Oh ffs! Retired GP and failed/disgraced minister in a senior trade role that British business depends on.You could not make up the state of amateurishness that our political life has become. Well I guess having an ex-polemicist liar as PM we really are in the age of "having enough of experts"!
American cases are surging, and have been for some time, especially in the South.
And yet, deaths are still gently but steadily declining.
I know "death" is a lagging indicator, but still. I am starting to wonder if the virus simply weakens, after a while. Or there is a hidden reservoir of healthy resistance.
I think people become much more cautious and are aware of the risks.
I have spoken with two people who I see regularly for beers. One is 70+ and the other is shielding. Neither will be rushing back to the pub.
Which likely answers Sean's question about the apparent lower death rates in the US.
Sigh. I am not SeanT.
Did I say you were ?
You implied it, and, to be honest, it is getting boring. Trying to identify or misidentify people on a site who clearly prefer to be anonymous is simply bad manners, and it puts people off contributing in the end. Stop, please. Thanks
Best advice to anyone seeking to remain anonymous is to stop reposting those posts that identify you with transparently false denials.
Whatever. I asked nicely. Please stop now. Thanks
People will stop challenging you if you stop denying (and hence reposting) the obvious. Just ignore it, like they told you at school.
I am not SeanT. Now please stop. Thanks.
Correct! I am in fact SeanT. I even have a 20-something Corbynista wife to prove it!
I am SeanT and so is my wife
My wife is a 40-something Corbynista so I myst be SeanT twice over!
Brave call to reopen campsites. The shared spaces - toilets and wash fascilities especially - look guaranteed to be coronavirus hotspots.
Looks like I'll be going to Cornwall in August, though. I wonder how the locals will react to the influx. There have been a lot of reports that they don't want anyone there.
So we're going from zero to group wash facilities open with no "Visit your own static but no other site facilities" intermediate step ?
To be fair, ample hand washing facilities in communal ablutions, indeed that is their purpose.
I don't know what they are like nowadays, but my memory of such facilities in the 1960s and 1970s was of cold damp concrete shacks - rather like meat packing factories ...
There are fewer of the damp, cold concrete shacks, with only cold running water. Many sites have heated shower blocks, and some of the better ones have fridges. Though wild camping in Scotland still presents a problem if you forget to pack a trowel and something for the midges.
I still have my aluminium trowel and chemical-impregnated headnet ...
Stayed for a couple of nights at a campsite at Glen Brittle about 25 years ago, haven't forgotten the sunset, the reflection of the moon on the bay and most of all the black swarm of midges on my anorak first thing in the morning when I left the tent.
I don't think that is any excuse for putting forward a joke candidate.
It's for domestic politics, giving the nod to Fox will get Boris brexit votes for whatever compromise he's about to produce for the trade deal on fishing and LPF.
American cases are surging, and have been for some time, especially in the South.
And yet, deaths are still gently but steadily declining.
I know "death" is a lagging indicator, but still. I am starting to wonder if the virus simply weakens, after a while. Or there is a hidden reservoir of healthy resistance.
I think people become much more cautious and are aware of the risks.
I have spoken with two people who I see regularly for beers. One is 70+ and the other is shielding. Neither will be rushing back to the pub.
Which likely answers Sean's question about the apparent lower death rates in the US.
Sigh. I am not SeanT.
Did I say you were ?
You implied it, and, to be honest, it is getting boring. Trying to identify or misidentify people on a site who clearly prefer to be anonymous is simply bad manners, and it puts people off contributing in the end. Stop, please. Thanks
Best advice to anyone seeking to remain anonymous is to stop reposting those posts that identify you with transparently false denials.
Whatever. I asked nicely. Please stop now. Thanks
People will stop challenging you if you stop denying (and hence reposting) the obvious. Just ignore it, like they told you at school.
I am not SeanT. Now please stop. Thanks.
Correct! I am in fact SeanT. I even have a 20-something Corbynista wife to...here prove it!
I am SeanT and so is my wife
My wife is a 40-something Corbynista so I myst be SeanT twice over!
I'm SeanT and so's my wife.
Must be an echo in here, must be an echo in here.....in here
Yes. Without knowing the care home/community split in deaths and how much backdating there is in that figure using the last 7 days English hospital deaths makes sense and that was just 43 from today's release. A very low number for a Tuesday and in line with Italy, France and other major European countries.
It's about getting within shouting distance of eliminating the virus and carrying the population with you. Sturgeon is managing it, BJ and his minions not so much.
So when she was wittering about how we couldn't follow England with the first relaxation measures because the R rate was higher in Scotland she was (a) ignorant (b) lying (c) indifferent to the economic consequences but keen to play politics or (d) all of the above?
I know the effort of waking up every morning in the full expectation that Sturgeon and the SNP are about to have their 13 year long honeymoon ended by the voters is frustrating, but calm down dear.
Your ability to to be eternally Panglossian about the disaster presided over by the podgy Etonian mess while perpetually Eeyoreing about anything done in Scotland really is one of the wonders of nature.
I thought they did have their honeymoon ended by the Once-in-a-Generation Independence referendum? The Scots are kind hearted folk though, they have given the SNP the run of the glorified County Council as a kind of consolation prize.
And yet those differences in the figures are stunning. THe media have not been discussing this. I am horrified at the magnitude of the discrepancy. What is causing it?
A possible explanation:
1. Scotland had fewer active cases at the time lockdown started than many parts of England. Hard to know for certain given the lack of testing at the time but the data are not inconsistent with this.
2. Both Scotland and the SW of England (which also, bar a specific and controlled outbreak in Devon, had similarly few cases at the start of the outbreak) have seen similar reductions in deaths and cases over the last few weeks (actually the average in SW England is perhaps lower than Scotland). The number of cases / fatalities is higher elsewhere in specific parts of England / Wales.
3. The excess of deaths and the higher R in Scotland prior to mid May was largely driven by nursing homes cases (47% of COVID19 deaths in Scotland have been in nursing homes, as per the latest NRS report; this compares to 29.7% in England and Wales as per the ONS report from this morning). As a measure, R, is very sensitive to such outbreaks. Once these nursing home cases were finally under control the community cases in Scotland were at such a low rate that the deaths fell off very quickly. As mentioned above, the fall off in SW England has been highly similar.
4. The real scandal (arguably even more of a scandal if there were indeed a smaller number of initial cases) was the way infected patients were moved from hospitals back to nursing homes. This has been awful in both Scotland and England.
Thank you - some good points and questions (though the previous English underrrporting of covid deaths could affect the comparative nursing home ratios, of course). It will be very interesting to see what develops with study.
I think the ONS / NRS numbers are quite reliable though (certainly more than the daily reported figures in Holyrood / Westminster), so the percentages should be pretty comparable and now rather unlikely to change much.
I'd also guess that the lack of hospital beds (relative to, say, Germany), and subsequent decision to send elderly and infected patients back to nursing homes will be heavily criticised in retrospective studies, both in Scotland and England...
Oh ffs! Retired GP and failed/disgraced minister in a senior trade role that British business depends on.You could not make up the state of amateurishness that our political life has become. Well I guess having an ex-polemicist liar as PM we really are in the age of "having enough of experts"!
Liam Fox, for all his faults, was briefly referred to as one of the people driven sane by Brexit, given he resiled from a few of the most hardcore Brexity positions, so I'd assume you'd be inclined to be generous.
Brave call to reopen campsites. The shared spaces - toilets and wash fascilities especially - look guaranteed to be coronavirus hotspots.
Looks like I'll be going to Cornwall in August, though. I wonder how the locals will react to the influx. There have been a lot of reports that they don't want anyone there.
So we're going from zero to group wash facilities open with no "Visit your own static but no other site facilities" intermediate step ?
To be fair, ample hand washing facilities in communal ablutions, indeed that is their purpose.
I don't know what they are like nowadays, but my memory of such facilities in the 1960s and 1970s was of cold damp concrete shacks - rather like meat packing factories ...
There are fewer of the damp, cold concrete shacks, with only cold running water. Many sites have heated shower blocks, and some of the better ones have fridges. Though wild camping in Scotland still presents a problem if you forget to pack a trowel and something for the midges.
I still have my aluminium trowel and chemical-impregnated headnet ...
Stayed for a couple of nights at a campsite at Glen Brittle about 25 years ago, haven't forgotten the sunset, the reflection of the moon on the bay and most of all the black swarm of midges on my anorak first thing in the morning when I left the tent.
The worst midges I ever saw (with clegs to do the heavy lifting and trying to drill through my oilskin) were on Rum - of course visible from that bay - but Skye sure comes a close second.
Is it clear that all pubs in England can open from 4th July? There had been suggestions that only those with garden areas etc would be permiited to do so initially.
Is it clear that all pubs in England can open from 4th July? There had been suggestions that only those with garden areas etc would be permiited to do so initially.
If it's anything like campsites it's zero to max in one fell swoop.
I must have missed the bit where you set up politicalbetting.com and established all the rules, and also the moment when you established a secret telepathic link to all the commenters so you could know what they all think at any given moment.
If you want to knock yourself out, you pompous old bladder, why not have a poll of the commenters and lurkers, and see if they want people to cease commenting and remain silent, if they can't reveal their identities?
You cannot be SeanT by simple logic
- I never agree with SeanT on anything. - I have now wound up agreeing with you twice - You cannot therefore be Sean
Personally speaking, whilst I do reveal bits of my life on here, I am careful about what I reveal and I have changed one or two minor details for my own privacy. Nonetheless, what I have disclosed to other PBers via email or PM, I trust them to keep it private as I do on their behalf for information they have disclosed to me.
No-one seems to give a rats ass about my identity.
Hurtful.
I always assumed you were an heir to the Heinz fortune.
On the subject of nuclear explosions, do you know what the fastest man made object is (or was)?
Is this going to be a racist sexist and generally reprehensible joke?
No.
it's an interesting factoid.
If you want a racist, sexist, and generally reprehensible joke, I can do that too. But as this is a family website, I tend not to do that kind of thing.
☺ - Yesterday we managed to spend ages defining what a reprehensible joke was without anybody cracking and doing one. Very impressive.
Is it clear that all pubs in England can open from 4th July? There had been suggestions that only those with garden areas etc would be permiited to do so initially.
If it's anything like campsites it's zero to max in one fell swoop.
That's what happens when the media complain about measures being too confusing.
What's wrong with a banner saying "White Lives Matter"?
Careful, several PB grandees will now have to give interviews saying they're embarrassed, your comments are ignorant (possibly the most over-used word in the world right now), and that you should 'educate yourself'.
What's wrong with a banner saying "White Lives Matter"?
The guy who did that will soon find out. He will be hounded by the left, investigated by the police, banned for life by the club he apparently supports and sacked from his job.
I don't think that is any excuse for putting forward a joke candidate.
It's for domestic politics, giving the nod to Fox will get Boris brexit votes for whatever compromise he's about to produce for the trade deal on fishing and LPF.
If I were choosing in a vacuum, I think I'd go with Mandelson. He's as personally foolish as Fox, but rather more capable.
Oh ffs! Retired GP and failed/disgraced minister in a senior trade role that British business depends on.You could not make up the state of amateurishness that our political life has become. Well I guess having an ex-polemicist liar as PM we really are in the age of "having enough of experts"!
Thinking man's Brexiteer though. Him and Richard Tyndall.
I must have missed the bit where you set up politicalbetting.com and established all the rules, and also the moment when you established a secret telepathic link to all the commenters so you could know what they all think at any given moment.
If you want to knock yourself out, you pompous old bladder, why not have a poll of the commenters and lurkers, and see if they want people to cease commenting and remain silent, if they can't reveal their identities?
You cannot be SeanT by simple logic
- I never agree with SeanT on anything. - I have now wound up agreeing with you twice - You cannot therefore be Sean
Personally speaking, whilst I do reveal bits of my life on here, I am careful about what I reveal and I have changed one or two minor details for my own privacy. Nonetheless, what I have disclosed to other PBers via email or PM, I trust them to keep it private as I do on their behalf for information they have disclosed to me.
No-one seems to give a rats ass about my identity.
Hurtful.
I always assumed you were an heir to the Heinz fortune.
Only wealthy people or their offspring can afford politics like Kinabalu's.
I don't think that is any excuse for putting forward a joke candidate.
The problem is that the other two options (Lord Mandelson and Osbourne) would have a decent chance but Boris never forgets slights and grudges.
No, we could put Adam Smith forwards and not get it. The quality of candidate is irrelevant to getting the role.
I think Mandelson could get it, you know. He might well get US support, because he's not from the EU and Trump remembers his friends. While as a Remain campaigner, he would probably be acceptable to the Europeans.
What's wrong with a banner saying "White Lives Matter"?
Careful, several PB grandees will now have to give interviews saying they're embarrassed, your comments are ignorant (possibly the most over-used word in the world right now), and that you should 'educate yourself'.
Well exactly. But I wouldn't call myself a "PB grandee" so I will pass this time.
Speaking of which - a real grandee - have not seen @AlastairMeeks for quite a while. Hope all well there.
Ladbrokes have improved the phrasing of their Hamilton special.
Interestingly, my early bet has been suspended (as have many of my other bets...) but the wording's unchanged. Whilst clumsily worded, I think it'd be surprising if he gets a podium at the first race and it pays out, but we'll see.
What's wrong with a banner saying "White Lives Matter"?
Careful, several PB grandees will now have to give interviews saying they're embarrassed, your comments are ignorant (possibly the most over-used word in the world right now), and that you should 'educate yourself'.
It used to be said that in England it didn't much matter what you did, so long as you didn't frighten the horses. And that's what the silly whatsit did. Of course Black Lives Matter, especially in an American context where apparently they matter less than white ones. And it's in the grand tradition of Lancashire mill towns to stand together with the downtrodden, as they did 140 years ago.
And, to save anyone posting 'Ah but the Guardian!' I know. Everyone's got something in their history of which they're not proud. I've not found anyone in my family tree to be ashamed of yet, but there are one or two who seem a bit 'edgy'.
I must have missed the bit where you set up politicalbetting.com and established all the rules, and also the moment when you established a secret telepathic link to all the commenters so you could know what they all think at any given moment.
If you want to knock yourself out, you pompous old bladder, why not have a poll of the commenters and lurkers, and see if they want people to cease commenting and remain silent, if they can't reveal their identities?
You cannot be SeanT by simple logic
- I never agree with SeanT on anything. - I have now wound up agreeing with you twice - You cannot therefore be Sean
Personally speaking, whilst I do reveal bits of my life on here, I am careful about what I reveal and I have changed one or two minor details for my own privacy. Nonetheless, what I have disclosed to other PBers via email or PM, I trust them to keep it private as I do on their behalf for information they have disclosed to me.
No-one seems to give a rats ass about my identity.
Hurtful.
I always assumed you were an heir to the Heinz fortune.
Would be wonderful but alas it's the opposite end of the scale - all I'm getting is a sheepskin jacket and a set of decanters.
What's wrong with a banner saying "White Lives Matter"?
Careful, several PB grandees will now have to give interviews saying they're embarrassed, your comments are ignorant (possibly the most over-used word in the world right now), and that you should 'educate yourself'.
Well exactly. But I wouldn't call myself a "PB grandee" so I will pass this time.
Speaking of which - a real grandee - have not seen @AlastairMeeks for quite a while. Hope all well there.
Have you noticed how @AlisairMeeks and @eadric are never on at the same time? It seems an awful coincidence, no?
What's wrong with a banner saying "White Lives Matter"?
The guy who did that will soon find out. He will be hounded by the left, investigated by the police, banned for life by the club he apparently supports and sacked from his job.
They will turn him into a grease spot
The Mirror said the man that arranged it , had a selfie with Tommy Robsinson on his Facebook site , which has since been deleted. Also the comment that after the killings in Reading of 3 white men, he would not apologise .
American cases are surging, and have been for some time, especially in the South.
And yet, deaths are still gently but steadily declining.
I know "death" is a lagging indicator, but still. I am starting to wonder if the virus simply weakens, after a while. Or there is a hidden reservoir of healthy resistance.
I think people become much more cautious and are aware of the risks.
I have spoken with two people who I see regularly for beers. One is 70+ and the other is shielding. Neither will be rushing back to the pub.
Under 30s are gagging for it, tho
Let's hope that pubs can survive on the trade of the under 30s then
There are about a dozen crunching body blows to the torso of the Union in there, not least of which are:
'According to the Panelbase survey, 70 per cent of Scots under 34 favour independence. This is broadly in line with other recent polls. Most voters under 50 now support independence.
That trend, rather more than the headline figures on Yes or No is what should keep Unionists awake at night. Increasingly, young Scots feel little real connection or affiliation with the UK or any sense, vague or not, of Britishness. For many of these younger voters, independence comes as naturally as unionism did to their grandparents. You might wish it otherwise but you cannot wish reality away.
From which, once again, we might pause to note that the case for independence is not being won in Edinburgh so much as the argument for Union is being lost in London. As some of us have argued for some time, Boris Johnson is a calamity for unionism. It is not simply that he is incompetent — though he is and that scarcely helps — but that his government lacks the emotional bandwidth to understand the UK. If the SNP were asked to create the opponent of its dreams he would, I am afraid, bear a considerable resemblance to Boris Johnson.'
What's wrong with a banner saying "White Lives Matter"?
Careful, several PB grandees will now have to give interviews saying they're embarrassed, your comments are ignorant (possibly the most over-used word in the world right now), and that you should 'educate yourself'.
Well exactly. But I wouldn't call myself a "PB grandee" so I will pass this time.
Speaking of which - a real grandee - have not seen @AlastairMeeks for quite a while. Hope all well there.
Have you noticed how @AlisairMeeks and @eadric are never on at the same time? It seems an awful coincidence, no?
I haven't seen @TheLastBoyScout since Eadric arrived on the scene...
On the subject of nuclear explosions, do you know what the fastest man made object is (or was)?
Is this going to be a racist sexist and generally reprehensible joke?
It was a steel plate on the Pascal-B test. Sometimes described as the fastest manhole cover in history.
I'm pretty sure some of the particles they produce at CERN do not naturally occur on earth and so are man made, and I'm damn sure they travel much faster than a steel plate ever has.
I must have missed the bit where you set up politicalbetting.com and established all the rules, and also the moment when you established a secret telepathic link to all the commenters so you could know what they all think at any given moment.
If you want to knock yourself out, you pompous old bladder, why not have a poll of the commenters and lurkers, and see if they want people to cease commenting and remain silent, if they can't reveal their identities?
You cannot be SeanT by simple logic
- I never agree with SeanT on anything. - I have now wound up agreeing with you twice - You cannot therefore be Sean
Personally speaking, whilst I do reveal bits of my life on here, I am careful about what I reveal and I have changed one or two minor details for my own privacy. Nonetheless, what I have disclosed to other PBers via email or PM, I trust them to keep it private as I do on their behalf for information they have disclosed to me.
No-one seems to give a rats ass about my identity.
Hurtful.
I always assumed you were an heir to the Heinz fortune.
Only wealthy people or their offspring can afford politics like Kinabalu's.
Except I've had these politics in all my various circumstances - rich poor and in between.
What's wrong with a banner saying "White Lives Matter"?
Careful, several PB grandees will now have to give interviews saying they're embarrassed, your comments are ignorant (possibly the most over-used word in the world right now), and that you should 'educate yourself'.
Well exactly. But I wouldn't call myself a "PB grandee" so I will pass this time.
Speaking of which - a real grandee - have not seen @AlastairMeeks for quite a while. Hope all well there.
Have you noticed how @AlisairMeeks and @eadric are never on at the same time? It seems an awful coincidence, no?
"There are 185 billion reasons why no politician should consider a lockdown again The cost of saving 50,000 lives was dwarfed by the economic hit, according to analysis using Nice spending guidelines
I have been away this afternoon but on returning note that the media seem quite supportive of Boris, which is the first time I think since he had covid
He has made a bold decision and full marks to Starmer for his support
However, Nicola is so 'feart' of making a decision she is prevaricating until the 2nd July while all the time Scots business is in suspension while in England businesses will be up and running for the 4th July
Just looking across the Scottish press she is coming under quite a lot of criticism.
She has received credit until recently but she could lose a lot of that if she does not quickly move and follow Boris
And “make sure to emphasize to all the Southerners that Rehnquist is a reactionary bastard, which I hope to Christ he is,” Nixon said, in a segment of the tape that has been previously opened....
Brave call to reopen campsites. The shared spaces - toilets and wash fascilities especially - look guaranteed to be coronavirus hotspots.
Looks like I'll be going to Cornwall in August, though. I wonder how the locals will react to the influx. There have been a lot of reports that they don't want anyone there.
So we're going from zero to group wash facilities open with no "Visit your own static but no other site facilities" intermediate step ?
To be fair, ample hand washing facilities in communal ablutions, indeed that is their purpose.
I don't know what they are like nowadays, but my memory of such facilities in the 1960s and 1970s was of cold damp concrete shacks - rather like meat packing factories ...
There are fewer of the damp, cold concrete shacks, with only cold running water. Many sites have heated shower blocks, and some of the better ones have fridges. Though wild camping in Scotland still presents a problem if you forget to pack a trowel and something for the midges.
I still have my aluminium trowel and chemical-impregnated headnet ...
Stayed for a couple of nights at a campsite at Glen Brittle about 25 years ago, haven't forgotten the sunset, the reflection of the moon on the bay and most of all the black swarm of midges on my anorak first thing in the morning when I left the tent.
The worst midges I ever saw (with clegs to do the heavy lifting and trying to drill through my oilskin) were on Rum - of course visible from that bay - but Skye sure comes a close second.
The only thing to pack for midges is a breeze. And a headnet for when you forget one. Or go in May (not much use now).
I've had a few memorable midge encounters, and Glen Brittle is quite low down the list as it isn't normally that bad.
Crossing a wire bridge at 5am in Glen Nevis with no free hands is not fun. Queueing for a phone box (remember that?) at Shiel Bridge is the worst thing ever.
These days I worry more about the deer ticks that carry Lyme, as they've increased in numbers massively in the last decade or so. Midges are annoying but not usually fatal.
I find wild campsites are much more fun than organised ones, although do remember that trowel.
What's wrong with a banner saying "White Lives Matter"?
Careful, several PB grandees will now have to give interviews saying they're embarrassed, your comments are ignorant (possibly the most over-used word in the world right now), and that you should 'educate yourself'.
Well exactly. But I wouldn't call myself a "PB grandee" so I will pass this time.
Speaking of which - a real grandee - have not seen @AlastairMeeks for quite a while. Hope all well there.
Have you noticed how @AlisairMeeks and @eadric are never on at the same time? It seems an awful coincidence, no?
I don't think I've ever seen AlisairMeeks. Is he any relation to @AlastairMeeks ?
There are about a dozen crunching body blows to the torso of the Union in there, not least of which are:
'According to the Panelbase survey, 70 per cent of Scots under 34 favour independence. This is broadly in line with other recent polls. Most voters under 50 now support independence.
That trend, rather more than the headline figures on Yes or No is what should keep Unionists awake at night. Increasingly, young Scots feel little real connection or affiliation with the UK or any sense, vague or not, of Britishness. For many of these younger voters, independence comes as naturally as unionism did to their grandparents. You might wish it otherwise but you cannot wish reality away.
From which, once again, we might pause to note that the case for independence is not being won in Edinburgh so much as the argument for Union is being lost in London. As some of us have argued for some time, Boris Johnson is a calamity for unionism. It is not simply that he is incompetent — though he is and that scarcely helps — but that his government lacks the emotional bandwidth to understand the UK. If the SNP were asked to create the opponent of its dreams he would, I am afraid, bear a considerable resemblance to Boris Johnson.'
Oh ffs! Retired GP and failed/disgraced minister in a senior trade role that British business depends on.You could not make up the state of amateurishness that our political life has become. Well I guess having an ex-polemicist liar as PM we really are in the age of "having enough of experts"!
Thinking man's Brexiteer though. Him and Richard Tyndall.
Other than Richard Tyndall it is a low bar. A bit like saying the thinking man's Sun reader or Chelsea supporter
There are about a dozen crunching body blows to the torso of the Union in there, not least of which are:
'According to the Panelbase survey, 70 per cent of Scots under 34 favour independence. This is broadly in line with other recent polls. Most voters under 50 now support independence.
That trend, rather more than the headline figures on Yes or No is what should keep Unionists awake at night. Increasingly, young Scots feel little real connection or affiliation with the UK or any sense, vague or not, of Britishness. For many of these younger voters, independence comes as naturally as unionism did to their grandparents. You might wish it otherwise but you cannot wish reality away.
From which, once again, we might pause to note that the case for independence is not being won in Edinburgh so much as the argument for Union is being lost in London. As some of us have argued for some time, Boris Johnson is a calamity for unionism. It is not simply that he is incompetent — though he is and that scarcely helps — but that his government lacks the emotional bandwidth to understand the UK. If the SNP were asked to create the opponent of its dreams he would, I am afraid, bear a considerable resemblance to Boris Johnson.'
"There are 185 billion reasons why no politician should consider a lockdown again The cost of saving 50,000 lives was dwarfed by the economic hit, according to analysis using Nice spending guidelines
"There are 185 billion reasons why no politician should consider a lockdown again The cost of saving 50,000 lives was dwarfed by the economic hit, according to analysis using Nice spending guidelines
The problem with that (from the article, I haven't read the source paper/report) is that it seems to assume no economic costs without lockdown. Even at the level of deaths we've had, people are not necessarily rushing back to business as usual. Add more deaths with no enforced lockdown and people would be changing behaviours anyway (look at Sweden, with much less enforced). If the report/paper also fails to estimate the economic hit under a no lockdown scenario then it's somewhat lacking.
(Note, I don't necessarily disagree with the conclusion - lockdown is harsh medicine and we may look back in future years and decide it was not the best course, but I do still think it was the right thing to do at the time with the information available).
I have been away this afternoon but on returning note that the media seem quite supportive of Boris, which is the first time I think since he had covid
He has made a bold decision and full marks to Starmer for his support
However, Nicola is so 'feart' of making a decision she is prevaricating until the 2nd July while all the time Scots business is in suspension while in England businesses will be up and running for the 4th July
Just looking across the Scottish press she is coming under quite a lot of criticism.
She has received credit until recently but she could lose a lot of that if she does not quickly move and follow Boris
What's this "feart" business I keep seeing regarding Sturgeon?
There are about a dozen crunching body blows to the torso of the Union in there, not least of which are:
'According to the Panelbase survey, 70 per cent of Scots under 34 favour independence. This is broadly in line with other recent polls. Most voters under 50 now support independence.
That trend, rather more than the headline figures on Yes or No is what should keep Unionists awake at night. Increasingly, young Scots feel little real connection or affiliation with the UK or any sense, vague or not, of Britishness. For many of these younger voters, independence comes as naturally as unionism did to their grandparents. You might wish it otherwise but you cannot wish reality away.
From which, once again, we might pause to note that the case for independence is not being won in Edinburgh so much as the argument for Union is being lost in London. As some of us have argued for some time, Boris Johnson is a calamity for unionism. It is not simply that he is incompetent — though he is and that scarcely helps — but that his government lacks the emotional bandwidth to understand the UK. If the SNP were asked to create the opponent of its dreams he would, I am afraid, bear a considerable resemblance to Boris Johnson.'
Its the economy stupid ( and no that is not directed at you )
I look forward to your trenchant criticism of BJ when he once again obstructs Indy Ref 2 after next year's Holyrood election. Of course it might tip him over the edge into rediscovering his balls and his honour, but the precedents aren't good.
"There are 185 billion reasons why no politician should consider a lockdown again The cost of saving 50,000 lives was dwarfed by the economic hit, according to analysis using Nice spending guidelines
The problem with that (from the article, I haven't read the source paper/report) is that it seems to assume no economic costs without lockdown. Even at the level of deaths we've had, people are not necessarily rushing back to business as usual. Add more deaths with no enforced lockdown and people would be changing behaviours anyway (look at Sweden, with much less enforced). If the report/paper also fails to estimate the economic hit under a no lockdown scenario then it's somewhat lacking.
(Note, I don't necessarily disagree with the conclusion - lockdown is harsh medicine and we may look back in future years and decide it was not the best course, but I do still think it was the right thing to do at the time with the information available).
Indeed. The economy might have been devastated more by inaction and paralysis than by what we did.
On the subject of nuclear explosions, do you know what the fastest man made object is (or was)?
Is this going to be a racist sexist and generally reprehensible joke?
It was a steel plate on the Pascal-B test. Sometimes described as the fastest manhole cover in history.
I'm pretty sure some of the particles they produce at CERN do not naturally occur on earth and so are man made, and I'm damn sure they travel much faster than a steel plate ever has.
Can they reasonably described as 'objects' though?
What's wrong with a banner saying "White Lives Matter"?
The guy who did that will soon find out. He will be hounded by the left, investigated by the police, banned for life by the club he apparently supports and sacked from his job.
They will turn him into a grease spot
The Mirror said the man that arranged it , had a selfie with Tommy Robsinson on his Facebook site , which has since been deleted. Also the comment that after the killings in Reading of 3 white men, he would not apologise .
I guess a supporter of the far right .
Probably but I imagine the authorities have to tread carefully.
after all, who thinks that white lives don't matter? is expressing the view that white lives don;t matter even legal? could it be construed as hate speech? In suppressing the view that white lives matter could the authorities be guilty of a racially agravated crime?
I have been away this afternoon but on returning note that the media seem quite supportive of Boris, which is the first time I think since he had covid
He has made a bold decision and full marks to Starmer for his support
However, Nicola is so 'feart' of making a decision she is prevaricating until the 2nd July while all the time Scots business is in suspension while in England businesses will be up and running for the 4th July
Just looking across the Scottish press she is coming under quite a lot of criticism.
She has received credit until recently but she could lose a lot of that if she does not quickly move and follow Boris
That will be a challenge for her. Much as I dislike her, she seems an intelligent woman (despite her backward looking nationalism). Following Boris requires any intelligent person to contact the local hospital and ask for a full frontal lobe lobotomy.
There are about a dozen crunching body blows to the torso of the Union in there, not least of which are:
'According to the Panelbase survey, 70 per cent of Scots under 34 favour independence. This is broadly in line with other recent polls. Most voters under 50 now support independence.
That trend, rather more than the headline figures on Yes or No is what should keep Unionists awake at night. Increasingly, young Scots feel little real connection or affiliation with the UK or any sense, vague or not, of Britishness. For many of these younger voters, independence comes as naturally as unionism did to their grandparents. You might wish it otherwise but you cannot wish reality away.
From which, once again, we might pause to note that the case for independence is not being won in Edinburgh so much as the argument for Union is being lost in London. As some of us have argued for some time, Boris Johnson is a calamity for unionism. It is not simply that he is incompetent — though he is and that scarcely helps — but that his government lacks the emotional bandwidth to understand the UK. If the SNP were asked to create the opponent of its dreams he would, I am afraid, bear a considerable resemblance to Boris Johnson.'
What's wrong with a banner saying "White Lives Matter"?
Careful, several PB grandees will now have to give interviews saying they're embarrassed, your comments are ignorant (possibly the most over-used word in the world right now), and that you should 'educate yourself'.
Well exactly. But I wouldn't call myself a "PB grandee" so I will pass this time.
Speaking of which - a real grandee - have not seen @AlastairMeeks for quite a while. Hope all well there.
Have you noticed how @AlisairMeeks and @eadric are never on at the same time? It seems an awful coincidence, no?
Ah so!
Thus Meeks now about to return as Eadric checks out.
Brave call to reopen campsites. The shared spaces - toilets and wash fascilities especially - look guaranteed to be coronavirus hotspots.
Looks like I'll be going to Cornwall in August, though. I wonder how the locals will react to the influx. There have been a lot of reports that they don't want anyone there.
So we're going from zero to group wash facilities open with no "Visit your own static but no other site facilities" intermediate step ?
To be fair, ample hand washing facilities in communal ablutions, indeed that is their purpose.
I don't know what they are like nowadays, but my memory of such facilities in the 1960s and 1970s was of cold damp concrete shacks - rather like meat packing factories ...
There are fewer of the damp, cold concrete shacks, with only cold running water. Many sites have heated shower blocks, and some of the better ones have fridges. Though wild camping in Scotland still presents a problem if you forget to pack a trowel and something for the midges.
I still have my aluminium trowel and chemical-impregnated headnet ...
Stayed for a couple of nights at a campsite at Glen Brittle about 25 years ago, haven't forgotten the sunset, the reflection of the moon on the bay and most of all the black swarm of midges on my anorak first thing in the morning when I left the tent.
The worst midges I ever saw (with clegs to do the heavy lifting and trying to drill through my oilskin) were on Rum - of course visible from that bay - but Skye sure comes a close second.
The only thing to pack for midges is a breeze. And a headnet for when you forget one. Or go in May (not much use now).
I've had a few memorable midge encounters, and Glen Brittle is quite low down the list as it isn't normally that bad.
Crossing a wire bridge at 5am in Glen Nevis with no free hands is not fun. Queueing for a phone box (remember that?) at Shiel Bridge is the worst thing ever.
These days I worry more about the deer ticks that carry Lyme, as they've increased in numbers massively in the last decade or so. Midges are annoying but not usually fatal.
I find wild campsites are much more fun than organised ones, although do remember that trowel.
Quite. I would never go on holiday in the Highlands or the boggier Islands in July/August.
Camping shops such as Tisos now sell tick removers alongside the midge repellent ...
Oh ffs! Retired GP and failed/disgraced minister in a senior trade role that British business depends on.You could not make up the state of amateurishness that our political life has become. Well I guess having an ex-polemicist liar as PM we really are in the age of "having enough of experts"!
Thinking man's Brexiteer though. Him and Richard Tyndall.
Other than Richard Tyndall it is a low bar. A bit like saying the thinking man's Sun reader or Chelsea supporter
Don't be ridiculous: there are reasonable (as in non zero) number of thinking Sun readers.
There are about a dozen crunching body blows to the torso of the Union in there, not least of which are:
'According to the Panelbase survey, 70 per cent of Scots under 34 favour independence. This is broadly in line with other recent polls. Most voters under 50 now support independence.
That trend, rather more than the headline figures on Yes or No is what should keep Unionists awake at night. Increasingly, young Scots feel little real connection or affiliation with the UK or any sense, vague or not, of Britishness. For many of these younger voters, independence comes as naturally as unionism did to their grandparents. You might wish it otherwise but you cannot wish reality away.
From which, once again, we might pause to note that the case for independence is not being won in Edinburgh so much as the argument for Union is being lost in London. As some of us have argued for some time, Boris Johnson is a calamity for unionism. It is not simply that he is incompetent — though he is and that scarcely helps — but that his government lacks the emotional bandwidth to understand the UK. If the SNP were asked to create the opponent of its dreams he would, I am afraid, bear a considerable resemblance to Boris Johnson.'
Its the economy stupid ( and no that is not directed at you )
I look forward to your trenchant criticism of BJ when he once again obstructs Indy Ref 2 after next year's Holyrood election. Of course it might tip him over the edge into rediscovering his balls and his honour, but the precedents aren't good.
He has the mandate as UK PM to reject it. Doing so may be counterproductive from a unionists perspective in the long-term but could also leave Scottish independence as a ticking timebomb to explode only when Labour next form the government.
If the PM is a selfish cynic rejecting it would be the right thing to do from his perspective.
What's wrong with a banner saying "White Lives Matter"?
The guy who did that will soon find out. He will be hounded by the left, investigated by the police, banned for life by the club he apparently supports and sacked from his job.
They will turn him into a grease spot
He's been attacked from all quarters. In fact I haven't actually found much support for him anywhere.
Trying to portray him as some sort of victim is a joke. He's one of Tommy Robinson's nasty little racist oiks. He's entitled to his opinion and his football club and others are perfectly entitled to tell him they don't want his sort being associated with them. I don't blame them
I have been away this afternoon but on returning note that the media seem quite supportive of Boris, which is the first time I think since he had covid
He has made a bold decision and full marks to Starmer for his support
However, Nicola is so 'feart' of making a decision she is prevaricating until the 2nd July while all the time Scots business is in suspension while in England businesses will be up and running for the 4th July
Just looking across the Scottish press she is coming under quite a lot of criticism.
She has received credit until recently but she could lose a lot of that if she does not quickly move and follow Boris
What's this "feart" business I keep seeing regarding Sturgeon?
It's implying that rather than courageously following BJ's course, Sturgeon has been supinely making her own mind up. It's almost like she's taken a knee to the welfare of Scotland!
I have been away this afternoon but on returning note that the media seem quite supportive of Boris, which is the first time I think since he had covid
He has made a bold decision and full marks to Starmer for his support
However, Nicola is so 'feart' of making a decision she is prevaricating until the 2nd July while all the time Scots business is in suspension while in England businesses will be up and running for the 4th July
Just looking across the Scottish press she is coming under quite a lot of criticism.
She has received credit until recently but she could lose a lot of that if she does not quickly move and follow Boris
What's this "feart" business I keep seeing regarding Sturgeon?
There are about a dozen crunching body blows to the torso of the Union in there, not least of which are:
'According to the Panelbase survey, 70 per cent of Scots under 34 favour independence. This is broadly in line with other recent polls. Most voters under 50 now support independence.
That trend, rather more than the headline figures on Yes or No is what should keep Unionists awake at night. Increasingly, young Scots feel little real connection or affiliation with the UK or any sense, vague or not, of Britishness. For many of these younger voters, independence comes as naturally as unionism did to their grandparents. You might wish it otherwise but you cannot wish reality away.
From which, once again, we might pause to note that the case for independence is not being won in Edinburgh so much as the argument for Union is being lost in London. As some of us have argued for some time, Boris Johnson is a calamity for unionism. It is not simply that he is incompetent — though he is and that scarcely helps — but that his government lacks the emotional bandwidth to understand the UK. If the SNP were asked to create the opponent of its dreams he would, I am afraid, bear a considerable resemblance to Boris Johnson.'
Its the economy stupid ( and no that is not directed at you )
That's what they said about Brexit.
(Although, to be fair, we might all be arguing about the economic impacts of Brexit now, were it not for CV-19.)
Indeed but the economy was supposed to be the reason why only Remain could win the referendum. Then Vote Leave upended that apple cart with the £350 million a week line.
If the Scots can find their £350 million a week then they could definitely win an independence referendum. Especially if it isn't held for another decade until Labour win an election building resentment and fury by Yes supporters
There are about a dozen crunching body blows to the torso of the Union in there, not least of which are:
'According to the Panelbase survey, 70 per cent of Scots under 34 favour independence. This is broadly in line with other recent polls. Most voters under 50 now support independence.
That trend, rather more than the headline figures on Yes or No is what should keep Unionists awake at night. Increasingly, young Scots feel little real connection or affiliation with the UK or any sense, vague or not, of Britishness. For many of these younger voters, independence comes as naturally as unionism did to their grandparents. You might wish it otherwise but you cannot wish reality away.
From which, once again, we might pause to note that the case for independence is not being won in Edinburgh so much as the argument for Union is being lost in London. As some of us have argued for some time, Boris Johnson is a calamity for unionism. It is not simply that he is incompetent — though he is and that scarcely helps — but that his government lacks the emotional bandwidth to understand the UK. If the SNP were asked to create the opponent of its dreams he would, I am afraid, bear a considerable resemblance to Boris Johnson.'
Its the economy stupid ( and no that is not directed at you )
I look forward to your trenchant criticism of BJ when he once again obstructs Indy Ref 2 after next year's Holyrood election. Of course it might tip him over the edge into rediscovering his balls and his honour, but the precedents aren't good.
You know I support indy2 if the SNP win Holyrood on a manifesto commitment
What's wrong with a banner saying "White Lives Matter"?
Careful, several PB grandees will now have to give interviews saying they're embarrassed, your comments are ignorant (possibly the most over-used word in the world right now), and that you should 'educate yourself'.
Well exactly. But I wouldn't call myself a "PB grandee" so I will pass this time.
Speaking of which - a real grandee - have not seen @AlastairMeeks for quite a while. Hope all well there.
Have you noticed how @AlisairMeeks and @eadric are never on at the same time? It seems an awful coincidence, no?
I don't think I've ever seen AlisairMeeks. Is he any relation to @AlastairMeeks ?
No, he just has a similar name. Think Ben Stokes and Ben Foakes. Two different people.
I have been away this afternoon but on returning note that the media seem quite supportive of Boris, which is the first time I think since he had covid
He has made a bold decision and full marks to Starmer for his support
However, Nicola is so 'feart' of making a decision she is prevaricating until the 2nd July while all the time Scots business is in suspension while in England businesses will be up and running for the 4th July
Just looking across the Scottish press she is coming under quite a lot of criticism.
She has received credit until recently but she could lose a lot of that if she does not quickly move and follow Boris
What's this "feart" business I keep seeing regarding Sturgeon?
It's implying that rather than courageously following BJ's course, Sturgeon has been supinely making her own mind up. It's almost like she's taken a knee to the welfare of Scotland!
And yet when she made similar decisions to "England" on the same day (and necessarily earlier in the day, so as not to clash with the "UK"/"England" press conference at 5pm, she was decried by PBTories and their ilk in the media for trying to steal Mr Johnson's thunder. Poor lady can't win.
I have been away this afternoon but on returning note that the media seem quite supportive of Boris, which is the first time I think since he had covid
He has made a bold decision and full marks to Starmer for his support
However, Nicola is so 'feart' of making a decision she is prevaricating until the 2nd July while all the time Scots business is in suspension while in England businesses will be up and running for the 4th July
Just looking across the Scottish press she is coming under quite a lot of criticism.
She has received credit until recently but she could lose a lot of that if she does not quickly move and follow Boris
What's this "feart" business I keep seeing regarding Sturgeon?
It's implying that rather than courageously following BJ's course, Sturgeon has been supinely making her own mind up. It's almost like she's taken a knee to the welfare of Scotland!
Would it be distasteful to suggest she's put a knee on the neck of the Scottish economy?
Given the Scottish summer ends earlier than the English one, staying shut for longer is going to do tremendously more damage to Scottish summer-based seasonal businesses than the damage already inflicted to English ones.
There are about a dozen crunching body blows to the torso of the Union in there, not least of which are:
'According to the Panelbase survey, 70 per cent of Scots under 34 favour independence. This is broadly in line with other recent polls. Most voters under 50 now support independence.
That trend, rather more than the headline figures on Yes or No is what should keep Unionists awake at night. Increasingly, young Scots feel little real connection or affiliation with the UK or any sense, vague or not, of Britishness. For many of these younger voters, independence comes as naturally as unionism did to their grandparents. You might wish it otherwise but you cannot wish reality away.
From which, once again, we might pause to note that the case for independence is not being won in Edinburgh so much as the argument for Union is being lost in London. As some of us have argued for some time, Boris Johnson is a calamity for unionism. It is not simply that he is incompetent — though he is and that scarcely helps — but that his government lacks the emotional bandwidth to understand the UK. If the SNP were asked to create the opponent of its dreams he would, I am afraid, bear a considerable resemblance to Boris Johnson.'
Its the economy stupid ( and no that is not directed at you )
I look forward to your trenchant criticism of BJ when he once again obstructs Indy Ref 2 after next year's Holyrood election. Of course it might tip him over the edge into rediscovering his balls and his honour, but the precedents aren't good.
You know I support indy2 if the SNP win Holyrood on a manifesto commitment
But they already have, in conjunction with the Scots Greens, AND a majority of the Scots seats at Westminster ...
There are about a dozen crunching body blows to the torso of the Union in there, not least of which are:
'According to the Panelbase survey, 70 per cent of Scots under 34 favour independence. This is broadly in line with other recent polls. Most voters under 50 now support independence.
That trend, rather more than the headline figures on Yes or No is what should keep Unionists awake at night. Increasingly, young Scots feel little real connection or affiliation with the UK or any sense, vague or not, of Britishness. For many of these younger voters, independence comes as naturally as unionism did to their grandparents. You might wish it otherwise but you cannot wish reality away.
From which, once again, we might pause to note that the case for independence is not being won in Edinburgh so much as the argument for Union is being lost in London. As some of us have argued for some time, Boris Johnson is a calamity for unionism. It is not simply that he is incompetent — though he is and that scarcely helps — but that his government lacks the emotional bandwidth to understand the UK. If the SNP were asked to create the opponent of its dreams he would, I am afraid, bear a considerable resemblance to Boris Johnson.'
Its the economy stupid ( and no that is not directed at you )
I look forward to your trenchant criticism of BJ when he once again obstructs Indy Ref 2 after next year's Holyrood election. Of course it might tip him over the edge into rediscovering his balls and his honour, but the precedents aren't good.
You know I support indy2 if the SNP win Holyrood on a manifesto commitment
There are about a dozen crunching body blows to the torso of the Union in there, not least of which are:
'According to the Panelbase survey, 70 per cent of Scots under 34 favour independence. This is broadly in line with other recent polls. Most voters under 50 now support independence.
That trend, rather more than the headline figures on Yes or No is what should keep Unionists awake at night. Increasingly, young Scots feel little real connection or affiliation with the UK or any sense, vague or not, of Britishness. For many of these younger voters, independence comes as naturally as unionism did to their grandparents. You might wish it otherwise but you cannot wish reality away.
From which, once again, we might pause to note that the case for independence is not being won in Edinburgh so much as the argument for Union is being lost in London. As some of us have argued for some time, Boris Johnson is a calamity for unionism. It is not simply that he is incompetent — though he is and that scarcely helps — but that his government lacks the emotional bandwidth to understand the UK. If the SNP were asked to create the opponent of its dreams he would, I am afraid, bear a considerable resemblance to Boris Johnson.'
Its the economy stupid ( and no that is not directed at you )
I look forward to your trenchant criticism of BJ when he once again obstructs Indy Ref 2 after next year's Holyrood election. Of course it might tip him over the edge into rediscovering his balls and his honour, but the precedents aren't good.
He has the mandate as UK PM to reject it. Doing so may be counterproductive from a unionists perspective in the long-term but could also leave Scottish independence as a ticking timebomb to explode only when Labour next form the government.
If the PM is a selfish cynic rejecting it would be the right thing to do from his perspective.
There are about a dozen crunching body blows to the torso of the Union in there, not least of which are:
'According to the Panelbase survey, 70 per cent of Scots under 34 favour independence. This is broadly in line with other recent polls. Most voters under 50 now support independence.
That trend, rather more than the headline figures on Yes or No is what should keep Unionists awake at night. Increasingly, young Scots feel little real connection or affiliation with the UK or any sense, vague or not, of Britishness. For many of these younger voters, independence comes as naturally as unionism did to their grandparents. You might wish it otherwise but you cannot wish reality away.
From which, once again, we might pause to note that the case for independence is not being won in Edinburgh so much as the argument for Union is being lost in London. As some of us have argued for some time, Boris Johnson is a calamity for unionism. It is not simply that he is incompetent — though he is and that scarcely helps — but that his government lacks the emotional bandwidth to understand the UK. If the SNP were asked to create the opponent of its dreams he would, I am afraid, bear a considerable resemblance to Boris Johnson.'
Its the economy stupid ( and no that is not directed at you )
I look forward to your trenchant criticism of BJ when he once again obstructs Indy Ref 2 after next year's Holyrood election. Of course it might tip him over the edge into rediscovering his balls and his honour, but the precedents aren't good.
You know I support indy2 if the SNP win Holyrood on a manifesto commitment
But they already have, in conjunction with the Scots Greens, AND a majority of the Scots seats at Westminster ...
That is arguing for the impossible, get the majority next May
There are about a dozen crunching body blows to the torso of the Union in there, not least of which are:
'According to the Panelbase survey, 70 per cent of Scots under 34 favour independence. This is broadly in line with other recent polls. Most voters under 50 now support independence.
That trend, rather more than the headline figures on Yes or No is what should keep Unionists awake at night. Increasingly, young Scots feel little real connection or affiliation with the UK or any sense, vague or not, of Britishness. For many of these younger voters, independence comes as naturally as unionism did to their grandparents. You might wish it otherwise but you cannot wish reality away.
From which, once again, we might pause to note that the case for independence is not being won in Edinburgh so much as the argument for Union is being lost in London. As some of us have argued for some time, Boris Johnson is a calamity for unionism. It is not simply that he is incompetent — though he is and that scarcely helps — but that his government lacks the emotional bandwidth to understand the UK. If the SNP were asked to create the opponent of its dreams he would, I am afraid, bear a considerable resemblance to Boris Johnson.'
Its the economy stupid ( and no that is not directed at you )
That's what they said about Brexit.
(Although, to be fair, we might all be arguing about the economic impacts of Brexit now, were it not for CV-19.)
Indeed but the economy was supposed to be the reason why only Remain could win the referendum. Then Vote Leave upended that apple cart with the £350 million a week line.
If the Scots can find their £350 million a week then they could definitely win an independence referendum. Especially if it isn't held for another decade until Labour win an election building resentment and fury by Yes supporters
The Scots nats need to listen to Philip, not because he knows very much, but because he is a Brexit supporter and does know how to stoke up faux grievance and much division. Not convinced he will make much difference? Never mind, I am sure the Scots Nats will get some support from that great man of forward thinking and democracy who lives in the Kremlin. Bit like they got support from other tyrants and fascists in the past.
I have been away this afternoon but on returning note that the media seem quite supportive of Boris, which is the first time I think since he had covid
He has made a bold decision and full marks to Starmer for his support
However, Nicola is so 'feart' of making a decision she is prevaricating until the 2nd July while all the time Scots business is in suspension while in England businesses will be up and running for the 4th July
Just looking across the Scottish press she is coming under quite a lot of criticism.
She has received credit until recently but she could lose a lot of that if she does not quickly move and follow Boris
What's this "feart" business I keep seeing regarding Sturgeon?
Scots for frightened
Ah, ok. It reminds me a bit of that thing that Thatcher used to say - "frit".
There are about a dozen crunching body blows to the torso of the Union in there, not least of which are:
'According to the Panelbase survey, 70 per cent of Scots under 34 favour independence. This is broadly in line with other recent polls. Most voters under 50 now support independence.
That trend, rather more than the headline figures on Yes or No is what should keep Unionists awake at night. Increasingly, young Scots feel little real connection or affiliation with the UK or any sense, vague or not, of Britishness. For many of these younger voters, independence comes as naturally as unionism did to their grandparents. You might wish it otherwise but you cannot wish reality away.
From which, once again, we might pause to note that the case for independence is not being won in Edinburgh so much as the argument for Union is being lost in London. As some of us have argued for some time, Boris Johnson is a calamity for unionism. It is not simply that he is incompetent — though he is and that scarcely helps — but that his government lacks the emotional bandwidth to understand the UK. If the SNP were asked to create the opponent of its dreams he would, I am afraid, bear a considerable resemblance to Boris Johnson.'
Its the economy stupid ( and no that is not directed at you )
I look forward to your trenchant criticism of BJ when he once again obstructs Indy Ref 2 after next year's Holyrood election. Of course it might tip him over the edge into rediscovering his balls and his honour, but the precedents aren't good.
You know I support indy2 if the SNP win Holyrood on a manifesto commitment
There are about a dozen crunching body blows to the torso of the Union in there, not least of which are:
'According to the Panelbase survey, 70 per cent of Scots under 34 favour independence. This is broadly in line with other recent polls. Most voters under 50 now support independence.
That trend, rather more than the headline figures on Yes or No is what should keep Unionists awake at night. Increasingly, young Scots feel little real connection or affiliation with the UK or any sense, vague or not, of Britishness. For many of these younger voters, independence comes as naturally as unionism did to their grandparents. You might wish it otherwise but you cannot wish reality away.
From which, once again, we might pause to note that the case for independence is not being won in Edinburgh so much as the argument for Union is being lost in London. As some of us have argued for some time, Boris Johnson is a calamity for unionism. It is not simply that he is incompetent — though he is and that scarcely helps — but that his government lacks the emotional bandwidth to understand the UK. If the SNP were asked to create the opponent of its dreams he would, I am afraid, bear a considerable resemblance to Boris Johnson.'
Its the economy stupid ( and no that is not directed at you )
I look forward to your trenchant criticism of BJ when he once again obstructs Indy Ref 2 after next year's Holyrood election. Of course it might tip him over the edge into rediscovering his balls and his honour, but the precedents aren't good.
You know I support indy2 if the SNP win Holyrood on a manifesto commitment
But they already have, in conjunction with the Scots Greens, AND a majority of the Scots seats at Westminster ...
That is arguing for the impossible, get the majority next May
I think you fail to grasp my point. It is that there IS a majority for independence at Holyrood right now, and has been for years, as the Scottish Greens also have that as a party policy.
I have been away this afternoon but on returning note that the media seem quite supportive of Boris, which is the first time I think since he had covid
He has made a bold decision and full marks to Starmer for his support
However, Nicola is so 'feart' of making a decision she is prevaricating until the 2nd July while all the time Scots business is in suspension while in England businesses will be up and running for the 4th July
Just looking across the Scottish press she is coming under quite a lot of criticism.
She has received credit until recently but she could lose a lot of that if she does not quickly move and follow Boris
What's this "feart" business I keep seeing regarding Sturgeon?
It's implying that rather than courageously following BJ's course, Sturgeon has been supinely making her own mind up. It's almost like she's taken a knee to the welfare of Scotland!
And yet when she made similar decisions to "England" on the same day (and necessarily earlier in the day, so as not to clash with the "UK"/"England" press conference at 5pm, she was decried by PBTories and their ilk in the media for trying to steal Mr Johnson's thunder. Poor lady can't win.
'Poor lady can't win.'
Except in Scotland evidently.
Though one of the more entertaining Unionist rage memes (there are so many!) is about English progressives praising and giving credit to Sturgeon.
I have been away this afternoon but on returning note that the media seem quite supportive of Boris, which is the first time I think since he had covid
He has made a bold decision and full marks to Starmer for his support
However, Nicola is so 'feart' of making a decision she is prevaricating until the 2nd July while all the time Scots business is in suspension while in England businesses will be up and running for the 4th July
Just looking across the Scottish press she is coming under quite a lot of criticism.
She has received credit until recently but she could lose a lot of that if she does not quickly move and follow Boris
What's this "feart" business I keep seeing regarding Sturgeon?
It's implying that rather than courageously following BJ's course, Sturgeon has been supinely making her own mind up. It's almost like she's taken a knee to the welfare of Scotland!
Would it be distasteful to suggest she's put a knee on the neck of the Scottish economy?
Given the Scottish summer ends earlier than the English one, staying shut for longer is going to do tremendously more damage to Scottish summer-based seasonal businesses than the damage already inflicted to English ones.
what is this Scottish summer of which you speak????
There are about a dozen crunching body blows to the torso of the Union in there, not least of which are:
'According to the Panelbase survey, 70 per cent of Scots under 34 favour independence. This is broadly in line with other recent polls. Most voters under 50 now support independence.
That trend, rather more than the headline figures on Yes or No is what should keep Unionists awake at night. Increasingly, young Scots feel little real connection or affiliation with the UK or any sense, vague or not, of Britishness. For many of these younger voters, independence comes as naturally as unionism did to their grandparents. You might wish it otherwise but you cannot wish reality away.
From which, once again, we might pause to note that the case for independence is not being won in Edinburgh so much as the argument for Union is being lost in London. As some of us have argued for some time, Boris Johnson is a calamity for unionism. It is not simply that he is incompetent — though he is and that scarcely helps — but that his government lacks the emotional bandwidth to understand the UK. If the SNP were asked to create the opponent of its dreams he would, I am afraid, bear a considerable resemblance to Boris Johnson.'
Its the economy stupid ( and no that is not directed at you )
I look forward to your trenchant criticism of BJ when he once again obstructs Indy Ref 2 after next year's Holyrood election. Of course it might tip him over the edge into rediscovering his balls and his honour, but the precedents aren't good.
You know I support indy2 if the SNP win Holyrood on a manifesto commitment
But they already have, in conjunction with the Scots Greens, AND a majority of the Scots seats at Westminster ...
That is arguing for the impossible, get the majority next May
I think you fail to grasp my point. It is that there IS a majority for independence at Holyrood right now, and has been for years, as the Scottish Greens also have that as a party policy.
There are about a dozen crunching body blows to the torso of the Union in there, not least of which are:
'According to the Panelbase survey, 70 per cent of Scots under 34 favour independence. This is broadly in line with other recent polls. Most voters under 50 now support independence.
That trend, rather more than the headline figures on Yes or No is what should keep Unionists awake at night. Increasingly, young Scots feel little real connection or affiliation with the UK or any sense, vague or not, of Britishness. For many of these younger voters, independence comes as naturally as unionism did to their grandparents. You might wish it otherwise but you cannot wish reality away.
From which, once again, we might pause to note that the case for independence is not being won in Edinburgh so much as the argument for Union is being lost in London. As some of us have argued for some time, Boris Johnson is a calamity for unionism. It is not simply that he is incompetent — though he is and that scarcely helps — but that his government lacks the emotional bandwidth to understand the UK. If the SNP were asked to create the opponent of its dreams he would, I am afraid, bear a considerable resemblance to Boris Johnson.'
Its the economy stupid ( and no that is not directed at you )
I look forward to your trenchant criticism of BJ when he once again obstructs Indy Ref 2 after next year's Holyrood election. Of course it might tip him over the edge into rediscovering his balls and his honour, but the precedents aren't good.
He has the mandate as UK PM to reject it. Doing so may be counterproductive from a unionists perspective in the long-term but could also leave Scottish independence as a ticking timebomb to explode only when Labour next form the government.
If the PM is a selfish cynic rejecting it would be the right thing to do from his perspective.
What mandate? Not in Scotland, he doesn't.
He's UK Prime Minister not Scottish Prime Minister. He won a majority at Westminster on a platform of no second independence referendum and can whip that through the Commons.
If the Scots want a second independence referendum they need a majority in the United Kingdom to tolerate it not just a majority in Holyrood. That may not be morally right but it is realpolitik.
On the subject of nuclear explosions, do you know what the fastest man made object is (or was)?
Is this going to be a racist sexist and generally reprehensible joke?
It was a steel plate on the Pascal-B test. Sometimes described as the fastest manhole cover in history.
I'm pretty sure some of the particles they produce at CERN do not naturally occur on earth and so are man made, and I'm damn sure they travel much faster than a steel plate ever has.
I thought that there were Cosmic rays with much more energy than anything they produce at CERN? Hence everything they do is still within the bounds of 'nature'.
You could definitely argue that some of their particles are man made though.
I have been away this afternoon but on returning note that the media seem quite supportive of Boris, which is the first time I think since he had covid
He has made a bold decision and full marks to Starmer for his support
However, Nicola is so 'feart' of making a decision she is prevaricating until the 2nd July while all the time Scots business is in suspension while in England businesses will be up and running for the 4th July
Just looking across the Scottish press she is coming under quite a lot of criticism.
She has received credit until recently but she could lose a lot of that if she does not quickly move and follow Boris
What's this "feart" business I keep seeing regarding Sturgeon?
It's implying that rather than courageously following BJ's course, Sturgeon has been supinely making her own mind up. It's almost like she's taken a knee to the welfare of Scotland!
Would it be distasteful to suggest she's put a knee on the neck of the Scottish economy?
Given the Scottish summer ends earlier than the English one, staying shut for longer is going to do tremendously more damage to Scottish summer-based seasonal businesses than the damage already inflicted to English ones.
what is this Scottish summer of which you speak????
Ducks and runs
No need to duck. Actually, May and June, and September are perhaps the best times in the Highlands and Islands - July and August often being wet and midgy.
There are about a dozen crunching body blows to the torso of the Union in there, not least of which are:
'According to the Panelbase survey, 70 per cent of Scots under 34 favour independence. This is broadly in line with other recent polls. Most voters under 50 now support independence.
That trend, rather more than the headline figures on Yes or No is what should keep Unionists awake at night. Increasingly, young Scots feel little real connection or affiliation with the UK or any sense, vague or not, of Britishness. For many of these younger voters, independence comes as naturally as unionism did to their grandparents. You might wish it otherwise but you cannot wish reality away.
From which, once again, we might pause to note that the case for independence is not being won in Edinburgh so much as the argument for Union is being lost in London. As some of us have argued for some time, Boris Johnson is a calamity for unionism. It is not simply that he is incompetent — though he is and that scarcely helps — but that his government lacks the emotional bandwidth to understand the UK. If the SNP were asked to create the opponent of its dreams he would, I am afraid, bear a considerable resemblance to Boris Johnson.'
Its the economy stupid ( and no that is not directed at you )
I look forward to your trenchant criticism of BJ when he once again obstructs Indy Ref 2 after next year's Holyrood election. Of course it might tip him over the edge into rediscovering his balls and his honour, but the precedents aren't good.
You know I support indy2 if the SNP win Holyrood on a manifesto commitment
But they already have, in conjunction with the Scots Greens, AND a majority of the Scots seats at Westminster ...
That is arguing for the impossible, get the majority next May
I think you fail to grasp my point. It is that there IS a majority for independence at Holyrood right now, and has been for years, as the Scottish Greens also have that as a party policy.
You lost in 2014
More importantly most likely their side lost in 2019.
Mr. L, sorry to hear about your daughter's situation, but at least she knew it was a stepping stone and had a saving mentality. Also, depending on her age/experience it could be handy have a recent reference when applying for other stuff.
Indeed and thanks. She has had a difficult time since graduating and this is a blow.
My sympathies to your daughter. My sons are facing the same issues.
There are about a dozen crunching body blows to the torso of the Union in there, not least of which are:
'According to the Panelbase survey, 70 per cent of Scots under 34 favour independence. This is broadly in line with other recent polls. Most voters under 50 now support independence.
That trend, rather more than the headline figures on Yes or No is what should keep Unionists awake at night. Increasingly, young Scots feel little real connection or affiliation with the UK or any sense, vague or not, of Britishness. For many of these younger voters, independence comes as naturally as unionism did to their grandparents. You might wish it otherwise but you cannot wish reality away.
From which, once again, we might pause to note that the case for independence is not being won in Edinburgh so much as the argument for Union is being lost in London. As some of us have argued for some time, Boris Johnson is a calamity for unionism. It is not simply that he is incompetent — though he is and that scarcely helps — but that his government lacks the emotional bandwidth to understand the UK. If the SNP were asked to create the opponent of its dreams he would, I am afraid, bear a considerable resemblance to Boris Johnson.'
Its the economy stupid ( and no that is not directed at you )
That's what they said about Brexit.
Just realized. It's 23rd June. A baleful date and no mistake. I think there's a case for skipping it in future. Have two 22 Junes and then hop to the 24th.
Comments
But maybe if I heard you tell it over a pint.
Very low numbers for a Tuesday.
I'd also guess that the lack of hospital beds (relative to, say, Germany), and subsequent decision to send elderly and infected patients back to nursing homes will be heavily criticised in retrospective studies, both in Scotland and England...
As a result we've have a three-month lockdown and 65,000 people have died.
The Parker Solar Probe, I believe.
They will turn him into a grease spot
Speaking of which - a real grandee - have not seen @AlastairMeeks for quite a while. Hope all well there.
Interestingly, my early bet has been suspended (as have many of my other bets...) but the wording's unchanged. Whilst clumsily worded, I think it'd be surprising if he gets a podium at the first race and it pays out, but we'll see.
Of course Black Lives Matter, especially in an American context where apparently they matter less than white ones. And it's in the grand tradition of Lancashire mill towns to stand together with the downtrodden, as they did 140 years ago.
And, to save anyone posting 'Ah but the Guardian!' I know. Everyone's got something in their history of which they're not proud. I've not found anyone in my family tree to be ashamed of yet, but there are one or two who seem a bit 'edgy'.
Also the comment that after the killings in Reading of 3 white men, he would not apologise .
I guess a supporter of the far right .
Let's hope that pubs can survive on the trade of the under 30s then
'Johnson’s failings erode case for the Union'
https://tinyurl.com/yc4uclhx
There are about a dozen crunching body blows to the torso of the Union in there, not least of which are:
'According to the Panelbase survey, 70 per cent of Scots under 34 favour independence. This is broadly in line with other recent polls. Most voters under 50 now support independence.
That trend, rather more than the headline figures on Yes or No is what should keep Unionists awake at night. Increasingly, young Scots feel little real connection or affiliation with the UK or any sense, vague or not, of Britishness. For many of these younger voters, independence comes as naturally as unionism did to their grandparents. You might wish it otherwise but you cannot wish reality away.
From which, once again, we might pause to note that the case for independence is not being won in Edinburgh so much as the argument for Union is being lost in London. As some of us have argued for some time, Boris Johnson is a calamity for unionism. It is not simply that he is incompetent — though he is and that scarcely helps — but that his government lacks the emotional bandwidth to understand the UK. If the SNP were asked to create the opponent of its dreams he would, I am afraid, bear a considerable resemblance to Boris Johnson.'
https://tinyurl.com/yc4uclhx
The cost of saving 50,000 lives was dwarfed by the economic hit, according to analysis using Nice spending guidelines
RUSSELL LYNCH
ECONOMICS EDITOR"
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2020/06/23/185-billion-reasons-no-politician-should-consider-lockdown/
He has made a bold decision and full marks to Starmer for his support
However, Nicola is so 'feart' of making a decision she is prevaricating until the 2nd July while all the time Scots business is in suspension while in England businesses will be up and running for the 4th July
Just looking across the Scottish press she is coming under quite a lot of criticism.
She has received credit until recently but she could lose a lot of that if she does not quickly move and follow Boris
..."Mommy’s very mad,” said a crestfallen president of the United States.
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/06/21/pat-nixon-woman-supreme-court-311408
...“We really threw a bombshell at those [liberal] bastards” in Congress and the media, he told Mitchell.
And “make sure to emphasize to all the Southerners that Rehnquist is a reactionary bastard, which I hope to Christ he is,” Nixon said, in a segment of the tape that has been previously opened....
I've had a few memorable midge encounters, and Glen Brittle is quite low down the list as it isn't normally that bad.
Crossing a wire bridge at 5am in Glen Nevis with no free hands is not fun.
Queueing for a phone box (remember that?) at Shiel Bridge is the worst thing ever.
These days I worry more about the deer ticks that carry Lyme, as they've increased in numbers massively in the last decade or so. Midges are annoying but not usually fatal.
I find wild campsites are much more fun than organised ones, although do remember that trowel.
Its the economy stupid ( and no that is not directed at you )
(Note, I don't necessarily disagree with the conclusion - lockdown is harsh medicine and we may look back in future years and decide it was not the best course, but I do still think it was the right thing to do at the time with the information available).
after all, who thinks that white lives don't matter? is expressing the view that white lives don;t matter even legal? could it be construed as hate speech? In suppressing the view that white lives matter could the authorities be guilty of a racially agravated crime?
Thus Meeks now about to return as Eadric checks out.
I watch with great interest.
Camping shops such as Tisos now sell tick removers alongside the midge repellent ...
If the PM is a selfish cynic rejecting it would be the right thing to do from his perspective.
Trying to portray him as some sort of victim is a joke. He's one of Tommy Robinson's nasty little racist oiks. He's entitled to his opinion and his football club and others are perfectly entitled to tell him they don't want his sort being associated with them. I don't blame them
If the Scots can find their £350 million a week then they could definitely win an independence referendum. Especially if it isn't held for another decade until Labour win an election building resentment and fury by Yes supporters
Given the Scottish summer ends earlier than the English one, staying shut for longer is going to do tremendously more damage to Scottish summer-based seasonal businesses than the damage already inflicted to English ones.
America is no longer a democracy.
Quite aggressive language.
Except in Scotland evidently.
Though one of the more entertaining Unionist rage memes (there are so many!) is about English progressives praising and giving credit to Sturgeon.
Ducks and runs
If the Scots want a second independence referendum they need a majority in the United Kingdom to tolerate it not just a majority in Holyrood. That may not be morally right but it is realpolitik.
You could definitely argue that some of their particles are man made though.