The perils of a cashless society. Benefits paid straight to a card currently suspended owing (!) to what looks like fraud in Germany. Ideally the German government would nationalise Wirecard and resume operations, and worry about the handcuffs later.
Essentially saying the Cons best chance for winning again is on a socialistic economic platform combined with reactionary social policy.
In other words, whip up the culture war and place themselves firmly on the side of "traditional values".
Rings true to me. I think this might prove to be the best lens through which to view the words and actions of Johnson & Co.
It's been clear for some time that going right on culture and (somewhat) left on economics is the golden ticket in the current British political climate.
If Boris can camp successfully on that ground, you won't get him out before 2030...
Nothing new about the thesis and of course you may be proved correct. There was some interesting data in the article.
Anyway, while we're on this topic, I want to get stuck into some book learning before Lockdown is totally over and I'm particularly keen to try that one - "Useful Idiots: How the white working classes of England enable their own oppression at the hands of the Tories".
But I can't remember the author. Can you help me out? I'm thinking you're bound to have read it.
Covid case update, 29 June 2020: spot the difference time...
UK: 815 additional lab confirmed cases and 25 additional deaths Scotland: 5 new cases and (for the fourth day on the bounce) no deaths at all
Wait and see: the Scottish Government will have done a New Zealand by the end of the Summer, whilst Covid cases are still kicking the bucket in England at a rate of several hundred per week.
That will be the disaster that can't be explained away, and the Tory party and the Union will both be consigned to the dustbin of history within the next few years.
What precisely has Scotland done that is radically different, rather than minor adjustments to UK wide policies?
I don't know, but something is obviously going right up there. I don't think that the low population density argument is sufficient, because of the concentration of so many of the Scottish people in the central belt. Nor would the "Scotland is very white" argument seem to hold water, because Glasgow isn't and it's not lighting up as a hotspot relative to the rest of the country, or at least not anymore (besides which, there may be fewer ethnic minority people in Scotland but its age and general health profile is worse.) It would be fascinating to know to what extent the fading away of the disease in Scotland is down to policy and to what degree it's a matter of dumb luck, but that makes no difference to the fact that it's happening.
And we all know perfectly well what follows on from that. The Government in London is rubbish and is only there because the available alternative last December was even worse. This thing will flare up in the Autumn and Johnson and his ministers will be running round in circles like headless chickens, flapping their wings and babbling unintelligibly about yet more lockdowns and such like, whilst Scotland seals its borders and suffers no new cases at all. The only way we avoid that fate is if the University of Oxford vaccine project hits the jackpot, and if something sounds too good to be true it almost invariably is.
When considering the Westminstershambles, Murphy's Law applies.
If you don't know, then I think it is far far too early to state so definitively as you did that it cannot be explained away and that the Tories and Union will be consigned to the dustbin of history as a result.
That might happen, perhaps it will even happen for that reason and Westminster mistakes, but if we cannot identify a difference it seems unfair to rule out that someone might be able to explain the difference.
I thought it read like a pastiche Cummings blog post, with its clever dick references to obscure brainiacs straight from the kick-off with Gramsci and scattered throughout the speech.
I only skimmed it, but my take is that he intends to create a kind of Reality TV government which gets the thumbs up from the plebs. Sounds like the kind of things New Labour was coming out with in its pre-1997 days. No surprise, of course, as Gove frequently referred to Blair as 'the Master'.
Covid case update, 29 June 2020: spot the difference time...
UK: 815 additional lab confirmed cases and 25 additional deaths Scotland: 5 new cases and (for the fourth day on the bounce) no deaths at all
Wait and see: the Scottish Government will have done a New Zealand by the end of the Summer, whilst Covid cases are still kicking the bucket in England at a rate of several hundred per week.
That will be the disaster that can't be explained away, and the Tory party and the Union will both be consigned to the dustbin of history within the next few years.
What precisely has Scotland done that is radically different, rather than minor adjustments to UK wide policies?
I don't know, but something is obviously going right up there. I don't think that the low population density argument is sufficient, because of the concentration of so many of the Scottish people in the central belt. Nor would the "Scotland is very white" argument seem to hold water, because Glasgow isn't and it's not lighting up as a hotspot relative to the rest of the country, or at least not anymore (besides which, there may be fewer ethnic minority people in Scotland but its age and general health profile is worse.) It would be fascinating to know to what extent the fading away of the disease in Scotland is down to policy and to what degree it's a matter of dumb luck, but that makes no difference to the fact that it's happening.
And we all know perfectly well what follows on from that. The Government in London is rubbish and is only there because the available alternative last December was even worse. This thing will flare up in the Autumn and Johnson and his ministers will be running round in circles like headless chickens, flapping their wings and babbling unintelligibly about yet more lockdowns and such like, whilst Scotland seals its borders and suffers no new cases at all. The only way we avoid that fate is if the University of Oxford vaccine project hits the jackpot, and if something sounds too good to be true it almost invariably is.
When considering the Westminstershambles, Murphy's Law applies.
Also, the few bits of info I have seen suggests that the traditional, health/local authority health officer track and traced system, is working much better than in England. But I'd like to know more. It's a shame there has been so little critical discussion.
Covid case update, 29 June 2020: spot the difference time...
UK: 815 additional lab confirmed cases and 25 additional deaths Scotland: 5 new cases and (for the fourth day on the bounce) no deaths at all
Wait and see: the Scottish Government will have done a New Zealand by the end of the Summer, whilst Covid cases are still kicking the bucket in England at a rate of several hundred per week.
That will be the disaster that can't be explained away, and the Tory party and the Union will both be consigned to the dustbin of history within the next few years.
What precisely has Scotland done that is radically different, rather than minor adjustments to UK wide policies?
Less leaving to individual interpretation of what is sensible to be doing and more clarity and stronger guidelines as to what is and what is not permissible ?
Covid case update, 29 June 2020: spot the difference time...
UK: 815 additional lab confirmed cases and 25 additional deaths Scotland: 5 new cases and (for the fourth day on the bounce) no deaths at all
Wait and see: the Scottish Government will have done a New Zealand by the end of the Summer, whilst Covid cases are still kicking the bucket in England at a rate of several hundred per week.
That will be the disaster that can't be explained away, and the Tory party and the Union will both be consigned to the dustbin of history within the next few years.
What precisely has Scotland done that is radically different, rather than minor adjustments to UK wide policies?
I don't know, but something is obviously going right up there. I don't think that the low population density argument is sufficient, because of the concentration of so many of the Scottish people in the central belt. Nor would the "Scotland is very white" argument seem to hold water, because Glasgow isn't and it's not lighting up as a hotspot relative to the rest of the country, or at least not anymore (besides which, there may be fewer ethnic minority people in Scotland but its age and general health profile is worse.) It would be fascinating to know to what extent the fading away of the disease in Scotland is down to policy and to what degree it's a matter of dumb luck, but that makes no difference to the fact that it's happening.
And we all know perfectly well what follows on from that. The Government in London is rubbish and is only there because the available alternative last December was even worse. This thing will flare up in the Autumn and Johnson and his ministers will be running round in circles like headless chickens, flapping their wings and babbling unintelligibly about yet more lockdowns and such like, whilst Scotland seals its borders and suffers no new cases at all. The only way we avoid that fate is if the University of Oxford vaccine project hits the jackpot, and if something sounds too good to be true it almost invariably is.
When considering the Westminstershambles, Murphy's Law applies.
Also, the few bits of info I have seen suggests that the traditional, health/local authority health officer track and traced system, is working much better than in England. But I'd like to know more. It's a shame there has been so little critical discussion.
It's difficult to do so before it gets tied up in issues of the independence debate I suspect, people picking sides.
It's a great idea. If we stop the flow of taxpayer's money at the same time it would be a very useful dry run for Scottish independence.
Och well, at least it'll put a stopper on HMG's favourite trick of borrowing to prop up their own Barnett Formula and then shoving it on Scotland's nominal deficit ('Worst in Western World!' or whatever auld bollocks they've come up with last) while pretending it's English largesse.
If it comes with Devo Max with full borrowing powers, go for it lads. Start the tidying up at Faslane while you're at it.
What are the EU rights of British babies being born recently, now, and in the near future?
If a baby was born in the UK before Brexit day, Jan 31, when we were still part of the EU, is that baby entitled to an EU passport, given that it was, at the moment of birth, a citizen in an EU country? If not, how does the law work?
What about a British baby born this year, or indeed after the end of the transition, in an EU country? Are they EU citizens by birth?
My understanding is that any such rights of UK-born children (with the very important exception of those born in NI) will - effectively - evaporate, being destroyed by the UK Government in a deliberate act of policy.
OK, and what about British kids being born now and in the future in rEU? They become EU citizens, I imagine?
My point is I can see a lot of British parents deciding to have kids in NI or Ireland so they get the passport.
Time to invest in private hospitals with good antenatal units in Belfast.
Interesting thought - and makes a change from the previous traffic in expectant ladies.
But residency is sometimes the qualification when it comes to dealing with different parts of the UK (as the UK does not recognise e.g. English or Scottish nationality per se). This was and is the case for determining support (or lack of) for students, for instance.
I've just checked the Irish State website. A child born in Ireland or NI with a British parent automatically becomes an Irish citizen (at the moment, perhaps this will change when Brexit is entirely done - though they don't mention it) - and therefore also an EU citizen
So if you are really keen to get an EU passport for your kid, you should hop on the ferry to Belfast
And put in the application asap when it becomes eligible for a passport.
I was under the impression that dual nationality was guaranteed under the GFA, so it should still last under Brexit, given that the Brexit arrangements sort of respects it under Mr Johnson's policy. But I don't know what would happen if Mr Johnson decided to renege on the GFA and bring NI back fully into the UK, eliminating dual nationality. I imagine anyone with a passport already would be OK, but otherwise ... no doubt soneone else will correct us if needed.
There's also a category not needing special place of birth as they get an Irish passport anyway- those with an Irish grandparent or parent IIRC. (So not much hope of making a profit there.) But DYOR.
Brexit will not affect Irish citizenship law, which is based on the Irish constitution of 1937. Irish law granted citizenship by ius soli to all those born on the island of Ireland (with the usual exception for the children of diplomats) and by ius sanguinis to all those with a parent born on the island of Ireland. Further, children of Irish citizens not born on the island of Ireland may claim Irish citizenship by registration, but the citizenship thus claimed is only operable from the date of registration, so if as a family you want to keep transmitting Irish citizenship down the generations you need to make sure each generation has registered their claim before they themselves have children.
The biggest amendment to the above was by the the 27th Amendment to the Irish constitution in 2004 which limits the application of the ius soli rule to those born on the island of Ireland to be limited to only those with at least one parent who is themselves an Irish citizen or entitled to be an Irish citizen. The amendment allowed for further inclusons to be provided by law, and the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 2004 specifically included children born on the island of Ireland with at least one British citizen parent as qualifying for Irish citizenship from birth.
Yes, that's my reading. A pregnant British citizen can go to Belfast, have the kid, and then the kid gets an EU passport.
I imagine LOTS of people will rather like the idea of this
Of course, the Brexiters on PB keep telling us the EU won't survive for long ... tdhere's no point in the bairn having an EU passport if mummy and daddy still have to queue in the non-EU channel. Could be worth it once it becomes 16 or so, but the wean might not be interested in anything that makes the EU passport useful.
I've not seen many Leavers on PB predicting the imminent demise of the EU.
The perils of a cashless society. Benefits paid straight to a card currently suspended owing (!) to what looks like fraud in Germany. Ideally the German government would nationalise Wirecard and resume operations, and worry about the handcuffs later.
What a nightmare for those involved. I thought the Post Office offered basic banking services to benefits recipients without bank accounts?
Serious questions for the German financial regulator to answer, as to how they let such a big company ‘lose’ over a billion euros?
Covid case update, 29 June 2020: spot the difference time...
UK: 815 additional lab confirmed cases and 25 additional deaths Scotland: 5 new cases and (for the fourth day on the bounce) no deaths at all
Wait and see: the Scottish Government will have done a New Zealand by the end of the Summer, whilst Covid cases are still kicking the bucket in England at a rate of several hundred per week.
That will be the disaster that can't be explained away, and the Tory party and the Union will both be consigned to the dustbin of history within the next few years.
What precisely has Scotland done that is radically different, rather than minor adjustments to UK wide policies?
Less leaving to individual interpretation of what is sensible to be doing and more clarity and stronger guidelines as to what is and what is not permissible ?
Maybe, I wouldn't know, but I think before stating they have done something so much better, we need to know which parts are different.
Covid case update, 29 June 2020: spot the difference time...
UK: 815 additional lab confirmed cases and 25 additional deaths Scotland: 5 new cases and (for the fourth day on the bounce) no deaths at all
Wait and see: the Scottish Government will have done a New Zealand by the end of the Summer, whilst Covid cases are still kicking the bucket in England at a rate of several hundred per week.
That will be the disaster that can't be explained away, and the Tory party and the Union will both be consigned to the dustbin of history within the next few years.
What precisely has Scotland done that is radically different, rather than minor adjustments to UK wide policies?
I don't know, but something is obviously going right up there. I don't think that the low population density argument is sufficient, because of the concentration of so many of the Scottish people in the central belt. Nor would the "Scotland is very white" argument seem to hold water, because Glasgow isn't and it's not lighting up as a hotspot relative to the rest of the country, or at least not anymore (besides which, there may be fewer ethnic minority people in Scotland but its age and general health profile is worse.) It would be fascinating to know to what extent the fading away of the disease in Scotland is down to policy and to what degree it's a matter of dumb luck, but that makes no difference to the fact that it's happening.
And we all know perfectly well what follows on from that. The Government in London is rubbish and is only there because the available alternative last December was even worse. This thing will flare up in the Autumn and Johnson and his ministers will be running round in circles like headless chickens, flapping their wings and babbling unintelligibly about yet more lockdowns and such like, whilst Scotland seals its borders and suffers no new cases at all. The only way we avoid that fate is if the University of Oxford vaccine project hits the jackpot, and if something sounds too good to be true it almost invariably is.
When considering the Westminstershambles, Murphy's Law applies.
As I said before, the exact same thing is happening in Devon and Cornwall (and other places)
The country has been on lockdown. No one is moving around the country. Though they are moving within cities.
The key to getting a grip on this is 1, not to have a very large outbreak at the start, or 2, being lucky it effects young people first and/or 3. being a distance from the main hubs of transmission, at a time when almost all cross counry travel has ceased - so more cases are not brought in, which means that even if you have a big outbreak it then dies down
The main hubs of Covid in the UK are London, the Midlands, Sheffield, South Wales
Various places away from here are doing well: Scotland, the far south West, north Wales, rural south England....
What are the EU rights of British babies being born recently, now, and in the near future?
If a baby was born in the UK before Brexit day, Jan 31, when we were still part of the EU, is that baby entitled to an EU passport, given that it was, at the moment of birth, a citizen in an EU country? If not, how does the law work?
What about a British baby born this year, or indeed after the end of the transition, in an EU country? Are they EU citizens by birth?
My understanding is that any such rights of UK-born children (with the very important exception of those born in NI) will - effectively - evaporate, being destroyed by the UK Government in a deliberate act of policy.
OK, and what about British kids being born now and in the future in rEU? They become EU citizens, I imagine?
My point is I can see a lot of British parents deciding to have kids in NI or Ireland so they get the passport.
Time to invest in private hospitals with good antenatal units in Belfast.
Interesting thought - and makes a change from the previous traffic in expectant ladies.
But residency is sometimes the qualification when it comes to dealing with different parts of the UK (as the UK does not recognise e.g. English or Scottish nationality per se). This was and is the case for determining support (or lack of) for students, for instance.
I've just checked the Irish State website. A child born in Ireland or NI with a British parent automatically becomes an Irish citizen (at the moment, perhaps this will change when Brexit is entirely done - though they don't mention it) - and therefore also an EU citizen
So if you are really keen to get an EU passport for your kid, you should hop on the ferry to Belfast
And put in the application asap when it becomes eligible for a passport.
I was under the impression that dual nationality was guaranteed under the GFA, so it should still last under Brexit, given that the Brexit arrangements sort of respects it under Mr Johnson's policy. But I don't know what would happen if Mr Johnson decided to renege on the GFA and bring NI back fully into the UK, eliminating dual nationality. I imagine anyone with a passport already would be OK, but otherwise ... no doubt soneone else will correct us if needed.
There's also a category not needing special place of birth as they get an Irish passport anyway- those with an Irish grandparent or parent IIRC. (So not much hope of making a profit there.) But DYOR.
Brexit will not affect Irish citizenship law, which is based on the Irish constitution of 1937. Irish law granted citizenship by ius soli to all those born on the island of Ireland (with the usual exception for the children of diplomats) and by ius sanguinis to all those with a parent born on the island of Ireland. Further, children of Irish citizens not born on the island of Ireland may claim Irish citizenship by registration, but the citizenship thus claimed is only operable from the date of registration, so if as a family you want to keep transmitting Irish citizenship down the generations you need to make sure each generation has registered their claim before they themselves have children.
The biggest amendment to the above was by the the 27th Amendment to the Irish constitution in 2004 which limits the application of the ius soli rule to those born on the island of Ireland to be limited to only those with at least one parent who is themselves an Irish citizen or entitled to be an Irish citizen. The amendment allowed for further inclusons to be provided by law, and the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 2004 specifically included children born on the island of Ireland with at least one British citizen parent as qualifying for Irish citizenship from birth.
Yes, that's my reading. A pregnant British citizen can go to Belfast, have the kid, and then the kid gets an EU passport.
I imagine LOTS of people will rather like the idea of this
Of course, the Brexiters on PB keep telling us the EU won't survive for long ... tdhere's no point in the bairn having an EU passport if mummy and daddy still have to queue in the non-EU channel. Could be worth it once it becomes 16 or so, but the wean might not be interested in anything that makes the EU passport useful.
I've not seen many Leavers on PB predicting the imminent demise of the EU.
Covid case update, 29 June 2020: spot the difference time...
UK: 815 additional lab confirmed cases and 25 additional deaths Scotland: 5 new cases and (for the fourth day on the bounce) no deaths at all
Wait and see: the Scottish Government will have done a New Zealand by the end of the Summer, whilst Covid cases are still kicking the bucket in England at a rate of several hundred per week.
That will be the disaster that can't be explained away, and the Tory party and the Union will both be consigned to the dustbin of history within the next few years.
What precisely has Scotland done that is radically different, rather than minor adjustments to UK wide policies?
I don't know, but something is obviously going right up there. I don't think that the low population density argument is sufficient, because of the concentration of so many of the Scottish people in the central belt. Nor would the "Scotland is very white" argument seem to hold water, because Glasgow isn't and it's not lighting up as a hotspot relative to the rest of the country, or at least not anymore (besides which, there may be fewer ethnic minority people in Scotland but its age and general health profile is worse.) It would be fascinating to know to what extent the fading away of the disease in Scotland is down to policy and to what degree it's a matter of dumb luck, but that makes no difference to the fact that it's happening.
And we all know perfectly well what follows on from that. The Government in London is rubbish and is only there because the available alternative last December was even worse. This thing will flare up in the Autumn and Johnson and his ministers will be running round in circles like headless chickens, flapping their wings and babbling unintelligibly about yet more lockdowns and such like, whilst Scotland seals its borders and suffers no new cases at all. The only way we avoid that fate is if the University of Oxford vaccine project hits the jackpot, and if something sounds too good to be true it almost invariably is.
When considering the Westminstershambles, Murphy's Law applies.
If you don't know, then I think it is far far too early to state so definitively as you did that it cannot be explained away and that the Tories and Union will be consigned to the dustbin of history as a result.
That might happen, perhaps it will even happen for that reason and Westminster mistakes, but if we cannot identify a difference it seems unfair to rule out that someone might be able to explain the difference.
If we get to Christmas and it's all party poppers and cracker pulling in Edinburgh whilst the crematoria of London can't keep up with all the corpses, then any kind of dry debate about the technical reasons why is rather likely to be drowned out.
Also, the few bits of info I have seen suggests that the traditional, health/local authority health officer track and traced system, is working much better than in England. But I'd like to know more. It's a shame there has been so little critical discussion.
As per my comments from the other day, I reckon that most hacks from the national TV stations and newspapers down in London haven't yet bothered to explore this issue because devolved politics tends to attract very little scrutiny. If Scotland manages to go three or four weeks rather than three or four days without a Covid fatality, then somebody might finally start to ask the UK Government some awkward questions.
What are the EU rights of British babies being born recently, now, and in the near future?
If a baby was born in the UK before Brexit day, Jan 31, when we were still part of the EU, is that baby entitled to an EU passport, given that it was, at the moment of birth, a citizen in an EU country? If not, how does the law work?
What about a British baby born this year, or indeed after the end of the transition, in an EU country? Are they EU citizens by birth?
My understanding is that any such rights of UK-born children (with the very important exception of those born in NI) will - effectively - evaporate, being destroyed by the UK Government in a deliberate act of policy.
OK, and what about British kids being born now and in the future in rEU? They become EU citizens, I imagine?
My point is I can see a lot of British parents deciding to have kids in NI or Ireland so they get the passport.
Time to invest in private hospitals with good antenatal units in Belfast.
Interesting thought - and makes a change from the previous traffic in expectant ladies.
But residency is sometimes the qualification when it comes to dealing with different parts of the UK (as the UK does not recognise e.g. English or Scottish nationality per se). This was and is the case for determining support (or lack of) for students, for instance.
I've just checked the Irish State website. A child born in Ireland or NI with a British parent automatically becomes an Irish citizen (at the moment, perhaps this will change when Brexit is entirely done - though they don't mention it) - and therefore also an EU citizen
So if you are really keen to get an EU passport for your kid, you should hop on the ferry to Belfast
And put in the application asap when it becomes eligible for a passport.
I was under the impression that dual nationality was guaranteed under the GFA, so it should still last under Brexit, given that the Brexit arrangements sort of respects it under Mr Johnson's policy. But I don't know what would happen if Mr Johnson decided to renege on the GFA and bring NI back fully into the UK, eliminating dual nationality. I imagine anyone with a passport already would be OK, but otherwise ... no doubt soneone else will correct us if needed.
There's also a category not needing special place of birth as they get an Irish passport anyway- those with an Irish grandparent or parent IIRC. (So not much hope of making a profit there.) But DYOR.
snip.
Yes, that's my reading. A pregnant British citizen can go to Belfast, have the kid, and then the kid gets an EU passport.
I imagine LOTS of people will rather like the idea of this
Of course, the Brexiters on PB keep telling us the EU won't survive for long ... tdhere's no point in the bairn having an EU passport if mummy and daddy still have to queue in the non-EU channel. Could be worth it once it becomes 16 or so, but the wean might not be interested in anything that makes the EU passport useful.
I've not seen many Leavers on PB predicting the imminent demise of the EU.
SeanT, Eadric, Mysticrose, LadyG and Byronic do so fairly regularly.
People say Trump is improving his standing among black voters...and then he declares that wanting to remove statues of slaveowners is a) ignorant and b) asking for trouble, because "We have a heritage, we have a history and we should learn from the history, and if you don't understand your history, you will go back to it again. You will go right back to it. You have to learn."
Imagine telling black people he's got a lesson to teach them about slavery and if they don't take his advice on board they'll go back to it!
Can't he be declared unable to discharge his duties and then removed under the 25th amendment? Failing that, can't there be a military coup or something? Maybe some CIA officers can think of a solution? A person who says things like that doesn't deserve to hold any kind of public position.
In 2016 Trump got 8% of the black vote. If he stands in November 2020 I doubt he'll reach 4%. This is the guy who still hasn't apologised for praising a video of one of his supporters in Florida calling for "White Power".
What are the EU rights of British babies being born recently, now, and in the near future?
If a baby was born in the UK before Brexit day, Jan 31, when we were still part of the EU, is that baby entitled to an EU passport, given that it was, at the moment of birth, a citizen in an EU country? If not, how does the law work?
What about a British baby born this year, or indeed after the end of the transition, in an EU country? Are they EU citizens by birth?
My understanding is that any such rights of UK-born children (with the very important exception of those born in NI) will - effectively - evaporate, being destroyed by the UK Government in a deliberate act of policy.
OK, and what about British kids being born now and in the future in rEU? They become EU citizens, I imagine?
My point is I can see a lot of British parents deciding to have kids in NI or Ireland so they get the passport.
Time to invest in private hospitals with good antenatal units in Belfast.
Interesting thought - and makes a change from the previous traffic in expectant ladies.
But residency is sometimes the qualification when it comes to dealing with different parts of the UK (as the UK does not recognise e.g. English or Scottish nationality per se). This was and is the case for determining support (or lack of) for students, for instance.
I've just checked the Irish State website. A child born in Ireland or NI with a British parent automatically becomes an Irish citizen (at the moment, perhaps this will change when Brexit is entirely done - though they don't mention it) - and therefore also an EU citizen
So if you are really keen to get an EU passport for your kid, you should hop on the ferry to Belfast
And put in the application asap when it becomes eligible for a passport.
I was under the impression that dual nationality was guaranteed under the GFA, so it should still last under Brexit, given that the Brexit arrangements sort of respects it under Mr Johnson's policy. But I don't know what would happen if Mr Johnson decided to renege on the GFA and bring NI back fully into the UK, eliminating dual nationality. I imagine anyone with a passport already would be OK, but otherwise ... no doubt soneone else will correct us if needed.
There's also a category not needing special place of birth as they get an Irish passport anyway- those with an Irish grandparent or parent IIRC. (So not much hope of making a profit there.) But DYOR.
snip.
Yes, that's my reading. A pregnant British citizen can go to Belfast, have the kid, and then the kid gets an EU passport.
I imagine LOTS of people will rather like the idea of this
Of course, the Brexiters on PB keep telling us the EU won't survive for long ... tdhere's no point in the bairn having an EU passport if mummy and daddy still have to queue in the non-EU channel. Could be worth it once it becomes 16 or so, but the wean might not be interested in anything that makes the EU passport useful.
I've not seen many Leavers on PB predicting the imminent demise of the EU.
SeanT, Eadric, Mysticrose, LadyG and Byronic do so fairly regularly.
Five different people all predicting this imminent Demise. Hmm !
Covid case update, 29 June 2020: spot the difference time...
UK: 815 additional lab confirmed cases and 25 additional deaths Scotland: 5 new cases and (for the fourth day on the bounce) no deaths at all
Wait and see: the Scottish Government will have done a New Zealand by the end of the Summer, whilst Covid cases are still kicking the bucket in England at a rate of several hundred per week.
That will be the disaster that can't be explained away, and the Tory party and the Union will both be consigned to the dustbin of history within the next few years.
What precisely has Scotland done that is radically different, rather than minor adjustments to UK wide policies?
I don't know, but something is obviously going right up there. I don't think that the low population density argument is sufficient, because of the concentration of so many of the Scottish people in the central belt. Nor would the "Scotland is very white" argument seem to hold water, because Glasgow isn't and it's not lighting up as a hotspot relative to the rest of the country, or at least not anymore (besides which, there may be fewer ethnic minority people in Scotland but its age and general health profile is worse.) It would be fascinating to know to what extent the fading away of the disease in Scotland is down to policy and to what degree it's a matter of dumb luck, but that makes no difference to the fact that it's happening.
And we all know perfectly well what follows on from that. The Government in London is rubbish and is only there because the available alternative last December was even worse. This thing will flare up in the Autumn and Johnson and his ministers will be running round in circles like headless chickens, flapping their wings and babbling unintelligibly about yet more lockdowns and such like, whilst Scotland seals its borders and suffers no new cases at all. The only way we avoid that fate is if the University of Oxford vaccine project hits the jackpot, and if something sounds too good to be true it almost invariably is.
When considering the Westminstershambles, Murphy's Law applies.
Also, the few bits of info I have seen suggests that the traditional, health/local authority health officer track and traced system, is working much better than in England. But I'd like to know more. It's a shame there has been so little critical discussion.
It's difficult to do so before it gets tied up in issues of the independence debate I suspect, people picking sides.
The last time I raised the matter of the increasing discrepancy between Scottish and whole-English data, the PB ScoToriesd just blanked my immediate point (which was that the assertion one of them made about Ms Sturgeon, and whixch they all depended on for their duscussion, was chronologically impossible). But others on PB took it up and made sensible and thought-provoking comments.
In this case. I absolutely agree with BlackRook that Scotland is mixed enough that the obvious comparison with the SW of England won't hold. There was in fact an analytic study done by a consultancy which predicted high rates in Midlothian and Inverclyde with some success ( to do with socio-economioc data, transport systems and routes, etc.)
Climate can't be it - we should be more at risk in Scotland - less vitD, less sun and virus-killing UV, damper, mistier (lots of haar and rain this last few weeks).
I'm wondering if - as with the supposed "UK" riots of a few years back that turneds out to be "English" riots, and more recently the much more laid back response to BLM/statues, the relationship between government and people is simply different enough that the Scots are respecting government instructions more. And the government is being more sensible and coherent in its presentation. You don't get Ms Sturgeon saying at random fire up the barbie or demanding new releases at short notice to tghrow a dead cat to get out of a difficult PMQ or interviews.
Covid case update, 29 June 2020: spot the difference time...
UK: 815 additional lab confirmed cases and 25 additional deaths Scotland: 5 new cases and (for the fourth day on the bounce) no deaths at all
Wait and see: the Scottish Government will have done a New Zealand by the end of the Summer, whilst Covid cases are still kicking the bucket in England at a rate of several hundred per week.
That will be the disaster that can't be explained away, and the Tory party and the Union will both be consigned to the dustbin of history within the next few years.
What precisely has Scotland done that is radically different, rather than minor adjustments to UK wide policies?
Nothing. It's the same in Devon/Cornwall, and probably other parts of the UK, further from London, with fewer BAME citizens. Very few cases, very few deaths.
Checking, I think that only 6 of those 25 are deaths within the last 24 hours, FWIW.
No idea on the Scottish figures.
Good to see another region with no deaths, though.
Covid case update, 29 June 2020: spot the difference time...
UK: 815 additional lab confirmed cases and 25 additional deaths Scotland: 5 new cases and (for the fourth day on the bounce) no deaths at all
Wait and see: the Scottish Government will have done a New Zealand by the end of the Summer, whilst Covid cases are still kicking the bucket in England at a rate of several hundred per week.
That will be the disaster that can't be explained away, and the Tory party and the Union will both be consigned to the dustbin of history within the next few years.
What precisely has Scotland done that is radically different, rather than minor adjustments to UK wide policies?
I don't know, but something is obviously going right up there. I don't think that the low population density argument is sufficient, because of the concentration of so many of the Scottish people in the central belt. Nor would the "Scotland is very white" argument seem to hold water, because Glasgow isn't and it's not lighting up as a hotspot relative to the rest of the country, or at least not anymore (besides which, there may be fewer ethnic minority people in Scotland but its age and general health profile is worse.) It would be fascinating to know to what extent the fading away of the disease in Scotland is down to policy and to what degree it's a matter of dumb luck, but that makes no difference to the fact that it's happening.
And we all know perfectly well what follows on from that. The Government in London is rubbish and is only there because the available alternative last December was even worse. This thing will flare up in the Autumn and Johnson and his ministers will be running round in circles like headless chickens, flapping their wings and babbling unintelligibly about yet more lockdowns and such like, whilst Scotland seals its borders and suffers no new cases at all. The only way we avoid that fate is if the University of Oxford vaccine project hits the jackpot, and if something sounds too good to be true it almost invariably is.
When considering the Westminstershambles, Murphy's Law applies.
If you don't know, then I think it is far far too early to state so definitively as you did that it cannot be explained away and that the Tories and Union will be consigned to the dustbin of history as a result.
That might happen, perhaps it will even happen for that reason and Westminster mistakes, but if we cannot identify a difference it seems unfair to rule out that someone might be able to explain the difference.
If we get to Christmas and it's all party poppers and cracker pulling in Edinburgh whilst the crematoria of London can't keep up with all the corpses, then any kind of dry debate about the technical reasons why is rather likely to be drowned out.
Also, the few bits of info I have seen suggests that the traditional, health/local authority health officer track and traced system, is working much better than in England. But I'd like to know more. It's a shame there has been so little critical discussion.
As per my comments from the other day, I reckon that most hacks from the national TV stations and newspapers down in London haven't yet bothered to explore this issue because devolved politics tends to attract very little scrutiny. If Scotland manages to go three or four weeks rather than three or four days without a Covid fatality, then somebody might finally start to ask the UK Government some awkward questions.
Covid case update, 29 June 2020: spot the difference time...
UK: 815 additional lab confirmed cases and 25 additional deaths Scotland: 5 new cases and (for the fourth day on the bounce) no deaths at all
Wait and see: the Scottish Government will have done a New Zealand by the end of the Summer, whilst Covid cases are still kicking the bucket in England at a rate of several hundred per week.
That will be the disaster that can't be explained away, and the Tory party and the Union will both be consigned to the dustbin of history within the next few years.
What precisely has Scotland done that is radically different, rather than minor adjustments to UK wide policies?
I don't know, but something is obviously going right up there. I don't think that the low population density argument is sufficient, because of the concentration of so many of the Scottish people in the central belt. Nor would the "Scotland is very white" argument seem to hold water, because Glasgow isn't and it's not lighting up as a hotspot relative to the rest of the country, or at least not anymore (besides which, there may be fewer ethnic minority people in Scotland but its age and general health profile is worse.) It would be fascinating to know to what extent the fading away of the disease in Scotland is down to policy and to what degree it's a matter of dumb luck, but that makes no difference to the fact that it's happening.
And we all know perfectly well what follows on from that. The Government in London is rubbish and is only there because the available alternative last December was even worse. This thing will flare up in the Autumn and Johnson and his ministers will be running round in circles like headless chickens, flapping their wings and babbling unintelligibly about yet more lockdowns and such like, whilst Scotland seals its borders and suffers no new cases at all. The only way we avoid that fate is if the University of Oxford vaccine project hits the jackpot, and if something sounds too good to be true it almost invariably is.
When considering the Westminstershambles, Murphy's Law applies.
If you don't know, then I think it is far far too early to state so definitively as you did that it cannot be explained away and that the Tories and Union will be consigned to the dustbin of history as a result.
That might happen, perhaps it will even happen for that reason and Westminster mistakes, but if we cannot identify a difference it seems unfair to rule out that someone might be able to explain the difference.
If we get to Christmas and it's all party poppers and cracker pulling in Edinburgh whilst the crematoria of London can't keep up with all the corpses, then any kind of dry debate about the technical reasons why is rather likely to be drowned out.
Also, the few bits of info I have seen suggests that the traditional, health/local authority health officer track and traced system, is working much better than in England. But I'd like to know more. It's a shame there has been so little critical discussion.
As per my comments from the other day, I reckon that most hacks from the national TV stations and newspapers down in London haven't yet bothered to explore this issue because devolved politics tends to attract very little scrutiny. If Scotland manages to go three or four weeks rather than three or four days without a Covid fatality, then somebody might finally start to ask the UK Government some awkward questions.
The perils of a cashless society. Benefits paid straight to a card currently suspended owing (!) to what looks like fraud in Germany. Ideally the German government would nationalise Wirecard and resume operations, and worry about the handcuffs later.
What a nightmare for those involved. I thought the Post Office offered basic banking services to benefits recipients without bank accounts? Serious questions for the German financial regulator to answer, as to how they let such a big company ‘lose’ over a billion euros?
What are the EU rights of British babies being born recently, now, and in the near future?
If a baby was born in the UK before Brexit day, Jan 31, when we were still part of the EU, is that baby entitled to an EU passport, given that it was, at the moment of birth, a citizen in an EU country? If not, how does the law work?
What about a British baby born this year, or indeed after the end of the transition, in an EU country? Are they EU citizens by birth?
My understanding is that any such rights of UK-born children (with the very important exception of those born in NI) will - effectively - evaporate, being destroyed by the UK Government in a deliberate act of policy.
OK, and what about British kids being born now and in the future in rEU? They become EU citizens, I imagine?
My point is I can see a lot of British parents deciding to have kids in NI or Ireland so they get the passport.
Time to invest in private hospitals with good antenatal units in Belfast.
Interesting thought - and makes a change from the previous traffic in expectant ladies.
But residency is sometimes the qualification when it comes to dealing with different parts of the UK (as the UK does not recognise e.g. English or Scottish nationality per se). This was and is the case for determining support (or lack of) for students, for instance.
I've just checked the Irish State website. A child born in Ireland or NI with a British parent automatically becomes an Irish citizen (at the moment, perhaps this will change when Brexit is entirely done - though they don't mention it) - and therefore also an EU citizen
So if you are really keen to get an EU passport for your kid, you should hop on the ferry to Belfast
And put in the application asap when it becomes eligible for a passport.
I was under the impression that dual nationality was guaranteed under the GFA, so it should still last under Brexit, given that the Brexit arrangements sort of respects it under Mr Johnson's policy. But I don't know what would happen if Mr Johnson decided to renege on the GFA and bring NI back fully into the UK, eliminating dual nationality. I imagine anyone with a passport already would be OK, but otherwise ... no doubt soneone else will correct us if needed.
There's also a category not needing special place of birth as they get an Irish passport anyway- those with an Irish grandparent or parent IIRC. (So not much hope of making a profit there.) But DYOR.
snip.
Yes, that's my reading. A pregnant British citizen can go to Belfast, have the kid, and then the kid gets an EU passport.
I imagine LOTS of people will rather like the idea of this
Of course, the Brexiters on PB keep telling us the EU won't survive for long ... tdhere's no point in the bairn having an EU passport if mummy and daddy still have to queue in the non-EU channel. Could be worth it once it becomes 16 or so, but the wean might not be interested in anything that makes the EU passport useful.
I've not seen many Leavers on PB predicting the imminent demise of the EU.
SeanT, Eadric, Mysticrose, LadyG and Byronic do so fairly regularly.
I don't know any of these people. I, LadyG, have never predicted the imminent demise of the EU.
I am so offended by the thought I will attend to my growing collection of transparent Balkan olms
I thought it read like a pastiche Cummings blog post, with its clever dick references to obscure brainiacs straight from the kick-off with Gramsci and scattered throughout the speech.
I only skimmed it, but my take is that he intends to create a kind of Reality TV government which gets the thumbs up from the plebs. Sounds like the kind of things New Labour was coming out with in its pre-1997 days. No surprise, of course, as Gove frequently referred to Blair as 'the Master'.
Wasn't that Osborne? Maybe it was all of them as Gove was a chum in those pre-Brexit days.
Is there an argument to be made that Tories hating Johnson might support a Starmer administration, especially in the case he's just lost a load of seats?
Tory MPs? They'd immediately lose the whip and membership if they voted for a Labour QS.
Even if there were a crisis, a national emergency...? How unpatriotic of the Conservatives.
The same would happen to Labour MPs who voted for a Tory QS.
Another good example of the challenges faced by SKS in reforming the party. Still plenty of Corbynites around the country running local branches and their social media accounts.
The perils of a cashless society. Benefits paid straight to a card currently suspended owing (!) to what looks like fraud in Germany. Ideally the German government would nationalise Wirecard and resume operations, and worry about the handcuffs later.
What a nightmare for those involved. I thought the Post Office offered basic banking services to benefits recipients without bank accounts?
Serious questions for the German financial regulator to answer, as to how they let such a big company ‘lose’ over a billion euros?
Curve are now fully backup and running while Pockit seem to still be in the working out how to fix things stage.
As for post office accounts, I think Pockit offers you a mastercard which is probably far more useful then trying to get cash out from a post office.
I agree that fundamentally systemic racism exists, I hope you will excuse my mis-statement.
I think the system is fundamentally non-racist. It has to be because non-racism is enshrined in law and Hate speech can be prosecuted.
The racism now is patchy and almost random. People calling each other names away from cameras. Random acts of violence. 'Microaggressions'. Hushed discussions among friends and family at dinner tables. The odd incidence of passing over for promotion. Not sitting next to people on buses. Tutting as mixed race couples.
The perils of a cashless society. Benefits paid straight to a card currently suspended owing (!) to what looks like fraud in Germany. Ideally the German government would nationalise Wirecard and resume operations, and worry about the handcuffs later.
What a nightmare for those involved. I thought the Post Office offered basic banking services to benefits recipients without bank accounts?
Serious questions for the German financial regulator to answer, as to how they let such a big company ‘lose’ over a billion euros?
Curve are now fully backup and running while Pockit seem to still be in the working out how to fix things stage.
As for post office accounts, I think Pockit offers you a mastercard which is probably far more useful then trying to get cash out from a post office.
It looks to me as though the immediate problem has mainly been caused by the FCA's hamfisted intervention.
Though I will note as I go that, yes, that is potentially poisonous for Labour. Starmer still has a deal of work to do
Not sure that is true. Everyone knows how badly Labour have come off the rails in recent years and the fact there are many seriously deranged people in parts of the party.
All Starmer has to do is stand firm against these lunatics - which I have little doubt he will do - and he will gain support. The best thing for Starmer is if the loonies continue to put out such statements. Every time they attack him he will gain support from the sane majority in the country.
What are the EU rights of British babies being born recently, now, and in the near future?
If a baby was born in the UK before Brexit day, Jan 31, when we were still part of the EU, is that baby entitled to an EU passport, given that it was, at the moment of birth, a citizen in an EU country? If not, how does the law work?
What about a British baby born this year, or indeed after the end of the transition, in an EU country? Are they EU citizens by birth?
My understanding is that any such rights of UK-born children (with the very important exception of those born in NI) will - effectively - evaporate, being destroyed by the UK Government in a deliberate act of policy.
OK, and what about British kids being born now and in the future in rEU? They become EU citizens, I imagine?
My point is I can see a lot of British parents deciding to have kids in NI or Ireland so they get the passport.
Time to invest in private hospitals with good antenatal units in Belfast.
Interesting thought - and makes a change from the previous traffic in expectant ladies.
But residency is sometimes the qualification when it comes to dealing with different parts of the UK (as the UK does not recognise e.g. English or Scottish nationality per se). This was and is the case for determining support (or lack of) for students, for instance.
I've just checked the Irish State website. A child born in Ireland or NI with a British parent automatically becomes an Irish citizen (at the moment, perhaps this will change when Brexit is entirely done - though they don't mention it) - and therefore also an EU citizen
So if you are really keen to get an EU passport for your kid, you should hop on the ferry to Belfast
And put in the application asap when it becomes eligible for a passport.
I was under the impression that dual nationality was guaranteed under the GFA, so it should still last under Brexit, given that the Brexit arrangements sort of respects it under Mr Johnson's policy. But I don't know what would happen if Mr Johnson decided to renege on the GFA and bring NI back fully into the UK, eliminating dual nationality. I imagine anyone with a passport already would be OK, but otherwise ... no doubt soneone else will correct us if needed.
There's also a category not needing special place of birth as they get an Irish passport anyway- those with an Irish grandparent or parent IIRC. (So not much hope of making a profit there.) But DYOR.
snip.
Yes, that's my reading. A pregnant British citizen can go to Belfast, have the kid, and then the kid gets an EU passport.
I imagine LOTS of people will rather like the idea of this
Of course, the Brexiters on PB keep telling us the EU won't survive for long ... tdhere's no point in the bairn having an EU passport if mummy and daddy still have to queue in the non-EU channel. Could be worth it once it becomes 16 or so, but the wean might not be interested in anything that makes the EU passport useful.
I've not seen many Leavers on PB predicting the imminent demise of the EU.
SeanT, Eadric, Mysticrose, LadyG and Byronic do so fairly regularly.
I don't know any of these people. I, LadyG, have never predicted the imminent demise of the EU.
I am so offended by the thought I will attend to my growing collection of transparent Balkan olms
I am not aware of Starmer having yet taken a position on the West Bank issue - so we shall see what he has to say in due course.
At a guess, given that Warwick is a university town, I'd imagine that the local CLP is probably full of Momentumite bores and its wailing may be safely ignored. Labour's most likely path back to power lies through winning back the support of low and middle income swing voters who currently back the Tories because they think that Labour is a Champagne Socialist party full of rich Londoners who are more interested in social justice campaigning than doing practical things to make their lives better, and who hate both them and their values.
Starmer needs to present himself as a moderate, sensible leader who listens to ordinary, middle of the road voters over his own shrill activists, and doesn't frighten a lot of potential supporters who might otherwise consider going back to Labour into sticking with the Tories, because they are frightened of a bunch of revolutionary nutjobs getting hold of the nation's steering wheel.
Average Joe Public does not want to "defund" the police. The nutjobs do. It looks very much as if Starmer is upsetting the right kind of people at the moment.
When my daughter visited Warwick Uni as a potential student she and the other visitors were advised by one of the lecturers running through the English course that 'Marx is your friend'.
When my daughter visited Warwick Uni as a potential student she and the other visitors were advised by one of the lecturers running through the English course that 'Marx is your friend'.
Covid case update, 29 June 2020: spot the difference time...
UK: 815 additional lab confirmed cases and 25 additional deaths Scotland: 5 new cases and (for the fourth day on the bounce) no deaths at all
Wait and see: the Scottish Government will have done a New Zealand by the end of the Summer, whilst Covid cases are still kicking the bucket in England at a rate of several hundred per week.
That will be the disaster that can't be explained away, and the Tory party and the Union will both be consigned to the dustbin of history within the next few years.
What precisely has Scotland done that is radically different, rather than minor adjustments to UK wide policies?
Nothing. It's the same in Devon/Cornwall, and probably other parts of the UK, further from London, with fewer BAME citizens. Very few cases, very few deaths.
Checking, I think that only 6 of those 25 are deaths within the last 24 hours, FWIW.
No idea on the Scottish figures.
Good to see another region with no deaths, though.
I think significant further factors on the comparison would be (as sugested) % of BAME, and potentially demographics - though not sure on precise age of profile amongst population of Scotland, population sparseness, and as suggested any civic differences.
On the Scotland / SW comparison population sparseness seems comparable.
When my daughter visited Warwick Uni as a potential student she and the other visitors were advised by one of the lecturers running through the English course that 'Marx is your friend'.
I am not aware of Starmer having yet taken a position on the West Bank issue - so we shall see what he has to say in due course.
At a guess, given that Warwick is a university town, I'd imagine that the local CLP is probably full of Momentumite bores and its wailing may be safely ignored. Labour's most likely path back to power lies through winning back the support of low and middle income swing voters who currently back the Tories because they think that Labour is a Champagne Socialist party full of rich Londoners who are more interested in social justice campaigning than doing practical things to make their lives better, and who hate both them and their values.
Starmer needs to present himself as a moderate, sensible leader who listens to ordinary, middle of the road voters over his own shrill activists, and doesn't frighten a lot of potential supporters who might otherwise consider going back to Labour into sticking with the Tories, because they are frightened of a bunch of revolutionary nutjobs getting hold of the nation's steering wheel.
Average Joe Public does not want to "defund" the police. The nutjobs do. It looks very much as if Starmer is upsetting the right kind of people at the moment.
Warwick is not a university town. The University of Warwick is mostly in Coventry.
It is however a town dominated by the public sector, working from possibly the vilest, most upsettingly vandalised County Hall in the whole country.
I thought it read like a pastiche Cummings blog post, with its clever dick references to obscure brainiacs straight from the kick-off with Gramsci and scattered throughout the speech.
Oh no, I'm going to have to read Gove's speech. On a quick skim, it does seem terribly Cummingsite. As for Gramsci, his friendship with Piero Sraffa of Trinity College, Cambridge, always made him highly suspect in my book. Being in a fascist prison doesn't make a person either a hero or a deep thinker.
Covid case update, 29 June 2020: spot the difference time...
UK: 815 additional lab confirmed cases and 25 additional deaths Scotland: 5 new cases and (for the fourth day on the bounce) no deaths at all
Wait and see: the Scottish Government will have done a New Zealand by the end of the Summer, whilst Covid cases are still kicking the bucket in England at a rate of several hundred per week.
That will be the disaster that can't be explained away, and the Tory party and the Union will both be consigned to the dustbin of history within the next few years.
What precisely has Scotland done that is radically different, rather than minor adjustments to UK wide policies?
I don't know, but something is obviously going right up there. I don't think that the low population density argument is sufficient, because of the concentration of so many of the Scottish people in the central belt. Nor would the "Scotland is very white" argument seem to hold water, because Glasgow isn't and it's not lighting up as a hotspot relative to the rest of the country, or at least not anymore (besides which, there may be fewer ethnic minority people in Scotland but its age and general health profile is worse.) It would be fascinating to know to what extent the fading away of the disease in Scotland is down to policy and to what degree it's a matter of dumb luck, but that makes no difference to the fact that it's happening.
And we all know perfectly well what follows on from that. The Government in London is rubbish and is only there because the available alternative last December was even worse. This thing will flare up in the Autumn and Johnson and his ministers will be running round in circles like headless chickens, flapping their wings and babbling unintelligibly about yet more lockdowns and such like, whilst Scotland seals its borders and suffers no new cases at all. The only way we avoid that fate is if the University of Oxford vaccine project hits the jackpot, and if something sounds too good to be true it almost invariably is.
When considering the Westminstershambles, Murphy's Law applies.
Also, the few bits of info I have seen suggests that the traditional, health/local authority health officer track and traced system, is working much better than in England. But I'd like to know more. It's a shame there has been so little critical discussion.
It's difficult to do so before it gets tied up in issues of the independence debate I suspect, people picking sides.
The last time I raised the matter of the increasing discrepancy between Scottish and whole-English data, the PB ScoToriesd just blanked my immediate point (which was that the assertion one of them made about Ms Sturgeon, and whixch they all depended on for their duscussion, was chronologically impossible). But others on PB took it up and made sensible and thought-provoking comments.
In this case. I absolutely agree with BlackRook that Scotland is mixed enough that the obvious comparison with the SW of England won't hold. There was in fact an analytic study done by a consultancy which predicted high rates in Midlothian and Inverclyde with some success ( to do with socio-economioc data, transport systems and routes, etc.)
Climate can't be it - we should be more at risk in Scotland - less vitD, less sun and virus-killing UV, damper, mistier (lots of haar and rain this last few weeks).
I'm wondering if - as with the supposed "UK" riots of a few years back that turneds out to be "English" riots, and more recently the much more laid back response to BLM/statues, the relationship between government and people is simply different enough that the Scots are respecting government instructions more. And the government is being more sensible and coherent in its presentation. You don't get Ms Sturgeon saying at random fire up the barbie or demanding new releases at short notice to tghrow a dead cat to get out of a difficult PMQ or interviews.
I don't want to rain on your tartan parade but Northern Ireland is exactly the same as Scotland
They are basically down to zero deaths, or thereabouts, and zero cases, or thereabouts
Northern Ireland has the same bad weather as Scotland, is poorer, has a big city etc. So all those things ARE the same.
Are the people of Ulster more obedient to their government? Not sure they are.
Therefore this isn't a Scottish thing, or an Ulster thing, or even a Cornish thing, this is an English thing. And why is that? Probably just even bigger cities, with larger initial outbreaks, and more international communications. Ockham's razor can be used, before we get into any major philosophical analyses of Englishness
Wait a minute, when Labour Corbynites like Diane Abbott were going on about extra funding for 10,000 more police officers they were actually supporting an injust society?
When my daughter visited Warwick Uni as a potential student she and the other visitors were advised by one of the lecturers running through the English course that 'Marx is your friend'.
I am not aware of Starmer having yet taken a position on the West Bank issue - so we shall see what he has to say in due course.
At a guess, given that Warwick is a university town, I'd imagine that the local CLP is probably full of Momentumite bores and its wailing may be safely ignored. Labour's most likely path back to power lies through winning back the support of low and middle income swing voters who currently back the Tories because they think that Labour is a Champagne Socialist party full of rich Londoners who are more interested in social justice campaigning than doing practical things to make their lives better, and who hate both them and their values.
Starmer needs to present himself as a moderate, sensible leader who listens to ordinary, middle of the road voters over his own shrill activists, and doesn't frighten a lot of potential supporters who might otherwise consider going back to Labour into sticking with the Tories, because they are frightened of a bunch of revolutionary nutjobs getting hold of the nation's steering wheel.
Average Joe Public does not want to "defund" the police. The nutjobs do. It looks very much as if Starmer is upsetting the right kind of people at the moment.
Warwick is not a university town. The University of Warwick is mostly in Coventry.
It is however a town dominated by the public sector, working from possibly the vilest, most upsettingly vandalised County Hall in the whole country.
Warwick Labour is not the CLP, it's a university Labour group. Judging by its website and Twitter account, it's full of childish nutters, as you'd expect.
Good to see the Starmer fans, who love tenuous links for guilt by association charges, in full agreement, hand in hand, with Nigel Farage on Black Lives Matter by the way!
Shocked, SHOCKED I TELL YOU to see Keir Starmer and Nigel Farage on the same page regarding BLM!!
Covid case update, 29 June 2020: spot the difference time...
UK: 815 additional lab confirmed cases and 25 additional deaths Scotland: 5 new cases and (for the fourth day on the bounce) no deaths at all
Wait and see: the Scottish Government will have done a New Zealand by the end of the Summer, whilst Covid cases are still kicking the bucket in England at a rate of several hundred per week.
That will be the disaster that can't be explained away, and the Tory party and the Union will both be consigned to the dustbin of history within the next few years.
What precisely has Scotland done that is radically different, rather than minor adjustments to UK wide policies?
Nothing. It's the same in Devon/Cornwall, and probably other parts of the UK, further from London, with fewer BAME citizens. Very few cases, very few deaths.
Checking, I think that only 6 of those 25 are deaths within the last 24 hours, FWIW.
No idea on the Scottish figures.
Good to see another region with no deaths, though.
On the face of it the UK region which has best handled the pandemic is the south-west: similar population to Scotland but fewer hospitalisations and deaths. Not sure it reveals much, however.
Wait a minute, when Labour Corbynites like Diane Abbott were going on about extra funding for 10,000 more police officers they were actually supporting an injust society?
Given that the extra funding made no allowance for uniforms, equipment, transport, office space or pensions, perhaps they had visions of geriatric nudists walking around and acting as a sort of Trojan horse to cause the implosion of the system.
You can watch it as an attack on "Woke" or as a piss-take of how a gammon will typically attack "Woke".
The latter is slightly more difficult to detect but I am pleased to report I managed it.
It isn't the latter. He is most definitely anti-Woke, both the character and the writers behind it. It is a recurring theme in his videos and his stand-up show, both Tom Walker and Andrew Doyle are left wing anti-wokers and have been for years.
Yes I know. I was making the best of it.
It was well delivered but (to me) yawningly predictable.
I thought it read like a pastiche Cummings blog post, with its clever dick references to obscure brainiacs straight from the kick-off with Gramsci and scattered throughout the speech.
I only skimmed it, but my take is that he intends to create a kind of Reality TV government which gets the thumbs up from the plebs. Sounds like the kind of things New Labour was coming out with in its pre-1997 days. No surprise, of course, as Gove frequently referred to Blair as 'the Master'.
New Labour was my first thought as well. It all sounds very similar to "evidence based government".
More pretentious - but then that's hardly news with Gove, Cummings and Boris - surprised Crick is so impressed.
Still, if they actually are serious that they care about the lives of people outside their bubble, then I'd like to see what action they propose.
I am not aware of Starmer having yet taken a position on the West Bank issue - so we shall see what he has to say in due course.
At a guess, given that Warwick is a university town, I'd imagine that the local CLP is probably full of Momentumite bores and its wailing may be safely ignored. Labour's most likely path back to power lies through winning back the support of low and middle income swing voters who currently back the Tories because they think that Labour is a Champagne Socialist party full of rich Londoners who are more interested in social justice campaigning than doing practical things to make their lives better, and who hate both them and their values.
Starmer needs to present himself as a moderate, sensible leader who listens to ordinary, middle of the road voters over his own shrill activists, and doesn't frighten a lot of potential supporters who might otherwise consider going back to Labour into sticking with the Tories, because they are frightened of a bunch of revolutionary nutjobs getting hold of the nation's steering wheel.
Average Joe Public does not want to "defund" the police. The nutjobs do. It looks very much as if Starmer is upsetting the right kind of people at the moment.
Warwick is not a university town. The University of Warwick is mostly in Coventry.
It is however a town dominated by the public sector, working from possibly the vilest, most upsettingly vandalised County Hall in the whole country.
Warwick Labour is not the CLP, it's a university Labour group. Judging by its website and Twitter account, it's full of childish nutters, as you'd expect.
Ah, I didn’t realise that.
Not that it makes any actual difference to my remarks on Warwick or the University of Warwick!
Wait a minute, when Labour Corbynites like Diane Abbott were going on about extra funding for 10,000 more police officers they were actually supporting an injust society?
That was before the American state killed George aFloyd.
In terms of voteshare though the Tories are virtually unchanged from the 44% they got at GE19 on 44%.
All the movement since GE19 has been LD to Labour and while there is a possibility the Tories could lose their majority at the next general election, they would still have more seats than Labour, the SNP and LDs combined
Secretary of State for Scotland Alister Jack losing his seat there; SLDs wiped out; SCons halving their seats from 6 to 3; and one sole SLab MP. And HY thinks this is great!
You do realise the country extends beyond your region don't you?
Your state might extend north of the Tweed, but my country does not extend south of it.
Your country is the United Kingdom as per the 2014 referendum.
The United Kingdom is a political union of three countries and part of a fourth country. The UK is a state, not a country. That did not change in 2014.
For a self identified English Nationalist, Phil's awfy keen on the UK. Today's obviously an English Regionalist day for him.
I'm not keen on the UK, but I am keen on accuracy.
The UK is a country under international law and ISO definitions whether I want it to be or not.
I aware enough to realise that just because I wish something were different doesn't make it so - are you?
I'd probably rein back on the wee, snidey region shite if I didn't want to be thought of as an English Regionalist.
Scotland is a region of the UK, just as the North West of England is. Its a comparable sized region.
Scotland is also a country of the UK, but it is not a comparable sized country to England.
That is why Scotland should be independent in my eyes. Because the UK is not, nor can it be, a union of equal partners.
Do you disagree with any of that, or my logical conclusion?
It could also be argued that England is a union of former kingdoms - each of which theoretically could revert to being separate countries. Many in Cornwall claim not to be English.
You can watch it as an attack on "Woke" or as a piss-take of how a gammon will typically attack "Woke".
The latter is slightly more difficult to detect but I am pleased to report I managed it.
It isn't the latter. He is most definitely anti-Woke, both the character and the writers behind it. It is a recurring theme in his videos and his stand-up show, both Tom Walker and Andrew Doyle are left wing anti-wokers and have been for years.
Yes I know. I was making the best of it.
It was well delivered but (to me) yawningly predictable.
It's odd how you find so many opinions contrary to yours "yawningly predictable".
Jonathan Pie is a mixed bag. That rant was quite good, but definitely not his best.
He can be poor, equally, when he's really on form, he can be rather exhilarating.
And now, that's it. The poor blind Zagorian Olms cannot wait. I must go.
In terms of voteshare though the Tories are virtually unchanged from the 44% they got at GE19 on 44%.
All the movement since GE19 has been LD to Labour and while there is a possibility the Tories could lose their majority at the next general election, they would still have more seats than Labour, the SNP and LDs combined
Secretary of State for Scotland Alister Jack losing his seat there; SLDs wiped out; SCons halving their seats from 6 to 3; and one sole SLab MP. And HY thinks this is great!
You do realise the country extends beyond your region don't you?
Your state might extend north of the Tweed, but my country does not extend south of it.
Your country is the United Kingdom as per the 2014 referendum.
The United Kingdom is a political union of three countries and part of a fourth country. The UK is a state, not a country. That did not change in 2014.
For a self identified English Nationalist, Phil's awfy keen on the UK. Today's obviously an English Regionalist day for him.
I'm not keen on the UK, but I am keen on accuracy.
The UK is a country under international law and ISO definitions whether I want it to be or not.
I aware enough to realise that just because I wish something were different doesn't make it so - are you?
I'd probably rein back on the wee, snidey region shite if I didn't want to be thought of as an English Regionalist.
Scotland is a region of the UK, just as the North West of England is. Its a comparable sized region.
Scotland is also a country of the UK, but it is not a comparable sized country to England.
That is why Scotland should be independent in my eyes. Because the UK is not, nor can it be, a union of equal partners.
Do you disagree with any of that, or my logical conclusion?
It could also be argued that England is a union of former kingdoms - each of which theoretically could revert to being separate countries. Many in Cornwall claim not to be English.
Covid case update, 29 June 2020: spot the difference time...
UK: 815 additional lab confirmed cases and 25 additional deaths Scotland: 5 new cases and (for the fourth day on the bounce) no deaths at all
Wait and see: the Scottish Government will have done a New Zealand by the end of the Summer, whilst Covid cases are still kicking the bucket in England at a rate of several hundred per week.
That will be the disaster that can't be explained away, and the Tory party and the Union will both be consigned to the dustbin of history within the next few years.
What precisely has Scotland done that is radically different, rather than minor adjustments to UK wide policies?
I don't know, but something is obviously going right up there. I don't think that the low population density argument is sufficient, because of the concentration of so many of the Scottish people in the central belt. Nor would the "Scotland is very white" argument seem to hold water, because Glasgow isn't and it's not lighting up as a hotspot relative to the rest of the country, or at least not anymore (besides which, there may be fewer ethnic minority people in Scotland but its age and general health profile is worse.) It would be fascinating to know to what extent the fading away of the disease in Scotland is down to policy and to what degree it's a matter of dumb luck, but that makes no difference to the fact that it's happening.
And we all know perfectly well what follows on from that. The Government in London is rubbish and is only there because the available alternative last December was even worse. This thing will flare up in the Autumn and Johnson and his ministers will be running round in circles like headless chickens, flapping their wings and babbling unintelligibly about yet more lockdowns and such like, whilst Scotland seals its borders and suffers no new cases at all. The only way we avoid that fate is if the University of Oxford vaccine project hits the jackpot, and if something sounds too good to be true it almost invariably is.
When considering the Westminstershambles, Murphy's Law applies.
Also, the few bits of info I have seen suggests that the traditional, health/local authority health officer track and traced system, is working much better than in England. But I'd like to know more. It's a shame there has been so little critical discussion.
It's difficult to do so before it gets tied up in issues of the independence debate I suspect, people picking sides.
The last time I raised the matter of the increasing discrepancy between Scottish and whole-English data, the PB ScoToriesd just blanked my immediate point (which was that the assertion one of them made about Ms Sturgeon, and whixch they all depended on for their duscussion, was chronologically impossible). But others on PB took it up and made sensible and thought-provoking comments.
In this case. I absolutely agree with BlackRook that Scotland is mixed enough that the obvious comparison with the SW of England won't hold. There was in fact an analytic study done by a consultancy which predicted high rates in Midlothian and Inverclyde with some success ( to do with socio-economioc data, transport systems and routes, etc.)
Climate can't be it - we should be more at risk in Scotland - less vitD, less sun and virus-killing UV, damper, mistier (lots of haar and rain this last few weeks).
I'm wondering if - as with the supposed "UK" riots of a few years back that turneds out to be "English" riots, and more recently the much more laid back response to BLM/statues, the relationship between government and people is simply different enough that the Scots are respecting government instructions more. And the government is being more sensible and coherent in its presentation. You don't get Ms Sturgeon saying at random fire up the barbie or demanding new releases at short notice to tghrow a dead cat to get out of a difficult PMQ or interviews.
I don't want to rain on your tartan parade but Northern Ireland is exactly the same as Scotland
They are basically down to zero deaths, or thereabouts, and zero cases, or thereabouts
Northern Ireland has the same bad weather as Scotland, is poorer, has a big city etc. So all those things ARE the same.
Are the people of Ulster more obedient to their government? Not sure they are.
Therefore this isn't a Scottish thing, or an Ulster thing, or even a Cornish thing, this is an English thing. And why is that? Probably just even bigger cities, with larger initial outbreaks, and more international communications. Ockham's razor can be used, before we get into any major philosophical analyses of Englishness
All interesting points. At least they are being discussed.
Covid case update, 29 June 2020: spot the difference time...
UK: 815 additional lab confirmed cases and 25 additional deaths Scotland: 5 new cases and (for the fourth day on the bounce) no deaths at all
Wait and see: the Scottish Government will have done a New Zealand by the end of the Summer, whilst Covid cases are still kicking the bucket in England at a rate of several hundred per week.
That will be the disaster that can't be explained away, and the Tory party and the Union will both be consigned to the dustbin of history within the next few years.
What precisely has Scotland done that is radically different, rather than minor adjustments to UK wide policies?
Stuck by the clear guidance from a real politician and not had arseholes testing their eyesight etc which caused millions to ignore it all and runabout all over the country.
Just this morning I was being mocked for saying the BLM were marxist, anti semitic nutters and that Keir Starmer would regret adopting their pose for a photo op...
A few hours later he cant distance himself far away enough from them, and is getting slapped on the back by Nigel Farage for his stance on racism!!
Covid case update, 29 June 2020: spot the difference time...
UK: 815 additional lab confirmed cases and 25 additional deaths Scotland: 5 new cases and (for the fourth day on the bounce) no deaths at all
Wait and see: the Scottish Government will have done a New Zealand by the end of the Summer, whilst Covid cases are still kicking the bucket in England at a rate of several hundred per week.
That will be the disaster that can't be explained away, and the Tory party and the Union will both be consigned to the dustbin of history within the next few years.
There is no stability pact in Britain. Scotland doesn't have to turn a buck. England at least has to try.
Covid case update, 29 June 2020: spot the difference time...
UK: 815 additional lab confirmed cases and 25 additional deaths Scotland: 5 new cases and (for the fourth day on the bounce) no deaths at all
Wait and see: the Scottish Government will have done a New Zealand by the end of the Summer, whilst Covid cases are still kicking the bucket in England at a rate of several hundred per week.
That will be the disaster that can't be explained away, and the Tory party and the Union will both be consigned to the dustbin of history within the next few years.
What precisely has Scotland done that is radically different, rather than minor adjustments to UK wide policies?
Stuck by the clear guidance from a real politician and not had arseholes testing their eyesight etc which caused millions to ignore it all and runabout all over the country.
There might be a lot in that. It was to excuse Dominic Cummings that advice shifted to use your common sense rather than follow the rules.
Another good example of the challenges faced by SKS in reforming the party. Still plenty of Corbynites around the country running local branches and their social media accounts.
Yup, and that’s what people,who think he’s upsetting the right people are missing. These people,are still there.,they are not going away and their extreme views will be brought up time and time again. Especially at election time as will his time as DPP. Soft on crime, soft on the causes of crime, will be the chant.
Just this morning I was being mocked for saying the BLM were marxist, anti semitic nutters and that Keir Starmer would regret adopting their pose for a photo op...
A few hours later he cant distance himself far away enough from them, and is getting slapped on the back by Nigel Farage for his stance on racism!!
Presciently saying things that were obviously true and which led to a screeching U-turn from LOTO within a day?
Covid case update, 29 June 2020: spot the difference time...
UK: 815 additional lab confirmed cases and 25 additional deaths Scotland: 5 new cases and (for the fourth day on the bounce) no deaths at all
Wait and see: the Scottish Government will have done a New Zealand by the end of the Summer, whilst Covid cases are still kicking the bucket in England at a rate of several hundred per week.
That will be the disaster that can't be explained away, and the Tory party and the Union will both be consigned to the dustbin of history within the next few years.
What precisely has Scotland done that is radically different, rather than minor adjustments to UK wide policies?
Stuck by the clear guidance from a real politician and not had arseholes testing their eyesight etc which caused millions to ignore it all and runabout all over the country.
There might be a lot in that. It was to excuse Dominic Cummings that advice shifted to use your common sense rather than follow the rules.
Which, given Cummings has demonstrated a transparent lack of it for years, meant ‘do whatever the hell you like!’
In terms of voteshare though the Tories are virtually unchanged from the 44% they got at GE19 on 44%.
All the movement since GE19 has been LD to Labour and while there is a possibility the Tories could lose their majority at the next general election, they would still have more seats than Labour, the SNP and LDs combined
Secretary of State for Scotland Alister Jack losing his seat there; SLDs wiped out; SCons halving their seats from 6 to 3; and one sole SLab MP. And HY thinks this is great!
You do realise the country extends beyond your region don't you?
Your state might extend north of the Tweed, but my country does not extend south of it.
Your country is the United Kingdom as per the 2014 referendum.
The United Kingdom is a political union of three countries and part of a fourth country. The UK is a state, not a country. That did not change in 2014.
For a self identified English Nationalist, Phil's awfy keen on the UK. Today's obviously an English Regionalist day for him.
I'm not keen on the UK, but I am keen on accuracy.
The UK is a country under international law and ISO definitions whether I want it to be or not.
I aware enough to realise that just because I wish something were different doesn't make it so - are you?
I'd probably rein back on the wee, snidey region shite if I didn't want to be thought of as an English Regionalist.
Scotland is a region of the UK, just as the North West of England is. Its a comparable sized region.
Scotland is also a country of the UK, but it is not a comparable sized country to England.
That is why Scotland should be independent in my eyes. Because the UK is not, nor can it be, a union of equal partners.
Do you disagree with any of that, or my logical conclusion?
It could also be argued that England is a union of former kingdoms - each of which theoretically could revert to being separate countries. Many in Cornwall claim not to be English.
Dividing England? Oh no! Have Mercia, Justin!
Great pun;
Mercia, of which Eadric, liberator of the City of Hereford, was king.
Covid case update, 29 June 2020: spot the difference time...
UK: 815 additional lab confirmed cases and 25 additional deaths Scotland: 5 new cases and (for the fourth day on the bounce) no deaths at all
Wait and see: the Scottish Government will have done a New Zealand by the end of the Summer, whilst Covid cases are still kicking the bucket in England at a rate of several hundred per week.
That will be the disaster that can't be explained away, and the Tory party and the Union will both be consigned to the dustbin of history within the next few years.
What precisely has Scotland done that is radically different, rather than minor adjustments to UK wide policies?
Stuck by the clear guidance from a real politician and not had arseholes testing their eyesight etc which caused millions to ignore it all and runabout all over the country.
Scotland and Sturgeon have had a slavish press, especially south of the border, but their record like ours is sketchy.
In terms of voteshare though the Tories are virtually unchanged from the 44% they got at GE19 on 44%.
All the movement since GE19 has been LD to Labour and while there is a possibility the Tories could lose their majority at the next general election, they would still have more seats than Labour, the SNP and LDs combined
Secretary of State for Scotland Alister Jack losing his seat there; SLDs wiped out; SCons halving their seats from 6 to 3; and one sole SLab MP. And HY thinks this is great!
You do realise the country extends beyond your region don't you?
Your state might extend north of the Tweed, but my country does not extend south of it.
Your country is the United Kingdom as per the 2014 referendum.
The United Kingdom is a political union of three countries and part of a fourth country. The UK is a state, not a country. That did not change in 2014.
For a self identified English Nationalist, Phil's awfy keen on the UK. Today's obviously an English Regionalist day for him.
I'm not keen on the UK, but I am keen on accuracy.
The UK is a country under international law and ISO definitions whether I want it to be or not.
I aware enough to realise that just because I wish something were different doesn't make it so - are you?
I'd probably rein back on the wee, snidey region shite if I didn't want to be thought of as an English Regionalist.
Scotland is a region of the UK, just as the North West of England is. Its a comparable sized region.
Scotland is also a country of the UK, but it is not a comparable sized country to England.
That is why Scotland should be independent in my eyes. Because the UK is not, nor can it be, a union of equal partners.
Do you disagree with any of that, or my logical conclusion?
It could also be argued that England is a union of former kingdoms - each of which theoretically could revert to being separate countries. Many in Cornwall claim not to be English.
Dividing England? Oh no! Have Mercia, Justin!
Great pun;
Mercia, of which Eadric, liberator of the City of Hereford, was king.
You can watch it as an attack on "Woke" or as a piss-take of how a gammon will typically attack "Woke".
The latter is slightly more difficult to detect but I am pleased to report I managed it.
It isn't the latter. He is most definitely anti-Woke, both the character and the writers behind it. It is a recurring theme in his videos and his stand-up show, both Tom Walker and Andrew Doyle are left wing anti-wokers and have been for years.
Yes, Pie hates Woke, as anyone who watches him regularly well knows. Kinabalu hasn't a clue
My message is sometimes pitched just beyond the grasp of all but those I wish to reach.
Wait a minute, when Labour Corbynites like Diane Abbott were going on about extra funding for 10,000 more police officers they were actually supporting an injust society?
I'm no expert, but from what I've read about America, "defunding the police" would turn it into something a lot more like our own police force.
I'm in no way minimising the everyday racism that a lot of black people in this country face when dealing with the police, but a more consent based police force would be a major victory for BLM in the US.
In terms of voteshare though the Tories are virtually unchanged from the 44% they got at GE19 on 44%.
All the movement since GE19 has been LD to Labour and while there is a possibility the Tories could lose their majority at the next general election, they would still have more seats than Labour, the SNP and LDs combined
Secretary of State for Scotland Alister Jack losing his seat there; SLDs wiped out; SCons halving their seats from 6 to 3; and one sole SLab MP. And HY thinks this is great!
You do realise the country extends beyond your region don't you?
Your state might extend north of the Tweed, but my country does not extend south of it.
Your country is the United Kingdom as per the 2014 referendum.
The United Kingdom is a political union of three countries and part of a fourth country. The UK is a state, not a country. That did not change in 2014.
For a self identified English Nationalist, Phil's awfy keen on the UK. Today's obviously an English Regionalist day for him.
I'm not keen on the UK, but I am keen on accuracy.
The UK is a country under international law and ISO definitions whether I want it to be or not.
I aware enough to realise that just because I wish something were different doesn't make it so - are you?
I'd probably rein back on the wee, snidey region shite if I didn't want to be thought of as an English Regionalist.
Scotland is a region of the UK, just as the North West of England is. Its a comparable sized region.
Scotland is also a country of the UK, but it is not a comparable sized country to England.
That is why Scotland should be independent in my eyes. Because the UK is not, nor can it be, a union of equal partners.
Do you disagree with any of that, or my logical conclusion?
It could also be argued that England is a union of former kingdoms - each of which theoretically could revert to being separate countries. Many in Cornwall claim not to be English.
Dividing England? Oh no! Have Mercia, Justin!
Great pun;
Mercia, of which Eadric, liberator of the City of Hereford, was king.
It's an interesting question. If I had some mindblowing scoop, perhaps I knew someone who found out Trump wasn't running for re-election, I'd obviously wager heavily accordingly if I was confident in the information and wasn't concerned I was committing fraud or similar by acting. But would I then tell others on PB? I might do, tbh.
Covid case update, 29 June 2020: spot the difference time...
UK: 815 additional lab confirmed cases and 25 additional deaths Scotland: 5 new cases and (for the fourth day on the bounce) no deaths at all
Wait and see: the Scottish Government will have done a New Zealand by the end of the Summer, whilst Covid cases are still kicking the bucket in England at a rate of several hundred per week.
That will be the disaster that can't be explained away, and the Tory party and the Union will both be consigned to the dustbin of history within the next few years.
What precisely has Scotland done that is radically different, rather than minor adjustments to UK wide policies?
I don't know, but something is obviously going right up there. I don't think that the low population density argument is sufficient, because of the concentration of so many of the Scottish people in the central belt. Nor would the "Scotland is very white" argument seem to hold water, because Glasgow isn't and it's not lighting up as a hotspot relative to the rest of the country, or at least not anymore (besides which, there may be fewer ethnic minority people in Scotland but its age and general health profile is worse.) It would be fascinating to know to what extent the fading away of the disease in Scotland is down to policy and to what degree it's a matter of dumb luck, but that makes no difference to the fact that it's happening.
And we all know perfectly well what follows on from that. The Government in London is rubbish and is only there because the available alternative last December was even worse. This thing will flare up in the Autumn and Johnson and his ministers will be running round in circles like headless chickens, flapping their wings and babbling unintelligibly about yet more lockdowns and such like, whilst Scotland seals its borders and suffers no new cases at all. The only way we avoid that fate is if the University of Oxford vaccine project hits the jackpot, and if something sounds too good to be true it almost invariably is.
When considering the Westminstershambles, Murphy's Law applies.
If you don't know, then I think it is far far too early to state so definitively as you did that it cannot be explained away and that the Tories and Union will be consigned to the dustbin of history as a result.
That might happen, perhaps it will even happen for that reason and Westminster mistakes, but if we cannot identify a difference it seems unfair to rule out that someone might be able to explain the difference.
very clear that overall the death rate is significantly lower in Scotland , dropping quicker and must be some good reason behind it.
In terms of voteshare though the Tories are virtually unchanged from the 44% they got at GE19 on 44%.
All the movement since GE19 has been LD to Labour and while there is a possibility the Tories could lose their majority at the next general election, they would still have more seats than Labour, the SNP and LDs combined
Secretary of State for Scotland Alister Jack losing his seat there; SLDs wiped out; SCons halving their seats from 6 to 3; and one sole SLab MP. And HY thinks this is great!
You do realise the country extends beyond your region don't you?
Your state might extend north of the Tweed, but my country does not extend south of it.
Your country is the United Kingdom as per the 2014 referendum.
The United Kingdom is a political union of three countries and part of a fourth country. The UK is a state, not a country. That did not change in 2014.
For a self identified English Nationalist, Phil's awfy keen on the UK. Today's obviously an English Regionalist day for him.
I'm not keen on the UK, but I am keen on accuracy.
The UK is a country under international law and ISO definitions whether I want it to be or not.
I aware enough to realise that just because I wish something were different doesn't make it so - are you?
I'd probably rein back on the wee, snidey region shite if I didn't want to be thought of as an English Regionalist.
Scotland is a region of the UK, just as the North West of England is. Its a comparable sized region.
Scotland is also a country of the UK, but it is not a comparable sized country to England.
That is why Scotland should be independent in my eyes. Because the UK is not, nor can it be, a union of equal partners.
Do you disagree with any of that, or my logical conclusion?
It could also be argued that England is a union of former kingdoms - each of which theoretically could revert to being separate countries. Many in Cornwall claim not to be English.
Dividing England? Oh no! Have Mercia, Justin!
Great pun;
Mercia, of which Eadric, liberator of the City of Hereford, was king.
"The best person for the job" is conveniently ignored because Brexit. Of course, hypocrisy is the Brexiteer art.
The government is seeking to improve the country via Brexit.
Whether someone is a Brexiteer or Remainer should be irrelevant. They should however be able to answer the question "in which ways can the UK be improved post-Brexit".
If their answer is a @Scott_xP style reply of "it can't, Brexit is a bloody stupid idea" then they're not the best person for the job.
Remainers who see Brexit as something that needs to be gone through because it was voted for are going to see it as a damage limitation exercise. There is no other sensible way to do Brexit. But if you voted Leave because you think it a Good Thing in a way that makes sense to you, you're won't accept damage limitation. You didn't vote for that and exclude Remainers from having anything to do with it.
The end result is a more extreme and an even more partisan and damaging Brexit. It's a dilemma for both parties in their different ways.
Well precisely. Brexit is not a damage limitation exercise, it is an opportunity.
The Civil Servants should be looking to serve the government implement Brexit as an opportunity. If they're incapable of doing so, if they're incapable of looking beyond "damage limitation" then they're regrettably incapable of doing their jobs. They're no longer the "best person for the job".
The Civil Service needs to adapt to implement what the public have voted for, not look to limit it.
Perhaps government ministers could spell out what these “opportunities” actually are, beyond the frankly risible one of being able to buy Tim Tams, something which I can now do on Amazon, as it happens.
They have done, for half a decade at least now.
Now they need the Civil Service on side to implement the opportunities. If the Civil Service doesn't want to do so then that is an issue n'est-ce pas?
Name the specific policies which the government is now implementing post-Brexit which it could not do beforehand and which will improve Britain and, for each policy, what that improvement will be.
They're generally not being implemented yet because we're still in transition but seeking our own trade agreements would be one.
Yes those. I believe they're the right thing to do even with that assessment. Because I think those assessments are flawed but its impossible to prove it, just like the whole Brexit debate.
I want to make sure I’ve understood you correctly. Even if the assessment is correct (I understand you think it incorrect, though am unclear why you think so), the assessment that a trade deal with NZ may shrink the U.K. economy slightly, you still think it is the right thing to do?
Yes?
If so, why?
Why would you think it the right thing to do to enter into a trade agreement which may shrink the U.K. economy?
Yes I do.
Because I believe free trade is the right thing to do in principle.
Thanks. So you think Britain should enter into free trade agreements regardless of whether they help Britain.
What is the principle behind them which you think so important?
Economically it is Ricardian economics. I believe true free trade helps all parties.
Philosophically I believe in free trade for the same reason as I believe in free markets and not a command economy. I believe that free people, in a free society trading freely in a free market are able to make better choices than bureaucrats trying to cherrypick winners and losers.
If the EU were simply a free trade organisation I would wholeheartedly support our membership. In the past I used to.
Covid case update, 29 June 2020: spot the difference time...
UK: 815 additional lab confirmed cases and 25 additional deaths Scotland: 5 new cases and (for the fourth day on the bounce) no deaths at all
Wait and see: the Scottish Government will have done a New Zealand by the end of the Summer, whilst Covid cases are still kicking the bucket in England at a rate of several hundred per week.
That will be the disaster that can't be explained away, and the Tory party and the Union will both be consigned to the dustbin of history within the next few years.
What precisely has Scotland done that is radically different, rather than minor adjustments to UK wide policies?
Stuck by the clear guidance from a real politician and not had arseholes testing their eyesight etc which caused millions to ignore it all and runabout all over the country.
Scotland and Sturgeon have had a slavish press, especially south of the border, but their record like ours is sketchy.
what crap, the totally unionist press has been constantly printing rubbish about the government handling, luckily the public know the reality. Not perfect but head and shoulders above Westminster wallies.
Wait a minute, when Labour Corbynites like Diane Abbott were going on about extra funding for 10,000 more police officers they were actually supporting an injust society?
I'm no expert, but from what I've read about America, "defunding the police" would turn it into something a lot more like our own police force.
I'm in no way minimising the everyday racism that a lot of black people in this country face when dealing with the police, but a more consent based police force would be a major victory for BLM in the US.
They are disappointed in Starmer over the stance on BLM UK, hence their following tweets mentioning UK events. They are talking about BLM UK's call for defunding the police here, not in the US.
I see there is more to that story of the couple with the guns shouting at the BLM protesters.
The protestors smashed down a gate onto what is a private estate and the couple claim there were armed individuals among the mob.
In most American states people are entitled to defend their private property with guns. I don't know whether that's the case in wherever this took place.
It's a great idea. If we stop the flow of taxpayer's money at the same time it would be a very useful dry run for Scottish independence.
Och well, at least it'll put a stopper on HMG's favourite trick of borrowing to prop up their own Barnett Formula and then shoving it on Scotland's nominal deficit ('Worst in Western World!' or whatever auld bollocks they've come up with last) while pretending it's English largesse.
If it comes with Devo Max with full borrowing powers, go for it lads. Start the tidying up at Faslane while you're at it.
Yes gave us 10B of their covid debt yet spent 3.6B in Scotland, BAU for the thieving gits
Obviously you've spent quality time talking with and listening to these folks NOT.
Trumpsky thought he could demonize BLM. How's THAT working out? Check the polls, also response from such bastions of Marxism as NASCAR and the Mississippi Legislature.
Frankly unless Johnson manages to not have destroyed the economy or cocked up Brexit (the former he didn't cause but he's responsible for getting us out of, the latter he very much did), I just do not see how he manages to increase his majority. He had pretty much all of the stars lined up in 2019 and he isn't going to get that again.
The polls already show his majority having fallen and he's on borderline Hung Parliament territory. He's had his most popular moment and I think it's now slowly downhill for him.
That new and fresh thing is slowly being replaced by "us and them" which Starmer is going to exploit, the fact he's not Jeremy Corbyn, the fact Brexit is over and is a reason a lot voted Tory (and they weren't happy about it, it seems), to me means the next election is possibly going to result in a very slim Tory majority or a Hung Parliament.
I am in no mood to give up on the majority. This government could prove so demonstrably poor on every level and from every perspective that they struggle to win more than 200 seats. I wish Sporting Index would put some spreads up now.
"The best person for the job" is conveniently ignored because Brexit. Of course, hypocrisy is the Brexiteer art.
The government is seeking to improve the country via Brexit.
Whether someone is a Brexiteer or Remainer should be irrelevant. They should however be able to answer the question "in which ways can the UK be improved post-Brexit".
If their answer is a @Scott_xP style reply of "it can't, Brexit is a bloody stupid idea" then they're not the best person for the job.
Remainers who see Brexit as something that needs to be gone through because it was voted for are going to see it as a damage limitation exercise. There is no other sensible way to do Brexit. But if you voted Leave because you think it a Good Thing in a way that makes sense to you, you're won't accept damage limitation. You didn't vote for that and exclude Remainers from having anything to do with it.
The end result is a more extreme and an even more partisan and damaging Brexit. It's a dilemma for both parties in their different ways.
Well precisely. Brexit is not a damage limitation exercise, it is an opportunity.
The Civil Servants should be looking to serve the government implement Brexit as an opportunity. If they're incapable of doing so, if they're incapable of looking beyond "damage limitation" then they're regrettably incapable of doing their jobs. They're no longer the "best person for the job".
The Civil Service needs to adapt to implement what the public have voted for, not look to limit it.
Perhaps government ministers could spell out what these “opportunities” actually are, beyond the frankly risible one of being able to buy Tim Tams, something which I can now do on Amazon, as it happens.
They have done, for half a decade at least now.
Now they need the Civil Service on side to implement the opportunities. If the Civil Service doesn't want to do so then that is an issue n'est-ce pas?
Name the specific policies which the government is now implementing post-Brexit which it could not do beforehand and which will improve Britain and, for each policy, what that improvement will be.
They're generally not being implemented yet because we're still in transition but seeking our own trade agreements would be one.
Yes those. I believe they're the right thing to do even with that assessment. Because I think those assessments are flawed but its impossible to prove it, just like the whole Brexit debate.
I want to make sure I’ve understood you correctly. Even if the assessment is correct (I understand you think it incorrect, though am unclear why you think so), the assessment that a trade deal with NZ may shrink the U.K. economy slightly, you still think it is the right thing to do?
Yes?
If so, why?
Why would you think it the right thing to do to enter into a trade agreement which may shrink the U.K. economy?
Because Brexit Believer = Not that bright
Actually I gave an answer at the same time that was different. Funny that!
Though "not that bright" says the person who is so dim he can't understand that nationalism can be a virtue and not a vice and only sees one side of a coin. As I said to you earlier today when you ranted it can of course at extremes be evil - as can most philosophies at extremes, but moderately it can be quite viruous. All things in moderation as they say.
Good try 😂 , but no cigar Philip. Boy you do try hard at understanding this stuff, I'll give you that. On a serious note, nationalism cannot be a virtue, as it is fundamentally divisive, and is based on lies and falsehoods. It is the ugly sister to patriotism . Patriotic resistance to oppression (eg. French resistance to Nazis, some might even point to Irish resistance) is very very different to the racist nationalist nonsense spouted by Brexiteers and Scots nats. The latter two try to justify their position with all sorts of excuses, falsely claim oppression and grievance (when so often they are the oppressors) but underneath it is just based on fundamental hatred of the outsider, and that is why both "philosophies" are predominantly dim witted. Sorry old chap!
You're the ones telling lies and being divisive by casting aspersions on others. Yes some in both movements can be liars spouting oppression and grievance, Farage certainly meets that description as across the Pond is his fellow traveller Trump. But they are extremists, extremists of any -ism can be like that.
There is no reason or default for nationalism to contain any of what you complain about. I am an unabashed nationalist but I make no calls to grievance, no attacks against outsiders. I believe in a virtuous nationalism.
Covid case update, 29 June 2020: spot the difference time...
UK: 815 additional lab confirmed cases and 25 additional deaths Scotland: 5 new cases and (for the fourth day on the bounce) no deaths at all
Wait and see: the Scottish Government will have done a New Zealand by the end of the Summer, whilst Covid cases are still kicking the bucket in England at a rate of several hundred per week.
That will be the disaster that can't be explained away, and the Tory party and the Union will both be consigned to the dustbin of history within the next few years.
What precisely has Scotland done that is radically different, rather than minor adjustments to UK wide policies?
Stuck by the clear guidance from a real politician and not had arseholes testing their eyesight etc which caused millions to ignore it all and runabout all over the country.
Scotland and Sturgeon have had a slavish press, especially south of the border, but their record like ours is sketchy.
what crap, the totally unionist press has been constantly printing rubbish about the government handling, luckily the public know the reality. Not perfect but head and shoulders above Westminster wallies.
Brian Wilson = lol!
You know the game's a bogey when the Yoons have moved from Scotland's services not being as resilient as those of the rest of the UK to 'but, but, but you're just as bad as us!'
Comments
Anyway, while we're on this topic, I want to get stuck into some book learning before Lockdown is totally over and I'm particularly keen to try that one - "Useful Idiots: How the white working classes of England enable their own oppression at the hands of the Tories".
But I can't remember the author. Can you help me out? I'm thinking you're bound to have read it.
That might happen, perhaps it will even happen for that reason and Westminster mistakes, but if we cannot identify a difference it seems unfair to rule out that someone might be able to explain the difference.
If it comes with Devo Max with full borrowing powers, go for it lads. Start the tidying up at Faslane while you're at it.
Serious questions for the German financial regulator to answer, as to how they let such a big company ‘lose’ over a billion euros?
https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/no-new-covid-19-deaths-4274728
The country has been on lockdown. No one is moving around the country. Though they are moving within cities.
The key to getting a grip on this is 1, not to have a very large outbreak at the start, or 2, being lucky it effects young people first and/or 3. being a distance from the main hubs of transmission, at a time when almost all cross counry travel has ceased - so more cases are not brought in, which means that even if you have a big outbreak it then dies down
The main hubs of Covid in the UK are London, the Midlands, Sheffield, South Wales
Various places away from here are doing well: Scotland, the far south West, north Wales, rural south England....
Or is it five?
Also if Israel,goes ahead with its allegedly illegal annexation of the West Bank this will cause even more issues.
Labour not being unified on either has the potential to harm them.
https://twitter.com/warwicklabour/status/1277627637461143554?s=21
Imagine telling black people he's got a lesson to teach them about slavery and if they don't take his advice on board they'll go back to it!
Can't he be declared unable to discharge his duties and then removed under the 25th amendment? Failing that, can't there be a military coup or something? Maybe some CIA officers can think of a solution? A person who says things like that doesn't deserve to hold any kind of public position.
In 2016 Trump got 8% of the black vote. If he stands in November 2020 I doubt he'll reach 4%. This is the guy who still hasn't apologised for praising a video of one of his supporters in Florida calling for "White Power".
In this case. I absolutely agree with BlackRook that Scotland is mixed enough that the obvious comparison with the SW of England won't hold. There was in fact an analytic study done by a consultancy which predicted high rates in Midlothian and Inverclyde with some success ( to do with socio-economioc data, transport systems and routes, etc.)
Climate can't be it - we should be more at risk in Scotland - less vitD, less sun and virus-killing UV, damper, mistier (lots of haar and rain this last few weeks).
I'm wondering if - as with the supposed "UK" riots of a few years back that turneds out to be "English" riots, and more recently the much more laid back response to BLM/statues, the relationship between government and people is simply different enough that the Scots are respecting government instructions more. And the government is being more sensible and coherent in its presentation. You don't get Ms Sturgeon saying at random fire up the barbie or demanding new releases at short notice to tghrow a dead cat to get out of a difficult PMQ or interviews.
No idea on the Scottish figures.
Good to see another region with no deaths, though.
I am so offended by the thought I will attend to my growing collection of transparent Balkan olms
Au revoir
https://twitter.com/JakeSherman/status/1277650842607370241?s=20
Look before you leap on a bandwagon
https://warwicklabour.org/
As for post office accounts, I think Pockit offers you a mastercard which is probably far more useful then trying to get cash out from a post office.
The racism now is patchy and almost random. People calling each other names away from cameras. Random acts of violence. 'Microaggressions'. Hushed discussions among friends and family at dinner tables. The odd incidence of passing over for promotion. Not sitting next to people on buses. Tutting as mixed race couples.
That sort of thing
All Starmer has to do is stand firm against these lunatics - which I have little doubt he will do - and he will gain support. The best thing for Starmer is if the loonies continue to put out such statements. Every time they attack him he will gain support from the sane majority in the country.
Admittedly that was his own fault for thinking in clichés all the time.
At a guess, given that Warwick is a university town, I'd imagine that the local CLP is probably full of Momentumite bores and its wailing may be safely ignored. Labour's most likely path back to power lies through winning back the support of low and middle income swing voters who currently back the Tories because they think that Labour is a Champagne Socialist party full of rich Londoners who are more interested in social justice campaigning than doing practical things to make their lives better, and who hate both them and their values.
Starmer needs to present himself as a moderate, sensible leader who listens to ordinary, middle of the road voters over his own shrill activists, and doesn't frighten a lot of potential supporters who might otherwise consider going back to Labour into sticking with the Tories, because they are frightened of a bunch of revolutionary nutjobs getting hold of the nation's steering wheel.
Average Joe Public does not want to "defund" the police. The nutjobs do. It looks very much as if Starmer is upsetting the right kind of people at the moment.
On the Scotland / SW comparison population sparseness seems comparable.
BAME in population is very similar.
"Forensic" not the best word to spell incorrectly...
https://twitter.com/KeejayOV2/status/1277605876480778240?s=20
It is however a town dominated by the public sector, working from possibly the vilest, most upsettingly vandalised County Hall in the whole country.
They are basically down to zero deaths, or thereabouts, and zero cases, or thereabouts
https://twitter.com/UKCovid19Stats/status/1277651809239212038?s=20
https://twitter.com/UKCovid19Stats/status/1275417432778330113?s=20
Northern Ireland has the same bad weather as Scotland, is poorer, has a big city etc. So all those things ARE the same.
Are the people of Ulster more obedient to their government? Not sure they are.
Therefore this isn't a Scottish thing, or an Ulster thing, or even a Cornish thing, this is an English thing. And why is that? Probably just even bigger cities, with larger initial outbreaks, and more international communications. Ockham's razor can be used, before we get into any major philosophical analyses of Englishness
Shocked, SHOCKED I TELL YOU to see Keir Starmer and Nigel Farage on the same page regarding BLM!!
It was well delivered but (to me) yawningly predictable.
More pretentious - but then that's hardly news with Gove, Cummings and Boris - surprised Crick is so impressed.
Still, if they actually are serious that they care about the lives of people outside their bubble, then I'd like to see what action they propose.
Not that it makes any actual difference to my remarks on Warwick or the University of Warwick!
Jonathan Pie is a mixed bag. That rant was quite good, but definitely not his best.
He can be poor, equally, when he's really on form, he can be rather exhilarating.
And now, that's it. The poor blind Zagorian Olms cannot wait. I must go.
A few hours later he cant distance himself far away enough from them, and is getting slapped on the back by Nigel Farage for his stance on racism!!
You clearly know nothing about politics, isam
Mercia, of which Eadric, liberator of the City of Hereford, was king.
https://www.scotsman.com/news/opinion/columnists/question-nicola-sturgeon-failed-answer-about-covid-19-care-homes-brian-wilson-2847538
Like dog whistling.
In this case it appears you were not a dog.
I'm in no way minimising the everyday racism that a lot of black people in this country face when dealing with the police, but a more consent based police force would be a major victory for BLM in the US.
Oh, phew, you meant metaphorically.
Philosophically I believe in free trade for the same reason as I believe in free markets and not a command economy. I believe that free people, in a free society trading freely in a free market are able to make better choices than bureaucrats trying to cherrypick winners and losers.
If the EU were simply a free trade organisation I would wholeheartedly support our membership. In the past I used to.
The protestors smashed down a gate onto what is a private estate and the couple claim there were armed individuals among the mob.
Obviously you've spent quality time talking with and listening to these folks NOT.
Trumpsky thought he could demonize BLM. How's THAT working out? Check the polls, also response from such bastions of Marxism as NASCAR and the Mississippi Legislature.
There is no reason or default for nationalism to contain any of what you complain about. I am an unabashed nationalist but I make no calls to grievance, no attacks against outsiders. I believe in a virtuous nationalism.
You know the game's a bogey when the Yoons have moved from Scotland's services not being as resilient as those of the rest of the UK to 'but, but, but you're just as bad as us!'