in a crisis they are accused of grandstanding and making political capital and generally getting in the way. When they are not they are accused of hiding.
Sometimes people just want political masters to let the experts get on with their jobs, but, importantly, prepared to take the big (politically sensitive and potentially unpopular) decisions that the experts can’t take when needed. That is the way good governance should work at ever level - from town hall to national government to international organisations.
Who should he pick ? Klobuchar. Who will he pick ? Harris.
I think he'll go for Klobuchar. The one thing the last few contests have shown is that Biden doesn't have a problem with the black vote, but needs more help with the Midwestern vote.
If it is to be Biden, he has to find some way of generating enthusiasm. I think he needs a big (but realistic so not Medicare for All) offer on health.
Perhaps paid sick leave for all employees?
I mean it's a pretty mental that >1/3 Americans don't get paid sick leave, and so are literally going to have a choice of ignore public health guidance and risk spreading pandemic or lose wages.
It could be difficult to do that partly on the back of winning the nomination over Sanders supposed 'extremism' on this exact topic, though.
I just really struggle to see him having the agility to beat Trump, but if there's a huge crisis who knows.
There is an irony in that massive healthcare fallout could have been one of the few situations where Sanders might have made inroads into his challenging states, possibly more than Biden, but on the other hand Biden may attract more of the soft republican vote.
Either way, as others have mentioned, barring a catastrophe in both public health and the economy, Trump looks hard to beat.
Due to what is likely to be a public health disaster that will impact the economy, Trump is starting to look beatable.
3 weeks ago I would have had Trump as an odds on certainty, but not anymore...
If it is to be Biden, he has to find some way of generating enthusiasm. I think he needs a big (but realistic so not Medicare for All) offer on health.
Perhaps paid sick leave for all employees?
I mean it's a pretty mental that >1/3 Americans don't get paid sick leave, and so are literally going to have a choice of ignore public health guidance and risk spreading pandemic or lose wages.
It could be difficult to do that partly on the back of winning the nomination over Sanders supposed 'extremism' on this exact topic, though.
I just really struggle to see him having the agility to beat Trump, but if there's a huge crisis who knows.
There is an irony in that massive healthcare fallout could have been one of the few situations where Sanders might have made inroads into his challenging states, possibly more than Biden, but on the other hand Biden may attract more of the soft republican vote.
Either way, as others have mentioned, barring a catastrophe in both public health and the economy, Trump looks hard to beat.
Mandating paid sick leave to those who don't currently have it is a lot less extreme than reorganizing the entire American health system and changing the arrangements for tens of millions of Americans. It's also much easier to explain.
What evidence do you have the PM isn't fit for the job?
So far he's faced 3 massive challenges and he's outshone expectations in all 3.
1: New deal by October - told this was impossible, he got it. 2: The election - won a landslide. 3: The virus [so far] - the UK is leading the world in containment and tracking and tracing.
When you compare our response to the virus, to Trumps, our PM is up to the job.
Johnson didn’t win a landslide. He won though.
He got a new deal by abandoning all his redlines.
What does he have to do with our response when he’s been hiding? PHE deserve the credit.
He kept his redlines. It was always agreed that if NI Assembly had control over devolved differences between GB and NI then that was acceptable, even the DUP had accepted that principle. Johnson took advantage of that to get the deal he wanted that hnoured our red lines for GB and gave NI ongoing consent for any differences. If NI doesn't like the new arrangements then the Assembly can vote to terminate them.
He won an 80 seat majority. Very healthy majority if you don't want to call it a landslide.
He deserves credit for our response (and blame for failures) in a "buck stops here" sense. And its clear he's been in many ongoing meetings with PHE for the last few months about this. I'd rather a PM more worried about ensuring PHE is in control and doing a good job (as he has) than a PM more worried about how he comes across to the media while ignoring healthcare professionals (like Trump has been doing).
If it is to be Biden, he has to find some way of generating enthusiasm. I think he needs a big (but realistic so not Medicare for All) offer on health.
Perhaps paid sick leave for all employees?
I mean it's a pretty mental that >1/3 Americans don't get paid sick leave, and so are literally going to have a choice of ignore public health guidance and risk spreading pandemic or lose wages.
Reading te pages on Lifehacker, it seems that many Americans, who do have paid sick leave, only have a fixed quota of allowed sick days (often 5 days) in a year.
I find this just crazy. If you are sick, you have no way of controlling how long you are sick for.
It is the allocation of risk. The employer pays 5 days then the risk passes to the employee. In this country there are increasing millions of gig workers who get nothing when sick. The consequences for people wanting to work even if they may be ill are troubling.
If it is to be Biden, he has to find some way of generating enthusiasm. I think he needs a big (but realistic so not Medicare for All) offer on health.
Perhaps paid sick leave for all employees?
I mean it's a pretty mental that >1/3 Americans don't get paid sick leave, and so are literally going to have a choice of ignore public health guidance and risk spreading pandemic or lose wages.
Reading te pages on Lifehacker, it seems that many Americans, who do have paid sick leave, only have a fixed quota of allowed sick days (often 5 days) in a year.
I find this just crazy. If you are sick, you have no way of controlling how long you are sick for.
Well I woudl think nearly all UK employees have a "fixed quota" of sick days that they get paid for by their employees - Its just the length of the quota that varies
But in the UK the government pays you once you exceed that point, and an employer can't sack you based on number of sick days taken.
That's actually not true. People are dismissed for capability reasons related to health all the time. It is a potentially fair reason for the dismissal.
Mr. Animal, must disagree. The PM isn't fit for the job and his rival at the election was a far left fool. Just because the US candidates look ropey doesn't mean ours were other than very poor indeed.
What evidence do you have the PM isn't fit for the job?
So far he's faced 3 massive challenges and he's outshone expectations in all 3.
1: New deal by October - told this was impossible, he got it. 2: The election - won a landslide. 3: The virus [so far] - the UK is leading the world in containment and tracking and tracing.
When you compare our response to the virus, to Trumps, our PM is up to the job.
An honest assessment is that both Trump & Johnson were slow to see how big this story would become and both slow to get on the case.
But Johnson's transgression was simply being absent on the job (nursing his black eye, or whatever) - meanwhile the British system and specifically the NHS swung into action. He didn't do anything to make things worse, and now does appear to be on top of events.
Meanwhile in the US, where the health and governance systems are in any case less well equipped to deal with this sort of problem, Trump was actively making things worse, with all his talk of hoaxes and political plots, creating a sense of apathy and drift that infected the whole system.
So Johnson wins on points, but remains untested by a serious crisis.
Mike Bloomberg is going to be right on the cusp of viability in Texas and California.
He's finished whatever. The fact American Samoa is the return on his investment makes him a punchline. A handful of delegates in Texas and California means sod all.
Given the US healthcare system, COVID19, Biden's faculties, his very good position in this race and his likely VP pick, Harris at 1000.0 is worth £2 for POTUS.
It might be better to wait until the VP pick is announced. Often it is someone unknown to the great British public.
If it is to be Biden, he has to find some way of generating enthusiasm. I think he needs a big (but realistic so not Medicare for All) offer on health.
Perhaps paid sick leave for all employees?
I mean it's a pretty mental that >1/3 Americans don't get paid sick leave, and so are literally going to have a choice of ignore public health guidance and risk spreading pandemic or lose wages.
It could be difficult to do that partly on the back of winning the nomination over Sanders supposed 'extremism' on this exact topic, though.
I just really struggle to see him having the agility to beat Trump, but if there's a huge crisis who knows.
There is an irony in that massive healthcare fallout could have been one of the few situations where Sanders might have made inroads into his challenging states, possibly more than Biden, but on the other hand Biden may attract more of the soft republican vote.
Either way, as others have mentioned, barring a catastrophe in both public health and the economy, Trump looks hard to beat.
Due to what is likely to be a public health disaster that will impact the economy, Trump is starting to look beatable.
3 weeks ago I would have had Trump as an odds on certainty, but not anymore...
But against BIDEN? Trump is going to mock him mercilessly - and with plenty of ammunition. And what's worse, it blunts the Dems main weapon - that it is Trump who is bat-shit crazy....
If it is to be Biden, he has to find some way of generating enthusiasm. I think he needs a big (but realistic so not Medicare for All) offer on health.
Perhaps paid sick leave for all employees?
I mean it's a pretty mental that >1/3 Americans don't get paid sick leave, and so are literally going to have a choice of ignore public health guidance and risk spreading pandemic or lose wages.
It could be difficult to do that partly on the back of winning the nomination over Sanders supposed 'extremism' on this exact topic, though.
I just really struggle to see him having the agility to beat Trump, but if there's a huge crisis, who knows.
There is an irony in that massive healthcare fallout could have been one of the few situations where Sanders might have made inroads into his challenging states, possibly more than Biden, but on the other hand Biden may attract more of the soft republican vote.
Either way, as others have mentioned, barring a catastrophe in both public health and the economy, Trump looks hard to beat.
Trump lost the popular vote by 3 million. He won 3 states by tiny majorities. The Republican vote was similar to previous elections while the Democrat vote was significantly down. He was lucky in 2016.
He chose to campaign in those 3 states while Hillary chose not to.
If it is to be Biden, he has to find some way of generating enthusiasm. I think he needs a big (but realistic so not Medicare for All) offer on health.
Perhaps paid sick leave for all employees?
I mean it's a pretty mental that >1/3 Americans don't get paid sick leave, and so are literally going to have a choice of ignore public health guidance and risk spreading pandemic or lose wages.
It could be difficult to do that partly on the back of winning the nomination over Sanders supposed 'extremism' on this exact topic, though.
I just really struggle to see him having the agility to beat Trump, but if there's a huge crisis, who knows.
There is an irony in that massive healthcare fallout could have been one of the few situations where Sanders might have made inroads into his challenging states, possibly more than Biden, but on the other hand Biden may attract more of the soft republican vote.
Either way, as others have mentioned, barring a catastrophe in both public health and the economy, Trump looks hard to beat.
Trump lost the popular vote by 3 million. He won 3 states by tiny majorities. The Republican vote was similar to previous elections while the Democrat vote was significantly down. He was lucky in 2016.
This is deeply unpopular analysis. The one true version of events was a giant tidal wave of Dem to GOP switchers as the white working class revolted against the Liberal costal elites by voting for Donald Trump in a massive land slide.
If it is to be Biden, he has to find some way of generating enthusiasm. I think he needs a big (but realistic so not Medicare for All) offer on health.
Perhaps paid sick leave for all employees?
I mean it's a pretty mental that >1/3 Americans don't get paid sick leave, and so are literally going to have a choice of ignore public health guidance and risk spreading pandemic or lose wages.
It could be difficult to do that partly on the back of winning the nomination over Sanders supposed 'extremism' on this exact topic, though.
I just really struggle to see him having the agility to beat Trump, but if there's a huge crisis, who knows.
There is an irony in that massive healthcare fallout could have been one of the few situations where Sanders might have made inroads into his challenging states, possibly more than Biden, but on the other hand Biden may attract more of the soft republican vote.
Either way, as others have mentioned, barring a catastrophe in both public health and the economy, Trump looks hard to beat.
Trump lost the popular vote by 3 million. He won 3 states by tiny majorities. The Republican vote was similar to previous elections while the Democrat vote was significantly down. He was lucky in 2016.
That's true, but it was also heavily because Clinton was a poor candidate. I don't see any evidence so far that BIden is a much better candidate.
Trump is the great motivator of a large base, and so a similar grassroots operation is very important. I think the strongest hope for the Democrats might actually have been a perfect storm of unusual circumstances, with Sanders' larger-than-average motivated base enlarged by a generally freak healthcare crisis - this is unliklely to be tested now, of course, so we may never know.
As mentioned ad nauseam, a really serious Coronavirus crisis could throw even Trump's base off, whoever the opponent is. He lives off confidence and boosterism, not the almost religious populist style of Sanders that can thrive on feelings of injustice in crisis.
Given the US healthcare system, COVID19, Biden's faculties, his very good position in this race and his likely VP pick, Harris at 1000.0 is worth £2 for POTUS.
It might be better to wait until the VP pick is announced. Often it is someone unknown to the great British public.
Harris won't be 1000-1 when she's announced VP. Into 200-300 maybe ?
I think its all over bar the shouting after tonight, it would take a miracle to revive Sanders momentum after this and he has burnt his bridges through the party and nobody is going to want to help him get that miracle.
I just hope Biden isn't so awful that he loses to Trump. At least unlike Hillary I don't think he'll fail to campaign in the midwest.
Does that matter as much as thought? Biden just won Massachusetts and Minnesota without going there.
I think Biden will want to balance the ticket with a younger running mate, preferably female. Step forward KLOBUCHAR!
Mr. Animal, must disagree. The PM isn't fit for the job and his rival at the election was a far left fool. Just because the US candidates look ropey doesn't mean ours were other than very poor indeed.
What evidence do you have the PM isn't fit for the job?
So far he's faced 3 massive challenges and he's outshone expectations in all 3.
1: New deal by October - told this was impossible, he got it. 2: The election - won a landslide. 3: The virus [so far] - the UK is leading the world in containment and tracking and tracing.
When you compare our response to the virus, to Trumps, our PM is up to the job.
An honest assessment is that both Trump & Johnson were slow to see how big this story would become and both slow to get on the case.
But Johnson's transgression was simply being absent on the job (nursing his black eye, or whatever) - meanwhile the British system and specifically the NHS swung into action. He didn't do anything to make things worse, and now does appear to be on top of events.
Meanwhile in the US, where the health and governance systems are in any case less well equipped to deal with this sort of problem, Trump was actively making things worse, with all his talk of hoaxes and political plots, creating a sense of apathy and drift that infected the whole system.
So Johnson wins on points, but remains untested by a serious crisis.
A PM who lets PHE and the NHS run the day to day response while giving PHE and the NHS the resources they require is a PM doing his job.
Its not just that the NHS swung into action. Immediately decisions were made: tracking & tracing, quarantining people on the Wirral etc, etc that go beyond the typical day to day NHS response. Whether the PM made those decisions, or he gave space to the PHE experts to make the decisions, the right decisions were made.
Contrast with the USA where Trump got so annoyed with the CDC's speaking to the media that he said that all CDC statements from now on had to be approved by Pence before they could be published. WTAF!?
Mr. Animal, must disagree. The PM isn't fit for the job and his rival at the election was a far left fool. Just because the US candidates look ropey doesn't mean ours were other than very poor indeed.
What evidence do you have the PM isn't fit for the job?
So far he's faced 3 massive challenges and he's outshone expectations in all 3.
1: New deal by October - told this was impossible, he got it. 2: The election - won a landslide. 3: The virus [so far] - the UK is leading the world in containment and tracking and tracing.
When you compare our response to the virus, to Trumps, our PM is up to the job.
Well. Has Boris actually got a new deal/???.. we await the results...
He has a deal which even the Telegraph are spotting fundamental flaws in - but hey my new MP says this isn't the case when I pointed it out to him...
If it is to be Biden, he has to find some way of generating enthusiasm. I think he needs a big (but realistic so not Medicare for All) offer on health.
Perhaps paid sick leave for all employees?
I mean it's a pretty mental that >1/3 Americans don't get paid sick leave, and so are literally going to have a choice of ignore public health guidance and risk spreading pandemic or lose wages.
It could be difficult to do that partly on the back of winning the nomination over Sanders supposed 'extremism' on this exact topic, though.
I just really struggle to see him having the agility to beat Trump, but if there's a huge crisis who knows.
There is an irony in that massive healthcare fallout could have been one of the few situations where Sanders might have made inroads into his challenging states, possibly more than Biden, but on the other hand Biden may attract more of the soft republican vote.
Either way, as others have mentioned, barring a catastrophe in both public health and the economy, Trump looks hard to beat.
I think that having been deemed to be the "moderate" candidate Biden can get away with a few radical policies, in the same way as people are giving Johnson a free pass with what would have been called wildly reckless spending promises under Corbyn. Whether he wants to is an open question.
Mr. Animal, must disagree. The PM isn't fit for the job and his rival at the election was a far left fool. Just because the US candidates look ropey doesn't mean ours were other than very poor indeed.
What evidence do you have the PM isn't fit for the job?
So far he's faced 3 massive challenges and he's outshone expectations in all 3.
1: New deal by October - told this was impossible, he got it. 2: The election - won a landslide. 3: The virus [so far] - the UK is leading the world in containment and tracking and tracing.
When you compare our response to the virus, to Trumps, our PM is up to the job.
An honest assessment is that both Trump & Johnson were slow to see how big this story would become and both slow to get on the case.
But Johnson's transgression was simply being absent on the job (nursing his black eye, or whatever) - meanwhile the British system and specifically the NHS swung into action. He didn't do anything to make things worse, and now does appear to be on top of events.
Meanwhile in the US, where the health and governance systems are in any case less well equipped to deal with this sort of problem, Trump was actively making things worse, with all his talk of hoaxes and political plots, creating a sense of apathy and drift that infected the whole system.
So Johnson wins on points, but remains untested by a serious crisis.
A PM who lets PHE and the NHS run the day to day response while giving PHE and the NHS the resources they require is a PM doing his job.
Its not just that the NHS swung into action. Immediately decisions were made: tracking & tracing, quarantining people on the Wirral etc, etc that go beyond the typical day to day NHS response. Whether the PM made those decisions, or he gave space to the PHE experts to make the decisions, the right decisions were made.
Contrast with the USA where Trump got so annoyed with the CDC's speaking to the media that he said that all CDC statements from now on had to be approved by Pence before they could be published. WTAF!?
I don't disagree. I just note that Boris appeared absent up until recently - hence all the comment about his not having been seen, and his rumoured black eye (almost certainly untrue, but had he been around the rumour would never have flown).
If it is to be Biden, he has to find some way of generating enthusiasm. I think he needs a big (but realistic so not Medicare for All) offer on health.
Perhaps paid sick leave for all employees?
I mean it's a pretty mental that >1/3 Americans don't get paid sick leave, and so are literally going to have a choice of ignore public health guidance and risk spreading pandemic or lose wages.
Reading te pages on Lifehacker, it seems that many Americans, who do have paid sick leave, only have a fixed quota of allowed sick days (often 5 days) in a year.
I find this just crazy. If you are sick, you have no way of controlling how long you are sick for.
Well I woudl think nearly all UK employees have a "fixed quota" of sick days that they get paid for by their employees - Its just the length of the quota that varies
In my Trust either 4 episodes or two weeks of sick leave (1 episode if occupationally acquired) requires a meeting with line manager to address issues. This can be quite supportive, but can also feel intimidating.
Quarantine leave is Special Leave with pay, so doesn't count for this.
Incidentally, final year medical students have been informed that they may well be pressed into clinical service by the university.
The fly in the ointment is that we have no beds, and are on OPEL4* already, before our first case. Also heavily over budget.
Mr. Animal, must disagree. The PM isn't fit for the job and his rival at the election was a far left fool. Just because the US candidates look ropey doesn't mean ours were other than very poor indeed.
What evidence do you have the PM isn't fit for the job?
So far he's faced 3 massive challenges and he's outshone expectations in all 3.
1: New deal by October - told this was impossible, he got it. 2: The election - won a landslide. 3: The virus [so far] - the UK is leading the world in containment and tracking and tracing.
When you compare our response to the virus, to Trumps, our PM is up to the job.
An honest assessment is that both Trump & Johnson were slow to see how big this story would become and both slow to get on the case.
But Johnson's transgression was simply being absent on the job (nursing his black eye, or whatever) - meanwhile the British system and specifically the NHS swung into action. He didn't do anything to make things worse, and now does appear to be on top of events.
Meanwhile in the US, where the health and governance systems are in any case less well equipped to deal with this sort of problem, Trump was actively making things worse, with all his talk of hoaxes and political plots, creating a sense of apathy and drift that infected the whole system.
So Johnson wins on points, but remains untested by a serious crisis.
A PM who lets PHE and the NHS run the day to day response while giving PHE and the NHS the resources they require is a PM doing his job.
Its not just that the NHS swung into action. Immediately decisions were made: tracking & tracing, quarantining people on the Wirral etc, etc that go beyond the typical day to day NHS response. Whether the PM made those decisions, or he gave space to the PHE experts to make the decisions, the right decisions were made.
Contrast with the USA where Trump got so annoyed with the CDC's speaking to the media that he said that all CDC statements from now on had to be approved by Pence before they could be published. WTAF!?
There was that silly criticism of Johnson for waiting until after the weekend to call a COBRA meeting. As if we couldn’t wait to start taking things seriously. When in fact such meetings had been taking place regularly probably at marginally lower levels for weeks. People seem to think that if they don’t know about something it isn’t happening. And the PM has to be personally involved in everything at all times.
I dedicate my ten thousandth post to the wonderful people of PB with their informed, partisan, aggravating, amusing and supportive comments, and also to the writers of topic headers, who make this site the one I go to first for political commentary.
I don't disagree. I just note that Boris appeared absent up until recently - hence all the comment about his not having been seen, and his rumoured black eye (almost certainly untrue, but had he been around the rumour would never have flown).
Boris has a style of Government where the members of Cabinet go away and do stuff and report back to Cabinet on the stuff they've done. They are given enough room to get on with the job/rope to hang themselves.
I don't see any of the horrors predicted of a Boris Johnson Government. Nearly three months in, his opponents are flailing around for shit to throw at him. Might change of course, especially over Covid-19 handling, but so far he gets a solid B+
If it is to be Biden, he has to find some way of generating enthusiasm. I think he needs a big (but realistic so not Medicare for All) offer on health.
Perhaps paid sick leave for all employees?
I mean it's a pretty mental that >1/3 Americans don't get paid sick leave, and so are literally going to have a choice of ignore public health guidance and risk spreading pandemic or lose wages.
It could be difficult to do that partly on the back of winning the nomination over Sanders supposed 'extremism' on this exact topic, though.
I just really struggle to see him having the agility to beat Trump, but if there's a huge crisis, who knows.
There is an irony in that massive healthcare fallout could have been one of the few situations where Sanders might have made inroads into his challenging states, possibly more than Biden, but on the other hand Biden may attract more of the soft republican vote.
Either way, as others have mentioned, barring a catastrophe in both public health and the economy, Trump looks hard to beat.
Trump lost the popular vote by 3 million. He won 3 states by tiny majorities. The Republican vote was similar to previous elections while the Democrat vote was significantly down. He was lucky in 2016.
He chose to campaign in those 3 states while Hillary chose not to.
Mr. Animal, must disagree. The PM isn't fit for the job and his rival at the election was a far left fool. Just because the US candidates look ropey doesn't mean ours were other than very poor indeed.
What evidence do you have the PM isn't fit for the job?
So far he's faced 3 massive challenges and he's outshone expectations in all 3.
1: New deal by October - told this was impossible, he got it. 2: The election - won a landslide. 3: The virus [so far] - the UK is leading the world in containment and tracking and tracing.
When you compare our response to the virus, to Trumps, our PM is up to the job.
An honest assessment is that both Trump & Johnson were slow to see how big this story would become and both slow to get on the case.
But Johnson's transgression was simply being absent on the job (nursing his black eye, or whatever) - meanwhile the British system and specifically the NHS swung into action. He didn't do anything to make things worse, and now does appear to be on top of events.
Meanwhile in the US, where the health and governance systems are in any case less well equipped to deal with this sort of problem, Trump was actively making things worse, with all his talk of hoaxes and political plots, creating a sense of apathy and drift that infected the whole system.
So Johnson wins on points, but remains untested by a serious crisis.
A PM who lets PHE and the NHS run the day to day response while giving PHE and the NHS the resources they require is a PM doing his job.
Its not just that the NHS swung into action. Immediately decisions were made: tracking & tracing, quarantining people on the Wirral etc, etc that go beyond the typical day to day NHS response. Whether the PM made those decisions, or he gave space to the PHE experts to make the decisions, the right decisions were made.
Contrast with the USA where Trump got so annoyed with the CDC's speaking to the media that he said that all CDC statements from now on had to be approved by Pence before they could be published. WTAF!?
I don't disagree. I just note that Boris appeared absent up until recently - hence all the comment about his not having been seen, and his rumoured black eye (almost certainly untrue, but had he been around the rumour would never have flown).
In a recent photo (as in this week), Boris is seen sporting a mysterious red mark, almost a burn mark, on his arm/wrist. Usually covered by his sleeve, but in this photo the sleeve has ridden up a bit.
Alongside the black eye rumours, it is most strange.
Mr. Animal, must disagree. The PM isn't fit for the job and his rival at the election was a far left fool. Just because the US candidates look ropey doesn't mean ours were other than very poor indeed.
What evidence do you have the PM isn't fit for the job?
So far he's faced 3 massive challenges and he's outshone expectations in all 3.
1: New deal by October - told this was impossible, he got it. 2: The election - won a landslide. 3: The virus [so far] - the UK is leading the world in containment and tracking and tracing.
When you compare our response to the virus, to Trumps, our PM is up to the job.
An honest assessment is that both Trump & Johnson were slow to see how big this story would become and both slow to get on the case.
But Johnson's transgression was simply being absent on the job (nursing his black eye, or whatever) - meanwhile the British system and specifically the NHS swung into action. He didn't do anything to make things worse, and now does appear to be on top of events.
Meanwhile in the US, where the health and governance systems are in any case less well equipped to deal with this sort of problem, Trump was actively making things worse, with all his talk of hoaxes and political plots, creating a sense of apathy and drift that infected the whole system.
So Johnson wins on points, but remains untested by a serious crisis.
A PM who lets PHE and the NHS run the day to day response while giving PHE and the NHS the resources they require is a PM doing his job.
Its not just that the NHS swung into action. Immediately decisions were made: tracking & tracing, quarantining people on the Wirral etc, etc that go beyond the typical day to day NHS response. Whether the PM made those decisions, or he gave space to the PHE experts to make the decisions, the right decisions were made.
Contrast with the USA where Trump got so annoyed with the CDC's speaking to the media that he said that all CDC statements from now on had to be approved by Pence before they could be published. WTAF!?
I don't disagree. I just note that Boris appeared absent up until recently - hence all the comment about his not having been seen, and his rumoured black eye (almost certainly untrue, but had he been around the rumour would never have flown).
In a recent photo (as in this week), Boris is seen sporting a mysterious red mark, almost a burn mark, on his arm/wrist. Usually covered by his sleeve, but in this photo the sleeve has ridden up a bit.
Alongside the black eye rumours, it is most strange.
I dedicate my ten thousandth post to the wonderful people of PB with their informed, partisan, aggravating, amusing and supportive comments, and also to the writers of topic headers, who make this site the one I go to first for political commentary.
I posted two posts in a row, both numbered 4,999. Will this be 5,000?
Mr. Animal, must disagree. The PM isn't fit for the job and his rival at the election was a far left fool. Just because the US candidates look ropey doesn't mean ours were other than very poor indeed.
What evidence do you have the PM isn't fit for the job?
So far he's faced 3 massive challenges and he's outshone expectations in all 3.
1: New deal by October - told this was impossible, he got it. 2: The election - won a landslide. 3: The virus [so far] - the UK is leading the world in containment and tracking and tracing.
When you compare our response to the virus, to Trumps, our PM is up to the job.
An honest assessment is that both Trump & Johnson were slow to see how big this story would become and both slow to get on the case.
But Johnson's transgression was simply being absent on the job (nursing his black eye, or whatever) - meanwhile the British system and specifically the NHS swung into action. He didn't do anything to make things worse, and now does appear to be on top of events.
Meanwhile in the US, where the health and governance systems are in any case less well equipped to deal with this sort of problem, Trump was actively making things worse, with all his talk of hoaxes and political plots, creating a sense of apathy and drift that infected the whole system.
So Johnson wins on points, but remains untested by a serious crisis.
A PM who lets PHE and the NHS run the day to day response while giving PHE and the NHS the resources they require is a PM doing his job.
Its not just that the NHS swung into action. Immediately decisions were made: tracking & tracing, quarantining people on the Wirral etc, etc that go beyond the typical day to day NHS response. Whether the PM made those decisions, or he gave space to the PHE experts to make the decisions, the right decisions were made.
Contrast with the USA where Trump got so annoyed with the CDC's speaking to the media that he said that all CDC statements from now on had to be approved by Pence before they could be published. WTAF!?
I don't disagree. I just note that Boris appeared absent up until recently - hence all the comment about his not having been seen, and his rumoured black eye (almost certainly untrue, but had he been around the rumour would never have flown).
In a recent photo (as in this week), Boris is seen sporting a mysterious red mark, almost a burn mark, on his arm/wrist. Usually covered by his sleeve, but in this photo the sleeve has ridden up a bit.
Alongside the black eye rumours, it is most strange.
I reckon it was Priti Patel, gave him a Chinese burn.....
If it is to be Biden, he has to find some way of generating enthusiasm. I think he needs a big (but realistic so not Medicare for All) offer on health.
Perhaps paid sick leave for all employees?
I mean it's a pretty mental that >1/3 Americans don't get paid sick leave, and so are literally going to have a choice of ignore public health guidance and risk spreading pandemic or lose wages.
It could be difficult to do that partly on the back of winning the nomination over Sanders supposed 'extremism' on this exact topic, though.
I just really struggle to see him having the agility to beat Trump, but if there's a huge crisis who knows.
There is an irony in that massive healthcare fallout could have been one of the few situations where Sanders might have made inroads into his challenging states, possibly more than Biden, but on the other hand Biden may attract more of the soft republican vote.
Either way, as others have mentioned, barring a catastrophe in both public health and the economy, Trump looks hard to beat.
Mandating paid sick leave to those who don't currently have it is a lot less extreme than reorganizing the entire American health system and changing the arrangements for tens of millions of Americans. It's also much easier to explain.
It can indeed be passed off as a simpler and more realistic adoption of some of Sanders' themes. Biden, or more specifically centrist democrats in general, aren't really keen to be reviving memories of them, though. If Biden campaigns on health issues it would confirm the movement of the party in Sanders' direction, even if he loses the nomination. The increasing popularity of several of Sanders' touchstone issues among the Democratic base irritates the centrists in the party, presaging trouble ahead.
If it is to be Biden, he has to find some way of generating enthusiasm. I think he needs a big (but realistic so not Medicare for All) offer on health.
Perhaps paid sick leave for all employees?
I mean it's a pretty mental that >1/3 Americans don't get paid sick leave, and so are literally going to have a choice of ignore public health guidance and risk spreading pandemic or lose wages.
Reading te pages on Lifehacker, it seems that many Americans, who do have paid sick leave, only have a fixed quota of allowed sick days (often 5 days) in a year.
I find this just crazy. If you are sick, you have no way of controlling how long you are sick for.
It is the allocation of risk. The employer pays 5 days then the risk passes to the employee. In this country there are increasing millions of gig workers who get nothing when sick. The consequences for people wanting to work even if they may be ill are troubling.
I agree wholeheartedly with this.
If the Government requires 10 million employees to stay at home for six weeks then they’ll have to step in.
I’d say.. employer carries risk of first week and government the next five weeks up to a max liability of £250 a week, with employee carrying risk above that.
So in addition to lost economic output it could add £12-15 billion to the national debt.
There were several factors that contributed to Mr Biden's shock victory [Texas] but the most important appeared to be late deciding voters. More than one million people cast their ballots days ago during an early voting period, and Mr Sanders had a clear lead among those votes. But exit polls showed among people who voted on election day, and decided only in the last few days, Mr Biden won nearly 50 per cent.
There were several factors that contributed to Mr Biden's shock victory [Texas] but the most important appeared to be late deciding voters. More than one million people cast their ballots days ago during an early voting period, and Mr Sanders had a clear lead among those votes. But exit polls showed among people who voted on election day, and decided only in the last few days, Mr Biden won nearly 50 per cent.
This shows a massive success for Klobuchar and Buttigieg's late endorsement of Biden. Sanders' slim hopes now have to rest with Warren quickly pulling out and endorsing him, Bloomberg not pulling out, and Biden going on to issue some slip-ups.
To everyone suggesting mandating sick pay don't forget in US "right to work" states that employers can fire at will with no reason necessary. So if someone says they'll be sick for a long period and the employer doesn't want to pay them the employer might sack someone rather than pay them.
I think its all over bar the shouting after tonight, it would take a miracle to revive Sanders momentum after this and he has burnt his bridges through the party and nobody is going to want to help him get that miracle.
I just hope Biden isn't so awful that he loses to Trump. At least unlike Hillary I don't think he'll fail to campaign in the midwest.
Does that matter as much as thought? Biden just won Massachusetts and Minnesota without going there.
I think Biden will want to balance the ticket with a younger running mate, preferably female. Step forward KLOBUCHAR!
Abrams or Harris slightly more likely, IMO. Had a dabble on both for the presidency at 1000/1.
If it is to be Biden, he has to find some way of generating enthusiasm. I think he needs a big (but realistic so not Medicare for All) offer on health.
Perhaps paid sick leave for all employees?
I mean it's a pretty mental that >1/3 Americans don't get paid sick leave, and so are literally going to have a choice of ignore public health guidance and risk spreading pandemic or lose wages.
It could be difficult to do that partly on the back of winning the nomination over Sanders supposed 'extremism' on this exact topic, though.
I just really struggle to see him having the agility to beat Trump, but if there's a huge crisis who knows.
There is an irony in that massive healthcare fallout could have been one of the few situations where Sanders might have made inroads into his challenging states, possibly more than Biden, but on the other hand Biden may attract more of the soft republican vote.
Either way, as others have mentioned, barring a catastrophe in both public health and the economy, Trump looks hard to beat.
Mandating paid sick leave to those who don't currently have it is a lot less extreme than reorganizing the entire American health system and changing the arrangements for tens of millions of Americans. It's also much easier to explain.
It can indeed be passed off as a simpler and more realistic adoption of some of Sanders' themes. Biden, or more specifically centrist democrats in general, aren't really keen to be reviving memories of them, though. If Biden campaigns on health issues it would confirm the movement of the party in Sanders' direction, even if he loses the nomination. The increasing popularity of several of Sanders' touchstone issues among the Democratic base irritates the centrists in the party, presaging trouble ahead.
Any Democrat nominee is going to run on health issues, irrespective of Sanders.
If it is to be Biden, he has to find some way of generating enthusiasm. I think he needs a big (but realistic so not Medicare for All) offer on health.
Perhaps paid sick leave for all employees?
I mean it's a pretty mental that >1/3 Americans don't get paid sick leave, and so are literally going to have a choice of ignore public health guidance and risk spreading pandemic or lose wages.
It could be difficult to do that partly on the back of winning the nomination over Sanders supposed 'extremism' on this exact topic, though.
I just really struggle to see him having the agility to beat Trump, but if there's a huge crisis, who knows.
There is an irony in that massive healthcare fallout could have been one of the few situations where Sanders might have made inroads into his challenging states, possibly more than Biden, but on the other hand Biden may attract more of the soft republican vote.
Either way, as others have mentioned, barring a catastrophe in both public health and the economy, Trump looks hard to beat.
Trump lost the popular vote by 3 million. He won 3 states by tiny majorities. The Republican vote was similar to previous elections while the Democrat vote was significantly down. He was lucky in 2016.
He chose to campaign in those 3 states while Hillary chose not to.
You make your own luck.
he made Clinton choose not to?
No he campaigned and exploited Clintons arrogance and complacency.
There were several factors that contributed to Mr Biden's shock victory [Texas] but the most important appeared to be late deciding voters. More than one million people cast their ballots days ago during an early voting period, and Mr Sanders had a clear lead among those votes. But exit polls showed among people who voted on election day, and decided only in the last few days, Mr Biden won nearly 50 per cent.
This shows a massive success for Klobuchar and Buttigieg's late endorsement of Biden. Sanders' slim hopes now have to rest with Warren quickly pulling out and endorsing him, Bloomberg not pulling out, and Biden going on to issue some slip-ups.
Bloomberg wll pull out tomorrow and endorse Biden. He'll also put his money and organisation behind him.
I think its all over bar the shouting after tonight, it would take a miracle to revive Sanders momentum after this and he has burnt his bridges through the party and nobody is going to want to help him get that miracle.
I just hope Biden isn't so awful that he loses to Trump. At least unlike Hillary I don't think he'll fail to campaign in the midwest.
I agree. Sanders' only hope now is the narrative changing by Warren pulling out and endorsing him, but I don't think she will - she stayed neutral last time between Clinton and Sanders.
I do worry about Biden's mental health - apparently he briefly mixed up who his sister was last night?
This will not be like opponents saying Reagan or GW Bush are in decline; there will be too many videos of Biden's brainfades helpfully packaged by the Trump team.
All of which would be significant if Biden was up against a sharp young opponent. He's not, he's up against an opponent of similar age who is also visibly mentally declining and regularly displays brainfades and who's incomprehensible and rambling speeches and tweets are legendary.
I think Biden gives the Dems their best shot at defeating Trump. It may not be enough but who knows. Let's see how Trump's mishandling of the Covid-19 virus plays out and how it affects the economy.
Anyone concerned about Biden's mental ability in office is hardly going to look to Trump as a better option.
Last night I posted about how I thought someone winning a majority of delegates was fairly likely so I was putting £150 up at 2.2 on Betfair to be matched. I am delighted to announce that 8 (eight) pounds of this was matched. Dammit...
If it is to be Biden, he has to find some way of generating enthusiasm. I think he needs a big (but realistic so not Medicare for All) offer on health.
Perhaps paid sick leave for all employees?
I mean it's a pretty mental that >1/3 Americans don't get paid sick leave, and so are literally going to have a choice of ignore public health guidance and risk spreading pandemic or lose wages.
It could be difficult to do that partly on the back of winning the nomination over Sanders supposed 'extremism' on this exact topic, though.
I just really struggle to see him having the agility to beat Trump, but if there's a huge crisis who knows.
There is an irony in that massive healthcare fallout could have been one of the few situations where Sanders might have made inroads into his challenging states, possibly more than Biden, but on the other hand Biden may attract more of the soft republican vote.
Either way, as others have mentioned, barring a catastrophe in both public health and the economy, Trump looks hard to beat.
Mandating paid sick leave to those who don't currently have it is a lot less extreme than reorganizing the entire American health system and changing the arrangements for tens of millions of Americans. It's also much easier to explain.
It can indeed be passed off as a simpler and more realistic adoption of some of Sanders' themes. Biden, or more specifically centrist democrats in general, aren't really keen to be reviving memories of them, though. If Biden campaigns on health issues it would confirm the movement of the party in Sanders' direction, even if he loses the nomination. The increasing popularity of several of Sanders' touchstone issues among the Democratic base irritates the centrists in the party, presaging trouble ahead.
Any Democrat nominee is going to run on health issues, irrespective of Sanders.
If they do, and how they do, will undoubtedly have an impact on the influence of the Sanders constituency in the party. Healthcare has been his big rallying-cry.
I think its all over bar the shouting after tonight, it would take a miracle to revive Sanders momentum after this and he has burnt his bridges through the party and nobody is going to want to help him get that miracle.
I just hope Biden isn't so awful that he loses to Trump. At least unlike Hillary I don't think he'll fail to campaign in the midwest.
Does that matter as much as thought? Biden just won Massachusetts and Minnesota without going there.
I think Biden will want to balance the ticket with a younger running mate, preferably female. Step forward KLOBUCHAR!
Best case scenario: Biden chooses sane younger running mate, beats Trump, 25th Amendment exercised.
Mr. Animal, must disagree. The PM isn't fit for the job and his rival at the election was a far left fool. Just because the US candidates look ropey doesn't mean ours were other than very poor indeed.
What evidence do you have the PM isn't fit for the job?
So far he's faced 3 massive challenges and he's outshone expectations in all 3.
1: New deal by October - told this was impossible, he got it. 2: The election - won a landslide. 3: The virus [so far] - the UK is leading the world in containment and tracking and tracing.
When you compare our response to the virus, to Trumps, our PM is up to the job.
Well. Has Boris actually got a new deal/???.. we await the results...
Comments
Sometimes people just want political masters to let the experts get on with their jobs, but, importantly, prepared to take the big (politically sensitive and potentially unpopular) decisions that the experts can’t take when needed. That is the way good governance should work at ever level - from town hall to national government to international organisations.
3 weeks ago I would have had Trump as an odds on certainty, but not anymore...
He won an 80 seat majority. Very healthy majority if you don't want to call it a landslide.
He deserves credit for our response (and blame for failures) in a "buck stops here" sense. And its clear he's been in many ongoing meetings with PHE for the last few months about this. I'd rather a PM more worried about ensuring PHE is in control and doing a good job (as he has) than a PM more worried about how he comes across to the media while ignoring healthcare professionals (like Trump has been doing).
But Johnson's transgression was simply being absent on the job (nursing his black eye, or whatever) - meanwhile the British system and specifically the NHS swung into action. He didn't do anything to make things worse, and now does appear to be on top of events.
Meanwhile in the US, where the health and governance systems are in any case less well equipped to deal with this sort of problem, Trump was actively making things worse, with all his talk of hoaxes and political plots, creating a sense of apathy and drift that infected the whole system.
So Johnson wins on points, but remains untested by a serious crisis.
You make your own luck.
Trump is the great motivator of a large base, and so a similar grassroots operation is very important. I think the strongest hope for the Democrats might actually have been a perfect storm of unusual circumstances, with Sanders' larger-than-average motivated base enlarged by a generally freak healthcare crisis - this is unliklely to be tested now, of course, so we may never know.
As mentioned ad nauseam, a really serious Coronavirus crisis could throw even Trump's base off, whoever the opponent is. He lives off confidence and boosterism, not the almost religious populist style of Sanders that can thrive on feelings of injustice in crisis.
I think Biden will want to balance the ticket with a younger running mate, preferably female. Step forward KLOBUCHAR!
Its not just that the NHS swung into action. Immediately decisions were made: tracking & tracing, quarantining people on the Wirral etc, etc that go beyond the typical day to day NHS response. Whether the PM made those decisions, or he gave space to the PHE experts to make the decisions, the right decisions were made.
Contrast with the USA where Trump got so annoyed with the CDC's speaking to the media that he said that all CDC statements from now on had to be approved by Pence before they could be published. WTAF!?
There is no second job of a VP pick.
Quarantine leave is Special Leave with pay, so doesn't count for this.
Incidentally, final year medical students have been informed that they may well be pressed into clinical service by the university.
The fly in the ointment is that we have no beds, and are on OPEL4* already, before our first case. Also heavily over budget.
*the status formerly known as Black Alert.
I don't see any of the horrors predicted of a Boris Johnson Government. Nearly three months in, his opponents are flailing around for shit to throw at him. Might change of course, especially over Covid-19 handling, but so far he gets a solid B+
Trump values loyalty above all, and Pence has been loyal.
Pence also presumably knows where the bodies are buried.
Alongside the black eye rumours, it is most strange.
Especially to swing voters.
Will this be 5,000?
Just a weird boil or something, I guess?
https://images.app.goo.gl/jsDxq3ddxJzYnc338
A win on Oklahoma and a probable win on Maine for me.
I’d say.. employer carries risk of first week and government the next five weeks up to a max liability of £250 a week, with employee carrying risk above that.
So in addition to lost economic output it could add £12-15 billion to the national debt.
There were several factors that contributed to Mr Biden's shock victory [Texas] but the most important appeared to be late deciding voters. More than one million people cast their ballots days ago during an early voting period, and Mr Sanders had a clear lead among those votes. But exit polls showed among people who voted on election day, and decided only in the last few days, Mr Biden won nearly 50 per cent.
Had a dabble on both for the presidency at 1000/1.
In what way is a democratic vote a coup ?
Are you Priti Patel or Damien out of The Omen?
https://www.thedailymash.co.uk/politics/politics-headlines/are-you-priti-patel-or-damien-out-of-the-omen-20200304194093
I think Biden gives the Dems their best shot at defeating Trump. It may not be enough but who knows. Let's see how Trump's mishandling of the Covid-19 virus plays out and how it affects the economy.
Anyone concerned about Biden's mental ability in office is hardly going to look to Trump as a better option.
Google cloned Apple’s 3D Touch for the Pixel using just software
https://www.theverge.com/2020/3/3/21162272/google-pixel-feature-drop-firm-press-3d-touch-card-boarding-pass
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